Hazel Tree - Corby

Plenty of reasons to 'Come On In' for a pint at the Hazel Tree

The origin and meaning of pub names can sometimes be difficult to unravel. I have a few books on the subject but these tend to concern themselves with the country’s ancient Inns and Taverns and their often tenuous connections with notable historic events, royalty, sporting events, and of course historic royal sporting dogs. Late 20th century urban boozers and classic post-war estate pubs rarely feature in these guides, and so they're absolutely no help when it comes to pubs like the Hazel Tree (seen below, partially obscured by a huge tree that isn't in fact a Hazel). So a pub that's barely past it's half-century and the thinking behind this obscure pub name, possibly the only one of its kind in the UK, is lost to us...

And yet the Hazel Tree is one of the more important estate pub survivor in Corby, particularly given The Lincoln has closed for good now, and the nearby Pluto is of course long gone. The Hazel Tree is the last pub standing in the gap between the relatively well-pubbed Danesholme Estate and those in the Cottingham/Oakley Road area, and it's a good-un too! If you search online you'll find that the Hazel Tree is without a shadow of a doubt 'Corby's best pub...' (spoiler: they all are!), which is something I always love to see because it's an indicator of good local support. Now I've spent many years listening to the more 'enthusiastic' end of the pub and beer spectrum telling me pubs like this are unloved, surplus to requirements, and deserve to fail, more often than not by people who haven't set foot in one for years. It's nonsense of course, a pub with locals is more often than not a pub that's well loved by its locals, and the Hazel Tree is a pub with a loyal crowd of locals that clearly love it.

Greenhill Rise Shopping Plaza, known as the Mezquita of Corby, probably...

As one of the last of the original flattish-roof estate pubs on my EPIC adventure, I felt the Hazel Tree deserved a couple of visits. Besides, despite going on a Saturday afternoon first time round I negligently managed to miss the all important Meat Raffle (do gastro pubs do an Asparagus and Quinoa Raffle I wonder?). In fact I managed to miss most of the advertised fun and games at the pub, just a handful of hardcore regulars watching Leicester and Leeds slogging it out on the telly, not quite the newsworthy shenanigans I was looking for. Having said that, a sparsely populated Corby bar gives the opportunity to sit back with a plain pint of Guinness, all the better to appreciate the freedom with which Corby folk can communicate almost entirely through the medium of swearing. It's a skill that's truly something to behold, and not for the faint hearted it must be said. Very few of the actual 'C' words it must be said, but oh my word, your 'F' took a hell of a beating! EPIC Patreon subscribers will of course be given access to the full uncensored video of the afternoon, the rest of you will just have to use your dirty-filthy imaginations.

Now people often ask me how it is I manage to blend in so well in these rough and tumble Corby pubs. How I avoid being seen as the shifty Sassenach 'stranger', when it's clear that’s exactly what I am! Well, I go in disguise of course. A typical afternoon pubbing outfit of Harris Tweed Hunting Jacket, Dubarry Country Wellies, and waxed Barbour Deerstalker might seem a little out of place in a pub like the Hazel Tree, but I've found that by accessorising the look with a local newspaper and a fresh bag of Corby Rolls (right), I get the nod of local acceptance every time. Except in The Kingfisher obvs! I go for a 'jolly fisherman' look in there.

Even when suitably attired, blending in can be trickier than it looks. A bit of light frothy banter with the barmaid goes a long way though, and us pub men are adept at this. “Will you be showing the rugby?” I enquire, oblivious to the full range of Six Nations flags hanging from every part of the bar. I think the smile I got from the patient barmaid was the one employed for true rugby comrades, and not in fact the one reserved for the village idiot…

The jukebox crackled into life, Black Sabbath's mighty Hand of Doom piercing the afternoon profanities. This seemed entirely appropriate. Time to retire to a corner and contemplate my bread rolls and a meaningful assault on the Saturday Meat Raffle at a future, as yet undecided date…

Sadly the Meat Raffle had been cancelled on my next visit, a very lively afternoon of footballing cup action. I can only guess that nobody was interested in Lorne Sausage and Sunday Roast Joints on a day like this, either that or the pub had gone vegan since I was last there! It's possible!...

This was more like it, a proper pub, properly packed with (mostly) Liverpool supporters, the traditional single table of Chelsea fans keeping a lowish profile at the back of the bar. For my part I had to blend in by sitting at the busy bar, a Corby Telegraph and bag of Rolls would be no use here. A great vantage point for the footballing action though, as well as the regular comings and goings of many-many happy Carling drinkers.

Interestingly, I noticed that as the game ground on through what seemed like two hours of extra time, fewer and fewer faces were turned to the actual telly 'action'. I imagine this is the same for all football matches, but perhaps more so in the pub where the age-old traditions of chat, banter, and afternoon snoozing will always win out to mere sporting spectacle. Having said that, the mood changed rapidly for the inevitable anti-climax of a Penalty Kick-Shoot(?), except the Chelsea table which went very quiet for some reason!

So a top afternoon in the Hazel Tree, several Guinness's downed without so much as a packet of crisps. I'm mad me! Did I mention the patio at the front (above)? Fair packed it was! Now I'm not really a Football fan, but I'd have to say that if you don't like a pub when a big sporting event like this is on, chances are you don't really like pubs. The transformation from a slow Saturday afternoon in March to a hot Cup Match day in May was something beautiful to behold. Makes you wonder what the atmosphere's like on a busy Meat Raffle day. Phew!

The Pool and Horses area, the non-Football fans Safe Space