On my way to the UK!

[Chris_F]

I'm sorry to inform the fine citizens of the UK that yet one more ugly American is about to temproarily sully your shores.  I'm very suddenly and very unexpectedly being shipped to the UK for work.  Unfortunately I won't have any time to see anyting intersting but at least I get to fly on a 777 and pass through the world famous Heathrow.  Final destination is a factory in Chelmsford, Essex.  I've been told to visit at least one true English pub, and I've also been told that I'll be working every evening to about midnight and the pubs are all closed by then.

But with so many UK folks on the board I figured I'd let everyone know to make way for the ugly American.

[expat]

I was once asked in all seriousness by one of your landsmen (it was a very, very small one horse town in North Carolina) if it was possible to buy toilet paper in Europe!!, so to save you the embarrassment of asking, yes you can.  ;D

Matt

PS if you are working until midnight, the pubs open between 9 or 10 am too.

[eno]

I'll warn my Sister and Brother in law to watch out for a

"ugly American"

wandering the streets of Chelmsford looking for a real English pub  ;D

As  for the licensing hours ....... 24hr drinking is possible some pubs will be open till 2 or 3am at the weekends.

[ozzy72]

Some pubs are open later than 11. It depends on their licence. Failing that locate the nearest Tesco (they are usually open 24/7) and get some ALE or better yet CIDER and kiss your brain goodbye

[expat]

I'll warn my Sister and Brother in law to watch out for a

"ugly American"

wandering the streets of Chelmsford looking for a real English pub  ;D

As  for the licensing hours ....... 24hr drinking is possible some pubs will be open till 2 or 3am at the weekends.

And get picked up by a nice Essex girl, blond, chewing a bit of gum, short white leather skirt, quite possibly pissed and wearing some nice white gloss calve length comef#uckmeboots  :o


Matt (smoothing the hairs down on the back of his neck)

[Hagar]

Failing that locate the nearest Tesco (they are usually open 24/7) and get some ALE or better yet CIDER and kiss your brain goodbye

Chris said he wants to visit a typical English pub, not a blinkin' supermarket.

I've never been to Chelmsford but I'm sure it has at least one decent pub.

[ozzy72]

And to think we posh kids in Bucks had to go round the back of the bike sheds as school to get our formative education

[Omag 2.0]

Omag quickly rebuilds the Atlantikwall and stuffs the Chunnel with concrete... now he's your problem lads! Tally'o!  ;D

[Chris_F]

Yeah, if I'm workin' until midnight and have to be up for 8:00AM I don't think I'll be getting tanked (sorry, "pissed" I believe is the English term) on supermarket beer.  And come to think of it, what beers must I try?  We get some English and Irish brands here, and I love 'em.  Bass, Guinness, Boddingtons, Old Speckled Hen, Olde Thumper...  What's a "must see" should I eventually find a pub-like establishment?

[Chris_F]

[quote]I was once asked in all seriousness by one of your landsmen (it was a very, very small one horse town in North Carolina) if it was possible to buy toilet paper in Europe!!, so to save you the embarrassment of asking, yes you can.

[ozzy72]

I'd say Spitfire (I'm biased of course) and Bishops Finger are nice commercial brands. But really you need to try some cider for a truly British experience. For that the commercial brands worth attacking are Strongbow and Scrumpy Jack, however the latter can mess you up if you're not careful

[eno]

http://www.beers-of-the-world.com/brand ... gland.html

Just some to start with ........ along with 1000s more.

Don't listen to Ozzy's idea of cider ..... neither of the brands he's recommending has seen a complete apple in any stage of it's production.  ;)

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/scrumpy/cider/

That's real cider.  ;D

Tis a pity you're not heading up Derbyshire way ..... I could show you some of the best beer in the UK  and THE best  cider in the UK. The local pub was runner up in a major brewery's pub of the year competition and is the current UK Cider pub of the year.

[ozzy72]

I did say "commercial". For the real deal you can't beat Pig Squeal down in darkest Devon. That stuff REALLY screws you up and must not be store in plastic containers as it melts them

[Chris_F]

Okay then...  I would have assumed a recommendation for a nice local Whiskey before this Cider stuff.  We get some Cider in my area at some of the local micro-brew places.  It's good, but I have a "thing" about apples.  They go through me with lighting speed.  So Cider isn't a realy good idea unless I'm at home and have ready and immediate access to a porcelin place to sit.  But I do enjoy a nice whiskey from time to time.  My fav is Jameson.  I'd assume I can do MUCH better over there.

[Hagar]

Forget the cider. Bitter is the Englishman's drink. You would need to go to Scotland for a proper drop of Whisky.