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England - 04/01/09

What could be more English? A bite to eat in a pub after watching a pantomime. A roast beef dinner served with veg, a Yorkshire pudding and a pint of bitter. And doing it in a chain pub rather than an independent free house.

The Waterhouse is one of the J D Wetherspoons chain, a chain that has spread across most of the UK in the last 15 years. Back in sixth-form Wetherspoon’s were an exciting prospect. They were rare (they had two outlets in Manchester), and they were very reasonably priced. Their bowls of ‘nachos grande’ were perfect for sharing with friends. Now I doubt there is a town of any significant size in Britain that does not have a Wetherspoons pub. Their purchasing power sadly undercuts many more traditional village pubs.

Yet the story is not all bad. Wetherspoons has a history of selling local real ales alongside the John Smiths and lagers you can get anywhere (they often work in partnership with CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale). They bring interesting tastes to people attentions – they first introduced Kopparberg Swedish cider to the UK, and they often have bottled beers from Poland, South Africa and other more exotic locales on sale. They were the first pub chain to ban smoking. They can be very economical – the reintroduction of the 99p pint this year has brought people back to them (the last time I can recall a pint of beer retailing for 99p was probably back in 1998). And not all branches are big soulless barns where people stand up and steadily get drunk on cheap beer. Some of the more atmospheric would be the art deco Sedge Lynn in Chorlton, the cosy Ford Madox Brown in Rusholme, and the intimate Waterhouse on Princess Street opposite the Town Hall.

I like The Waterhouse. It is a converted townhouse and named after Alfred Waterhouse, the architect behind the Gothic Victoriana of Manchester Town Hall and the Victoria University buildings on Oxford Road (and Strangeways prison) as well as the Natural History Museum in London. (Interesting sidenote – his brother is the Waterhouse in the global accountancy firm PriceWaterhouseCoopers). Walls still partition off rooms providing an intimacy often lacking in pubs. A grand staircase leads up to an upper landing, where there are some very swanky toilets (frosted glass walls and sandstone fire places). It was my brother’s choice to come here. I offered a meal wherever he wanted. His choice was Wetherspoons for their chicken tikka masala, an authentic-tasting dish served with pilau rice, a naan bread, poppadums and mango chutney. As it was a Sunday I went for their special Sunday Roast menu – a choice of either roast beef, chicken, pork, or the veggie option (a portobello mushroom, chickpea and pumpkin seed roast). My roast beef came with roast potatoes, a Yorkshire pudding, balls of sage and onion stuffing, gravy, and veg – carrots and peas. A drink was included along with the price, so I went for a pint of bitter. While it might not be the most authentic dining experience, and you may feel that you are subject to a one-size-fits-all dining experience, I have to say that in general you get tasty food in filling volumes for a decent price. Why else would it be my brother’s venue of choice for dinner? Why else would their Thursday ‘Curry Club’ be seen as a valid option for eating out by my parents? And why else would I feel no shame at listing a chain pub as my ‘English’ option in my quest to eat Around the World in 80 Meals?

(Other suggested ‘English’ options? The English Lounge on High Street or Albert’s Shed in Castlefield. For further Victoriana try Mr Thomas’s Chop House on Cross Street or Sam’s Chop House on Chapel Walks. And how about The Battered Cod in Withington for traditional English fish and chips – or indeed Harry Ramsdens, possibly the most famous name in chippie history?).