Short Of The Mark All 'Round

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Ah, the idyll that is the bottom of our garden on a fine summer's eve, cooking cheeseburger on the barbie. Two things immediately spring to mind with a third thought in tow: firstly, the charcoal I'm using, which I sourced locally [blog posts passim] from Parc Y Moch via Spar. When I bought it, I paid what I thought was a rather premium price to support a local micro-business; but it has turned out to be quite the economical purchase, as this is now the fifth or sixth fire I've made from the bag. Compared to the apparently cheaper, garage-bought easy-light stuff, it pans out to be a much cheaper option and makes a rather more superior barbecue fire to boot. Secondly, tonight's burgers have proved a considerably better repast than the very meagre luncheon-of-which-we-partook at The Bull in Biwmares this afternoon. Granted, my pint of Bass ale was at its best, but alas, the food was not.

Given that the new summer Sunday menu is so - ordinarily I would hazard, creditably - concise in its offerings, the fare actually proffered was simply meagre and of questionable quality. I couldn't possibly recommend the place in its current state to anyone, despite the very nice and typically overlooked and overworked front of house staff they have working there, who are lovely. Thirdly, my supplemental point relates to an all too common malaise of contemporary licensed establishments: the almost cavalier approach to weights & measures when it comes to serving ales and lagers, none of which in most modern establishments is served at the full legal measure. At one time a place could be summarily closed down and the licensee heavily fined for such transgressions; now they are simply part of the pub wallpaper. Given the price of beer these days, this sloppy practice needs to stop. I can feel a campaign coming on...

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