Oakley Hay, Great Oakley, nr Corby

Corby just keeps surprising us! Now I wouldn’t regard myself as a particularly fussy pubber*, but on any given day there are up to 26 words I tend to avoid when choosing a pub for a day/evening out. ‘Wacky’ and ‘Warehouse’ are two obvious ones, ‘Closed’ is another, ‘Mouth-watering’ a particular no-no for me, though it’s hard to explain why...

‘Beefeater’ has been a longstanding turn-off of mine, a full 50 year turn-off in fact. Back in the 80’s it was common practice for national brewers to convert perfectly serviceable village locals into Chef & Brewers, Millers Kitchens, Brewers Kitchens, or the big eatie-daddy of them all, Beefeater. In with the laminate menus and high chairs, out with almost all of the essential pubbiness we know and love. A literal bonfire of Darts, Cribbage, and Shove Ha'penny Boards, all the better to flame grill those T-Bone Steaks.

Corby’s Beefeater is of course much better than that, and certainly much better than I expected. Stop it Corby, you’re spoiling us! “Quite nice and pubby” was Mrs Epic's assessment, trying once again to rob me of a promising blogging career. She’s right though, even though we had to run the gauntlet of a smartly dressed front-of-house table greeter, the poor chap betraying almost no disappointment when we parried with the classic “we’re just here for a drink mate…”.

Turn left at the entrance for Steakhouse Heaven, a right-turn takes you to the lovely Bar area (Steaks also available), and very lovely it is. Just look at that fabulous curvy Deco-ish bar counter, a pre-emptive CAMRA Heritage Pub shoe-in, or my name isn’t Mr Epic! Plush 'vintagey' seating, banquets and discreet booths, and a bar mercifully free of the high-table blight that's killing pubs for us older drinkers with our short legs and creaky backs. You could damn near have a game of Dominoes in here (though do check first, I'm not sure it's actually allowed). Rampant Bulls feature prominently in the décor, I've no idea why...

It’s a Craft Beer bar needless to say, Corby has well and truly fallen for the middle class beer dream. Where there's Murk there's Brass I guess! Cornish Cask Craft comes in the shape of the cult classic Doom Bar, offered with a choice of two entirely different-ish pumpclips, that's how seriously they take their beer at the Oakley Hay. It was very nice anyway, not at all syrupy, a very drinkable pint indeed. Canned and Bottled Craft comes from a tiny boutique garage brewery in Scotland, delivering the kind of controversy-free chilled fizz that beer enthusiasts insist on these days. I'd recommend sticking to the cask though, it's a bit cheaper. But for you dear reader, we tried them all. You are welcome!...

Of course the staff were entirely and typically 'Corby-great', talking us through the beer range like true beery professionals.

"I've heard these are quite... erm... [citrussy?], yes, citrussy, that's it!"...

"I'm a cider drinker myself" [me too]

"Oh! What supermarket ciders do you recommend I try?". (etc...)

This is the kind of chatty unpretentious beery bonhomie that some smaller craft bars could learn a thing or two from. Nobody needs to know the hop ratios and yeast strain of their beer, everyone appreciates an opportunity to slag off the truly appalling range of ciders available in supermarkets... I think I may have strayed a little from the subject here.

Firm but fair demarcation between casual drinkers like myself, and those on the kind of 'solids' that make the place profitable, is achieved by these sturdy Planet of the Apes style wooden bars (above). I know my place! I know I'm not allowed in the eatie zone without consenting to some kind of eating! But it's sometimes useful to be reminded. However, that didn't stop me stepping over the threshold (right), and going for the obligatory 'Yikes!, I'm lost', slightly bewildered trespass amongst the happy diners. Keeping a low profile, trying not to meet any Ribeye's in the eye. It's here you'll find the fantastic vintage art (below). My advice is on no account leave the Oakley Hay without sneaking over the threshold to see the art yourself. It'll bring a nostalgic tear to you eye, particularly when you check eBay to find how much these beauties are worth these days...

Moo-ving!

(*I am)