What makes a pub ‘Only Ordinary By Name?’
Is your local a bit special? We all have a chosen pub, but is yours Only Ordinary By Name?
Maybe the friendly landlord or landlady has an interesting back story, or perhaps the pub has secrets of its own that make it stand out, such as a ghost or a secret passage.
Or could it be the regulars that make it remarkable. Do some famous or infamous faces prop up the bar, or is it frequented by some truly extraordinary patrons?
Whatever makes it special, we want to hear about it in our search with John Smith’s to find pubs that, just like its beer, are Only Ordinary By Name.
EXTRAORDINARY We’re looking for locals with a twist, and that serve John Smith’s, pubs that sound ordinary but have an amazing story behind them, and the best people to tell us about them are you – the people who drink there.
Launching the competition, comedian and TV presenter Paddy McGuinness reveals he has been fascinated by extraordinary pubs since his mum saw a ghost in one. She used to pull pints for a living and he says: “She worked in one of the oldest pubs in the UK. It’s called the Man and Scythe in Bolton. She was in the local paper for spotting a ghost in there.”
RELAX That’s pretty extraordinary, but what’s the strangest thing Paddy himself has ever seen in a pub?
“I once saw a bloke ride into a pub on a horse,” he says. “Granted it wasn’t a very big horse but nonetheless it was a horse.”
Paddy, 43, has a packed schedule, what with helping his wife Christine look after twins Leo and Penelope, and baby daughter Felicity, as well as filming hit shows Take Me Out and The Keith and Paddy Picture Show with pal Keith Lemon.
And he insists that there is no better place to relax on a rare night out than at the great British pub.
“A good pub for me is all about a friendly atmosphere.” Paddy says.
“It’s all about that camaraderie with your mates, a place to relax, socialise and have fun. No tools allowed.”
He says that from fashionable New York bars to German bierkellers, no country has better
The Man and Scythe
pubs than Britain, adding: “I’ve been in some lovely pubs around the world but none of them encapsulate the feeling you get in a good old British boozer.”
And despite the rise in gastropubs serving posh nosh and trendy nibbles like charcuterie boards, Paddy goes back to basics when it comes to bar food. He says: “I’m peanuts and crisps all the way. Although I did used to like those crab sticks what the fishmongers used to come in and sell.”
A good pub is a place to relax, socialise and have fun
NOMINATE Your local may not have ghosts, regulars on horseback, or one of Britain’s favourite TV comics propping up the bar, but it can still have something that makes it stand out from the crowd. That might be the landlord, the regulars, the building itself or something you don’t see at first glance.
So whether your local is called the Dog and Duck, the White Hart, the Royal Oak or the Red Lion, tell us what makes it Only Ordinary By Name.
You could win £200 just by nominating, and you’ll be able to read about shortlisted pubs in your area, before voting for your winner.
Regional winners selected by your votes will receive £300 and be entered into the national final for the chance to win £5,000.
The judges will then choose the overall national winner, where Paddy will drop in for a pint of John Smith’s to celebrate and deliver the grand prize.
Nominations close on July 2, so get nominating – cheers, and good luck. FLOWER POWER There are pubs that are ordinary in name only all over Britain, in villages, towns and cities from Edinburgh to Exeter and Dundee to Dover. Some, such as the Don Bar in Stockton-on-Tees, give no clue from the outside as to what makes them special. But inside, landlady Julie Cooper has transformed it into a unique tribute to Britain’s armed forces heroes, with a world record 70,000plus poppies glued to the walls and ceiling. Julie also raises funds for military charities and raises awareness of conditions affecting veterans. Last year she ran a campaign to send hundreds of shoeboxes packed with treats and toiletries to service men and women deployed overseas at Christmas.
HOT STUFF At the other end of the country, the Warren Inn on Dartmoor is the highest pub in southern England, at 1,425ft above sea level. But what makes it truly out of the ordinary is its fire, which has been burning non-stop since it was first lit in 1845. Now that’s extra-ordinary!
The Warren Inn’s firer has been