Corby Town - 2023 Update

Life moves pretty slow in Corby Town. Then all of a sudden it accelerates, does a neat doughnut on the Cube car park before speeding off up the Oakley Road in a haze of Buckfast and blue tyre smoke. Read on...

The news that northern beer classic Tetley's Smooth (probably brewed in Northampton!) had appeared on the bar at the Everard Arms recently came as a shock almost as shocking as the name change that literally shocked me back into the pub this week. Not that I was shocked enough to actually try it! Heritage Keg like this may be all the rage in the world of beer enthusiasts right now, but I have fond memories of the auld Tetley Bitter from youth (though somewhat sullied by an appallingly bad pint of the current iteration in a Buxton pub recently!), so wasn't about to spoil the memory now. No, a Guinness would have to suffice. Plain, familiar, cold and wet, almost entirely unmemorable, which is what we all want from the black stuff isn't it!

The Evs, as it's now called, is clearly trying to erase every last bit of its association with the eponymous Leicester brewery that opened the pub back in the 60's. Not that I'll miss the keg Tiger Bitter to be honest, a pale amber shadow of the classic cask beer I was raised on in the leafy suburbs of Leicester. I doubt it was much of a favourite with the locals neither. Or perhaps it's merely an attempt to save money on the stationary, a few letters less on flyers and sign writing adds up over the course of a year, and every little helps in these dark difficult days.

So it's all change at the pub, particularly out front where the lovely patio has had a lick of paint ready for the next lockdown Summer, and is now ironically decked out in a tasteful shade of 'Everards Pastel Grey', a parting gift from the brewery I shouldn't wonder. Summer cannae come soon enough for the Evs, I might even give the Tetley's a try if the weather picks up...

Talking of all change, The Kingfisher is now fully reopened just in time for its 50th birthday celebrations this year, and trading all day every day, as is the Corby tradition. You honestly, truly won't recognise the place! Unless you're one of the very few non-Corby residents who've actually been there, you'll certainly recognise it then, it's not changed that much...

Change it has though, and most definitely for the better. When we popped in on the way to Steel Park for the football back in (gulp!) 2021, the back bar, which is actually the Lounge, was buzzing with footie, horse racing, and the kind of steady afternoon drinking life that Corby excels at. The front bar on the other hand was, if anything, slightly humming. Tatty, thoroughly neglected, a single dartboard precariously stapled to a wall otherwise devoid of decoration. More of a function room than a bar, a function room desperately in need of a function.

The Kingfisher stage, scene of many a thing...

The Kingfisher 'Greeter', high on Corby Rolls

You wouldn't recognise the place now, honestly, even I wouldn't recognise the place and I've been there before. Daytime drinking and footie, and the horses, is now the preserve of the big front bar with an array of comfy sofas, traditional table seating, recognisably decorated walls, nice bit of carpet, and just look at that lovely ceiling! It's now the hub of the pub, and the Lounge (below), which was empty today, is now a bit more of a Lounging space, pulled into use when required. The beer range is reassuringly the same as I remember it...

Now I've mentioned before that all Corby pubs have a Greeter, a local who'll greet you on arrival, and often bid you a fond farewell on leaving. It's one of the many things that make Corby pubs special. The Greeter is, more often than not, the chap at the front door puffing on a cigarette, and it operates on a rota system to keep things fresh. Say "Howdo!", or similar, and these friendly gentleman will 'always' respond with a cheery "Hello Pal", or similar. On my visit to the Kingfisher there were two Greeters.

One was a dog, a terrier type dog of the Bull or Pit variety that greeted me with all the enthusiasm of an airport sniffer dog. I was packing nothing more intoxicating than a bag of Corby Rolls but got the full body hoover nevertheless, I can only imagine the reception I’d have got with a Scotch Pie…

So a slow-ish afternoon of football and horses, people coming and going and no doubt coming back again later. Conversation covered all the pub standards of Football, "Who's a good dog?", and Crisps. “Four and a half years and you don’t know what crisps I want!” sez she, "This could be the thing we fall-out over!". (Spoiler: It's Green Flavour). None of your craft beer blather here!

The Kingfisher reopening couldn't be better timed of course, the pub well poised to reap the benefits of this years Coronation Bun Trail, with the Pytchley Court bakery outlet standing at the start (or finish) of the long-awaited gourmet event.