Pub Odyssey 57

Tuesday 7 February:  THE CORK, WELWYN GARDEN CITY (Mike Horsman, Chris Parkinson, Elvis Pile, Bob Polydorou, Steve Stott, Andrew Swift)

COMMENT:  This is the first time on the Odyssey that we have been into a pub which used to be a bank.  I've done it before in London, and very splendid such pubs can be- the Old Bankof England in Chancery Lane, for instance, with its spendid woodwork and ceramics and frescos.  The Cork was emphatically not like that; it was somewhat basic and as one of us said, maybe a place at times to avoid eye contact with the rest of the clientele.  Not however at this lunchtime; the clientele looked perfectly friendly and included a baby in a highchair with whom I was actually trying (and failing) to establish eye contact.  The staff were friendly too and our young waitress showed I thought exemplary patience in trying to get the food orders from a selection of fuddy-duddies (us) who were showing signs of early onset age-related confusion (or so she must have thought).  But in fairness I must say after all this that the food and beer were fine and very cheap.

The Cork is owned by a pubco called Stonegate who actually are the people who inflicted on the English pub scene the now celebrated faux-witty pub sign "Slug and Lettuce", the title of one of their pub "brands";  however, another of their brands abandons weak witticism for grim realism, being called  "Scream".  Well, they said it.  Stonegate are also capable of barefaced impudence;  the Cork is one of their pubs in a brand called "Great Traditional Pubs".  There is no touch of greatness about the Cork, and  it is about as close to a traditional pub as I am to being a dancer in "Hot Gossip".  It's all so brazen you've got to admire it.  And when its all said and done we had a convivial lunch with decent food and beer served by staff who had the right attitude.  You could go to a lot of genuinely traditional pubs and not get as much.