A hot mooch!

Keith and I drove over to the countryside near Thrapston this morning as we'd decided to explore some of the pubs in the area. Sheila from work had mentioned a place in Denford called The Cock so we were keen to find out what it was like.

We popped into Aldi and the garage first at Tesco to fill up with diesel and then took the A14, coming off at Junction 11. It was a hot day and already the temperature was heading up to 30c. We pulled off the road to consult the map and took the road to Great Addington where there was a pub called The Hare and Hounds, but it was closed, although that wasn't surprising as most pubs open at 12.00pm during the week.

We carried on to Little Addington where the pub there was called The Bell - Keith remembered it from a previous mooch. How he remembers the names is beyond me! We then made our way to Ringstead and became lost in the village, which was quite large. It had several shops and an Indian but we couldn't see a pub!

We eventually found our way to Denford but the pub was closed so we hoped that on our way back we'd find it open! We turned around and drove towards Raunds and then on to Chelveston where we parked at The Star and Garter. People were arriving and most seemed to be having lunch there. The pub was very friendly and I think had just been taken over by a new landlady who was serving behind the bar. She was chatty and efficient but had false eyelashes that looked like tarantulas!

We sat at the bar and had a drink and more and more people arrived to eat, so the food was probably very good. The pub was a tad old-fashioned with curious blue paint on the wooden bar. Keith liked it, but I wasn't that impressed. I certainly wouldn't go out of my way to return!

We had one drink and then left to go to The Duke of Wellington in the village of Stanwick. We found it in the middle of the village and it looked lovely. It had a large car park and a building on the left as we walked down that looked like it held weddings or parties. The man behind the bar reminded me a little of the barman in The Shining, for some reason! He was very friendly and knew the landlord of our local...it's a small world!

We had a drink and sat at the bar and I liked it very much. This is a pub I would return to! The bar was lovely with tables next to the windows which looked out onto the main street. There were stone-flagged floors and lots of wood and it was clean and airy.

We just had the one drink and then made our way back to Denford but The Cock was still closed and wouldn't open until 4pm, which was a shame. We'll have to try it again, but go in the evening!

We were both a little hungry now so we decided to try one last pub and have a sandwich. The Hare and Hounds was still closed so we drove to Little Addington and visited The Bell. It was almost empty apart from a group of people sitting in the restaurant next to a buffet table. We ordered our drinks and I was given a pint of shandy, when I only wanted a half! We asked about lunch and were given a menu, from which we chose sandwiches served with chunky chips.

We took a seat in the lounge area and sat in splendid isolation! This was not a pub I'd return to again, either. The ceiling was low and there was an abundance of dark wood making it dim and gloomy. I think in the winter it would be cosy, but on a sunny day it felt a little depressing!

Our sandwiches were delicious, though, and filled us up! By now it was 2pm so we finished our meal, I left half my drink and we made our way home. Keith was feeling a little dizzy and his blood pressure had dropped so he stayed at home while I went to get Mike from work. I think Keith was a little dehydrated (despite the three pints he'd had) and I made him drink plenty of water throughout the afternoon. He then felt a lot better.

We had planned on barbecuing in the evening but neither of us felt like eating after our big lunch so we made do with some warm cheese scones Keith had made the other day!