Date: January 2019
You might imagine that the evening of the first Sunday of January would be a quiet time for a pub in an outer London Borough such as Waltham Forest but then you’ve probably never been to The Northcote. That said, neither had I before this visit and it’s fair to say I was reasonably surprised to find it full of life as I entered its doors at about 7pm on Sunday 6 January.
The Northcote is known for its Sunday drag nights so I suppose they’re always quite lively but this one in particular had that last blow out before the holiday ends feel to it. It was, after all, the night before the first Monday of the year.
The pubhistory entry for The Northcote suggests that it’s an establishment that’s been around a while. It was taken over by Tuesday Roberts back in 2014 and offers an array of entertaining events from puz quizzes and bingo to the aforementioned drag nights. It has a Muga stone oven pizzeria (the pizzas here looked amazing and I wished I hadn’t eaten before coming) out the back and also hosts other guest caterers throughout the year. All this and a healthy offering of local beer together the mass produced staples on draft make it quite the local hotspot. The crowd itself was a mix of the younger types (perhaps those who’ve moved into the area), couples with dogs and a solid old man contingent for whom this has probably been the local going on decades. It has a real modern East End community feel to it. More information on the pub and some interesting articles about it are in the sources section.
It being a Sunday there was always little chance of me ordering an alcoholic beverage. In addition, one of my New Year’s resolutions is to cut back on alcohol, starting with doing Dry January. It’s not that I am a big drinker - I’m not - and I do like a beer or G & T, but I have recently really started to dislike the effect alcohol has on me. I’m not just talking about the customary hangover, I also mean the sensation of being drunk. I’m a massive lightweight so a couple of pints into a session and I’m as good as gone, but there’s also something about the feeling of being tipsy that hasn’t been sitting well with me for a while. I’ve given myself a limit of ten times when I can get drunk this year. I don’t want to give up completely - how else will I ever talk to people I don’t know?! - but I thought it best to start the year as I mean to go on.
Admittedly, as I got to the bar and looked at the life going on around me: people dancing to the music, chatting with vigour and my mate sipping his San Miguel contentedly, I was tempted to get a drink. Then I remembered my resolution. However, I thought I’d at least put one of my dancing shoes on and live a little. So I bought myself a non-alcoholic beer. Bavaria 0.0%. Do not recommend. About a third of the way through the bottle, as the realisation of my error became apparent, I knew that my next round had to be the classic non-drinkers' refresher. A lime and soda.
Appearance:
My mate walked back to our table his pint in one hand, in the other a pint glass glistening green in the light of the stage where the drag act was belting out Britney Spears. I knew I’d made the right choice. This is a proper pub that does proper drinks (non-alcoholic beer offering aside) and the lime and soda is no exception. The pint glass was filled to the brim. It had ice cubes, it had fresh lime, it had enough condensation on it and the balance of cordial to soda water looked about right. Top marks.
Taste:
As I had expected from its appearance, it's a solid and uncompromising beverage. Lime and soda’s Ronseal equivalent. I did have to mix it a bit (with my finger not a straw #noplastic) but the flavour of the soda water was well balanced out with the right amount of cordial and the fresh lime quarter, which added just the right amount of zing to keep my taste buds interested before getting down to the thicker, sickly sweet taste of the cordial congregated at the bottom of the glass. This drink did everything you’d expect of a lime and soda. It quenched my thirst, it was drinkable, it endured. It is what it is and it's ok with that. That's how I like my lime and soda.
Price:
This one was bought for me so I don’t actually know. We did stay for one more round after this but, it being late and having work the next day, I only fancied a half. A pint of lager and a half of lime and soda cost me less than £5 so I imagine the best mocktails here are cheap. As it should be.
I’ve lived in this area on and off for a few year and have often passed this pub on my way down Grove Green Road so I’m glad I finally dropped in. It’s obviously a great hangout for newcomers and old timers alike and if you did want to get on it on a Sunday this would be the place to come. Maybe I’ll return to get a more inebriated perspective on the atmosphere at The Northcote when Dry January is over, we shall see.
As for the lime and soda itself, it's proper pub lime and soda. It’s good value, comes in the right quantity (pint glass or half pint glass) and is served with a smile. That’s all you really want from your local isn’t it?
Sources
Pub’s website:
https://thenorthcotee11.com/
Pubhistory entry:
https://pubshistory.com/EssexPubs/Leytonstone/northcot.shtml
https://www.whatpub.com/pubs/ELC/13959/northcote-arms-leyton
A short interview with the owner: https://www.leytonstoner.london/2015/04/14/ich-bin-tuesday-roberts-owner-northcote-e11/
How they brought drag to The Northcote: https://www.leytonstoner.london/2015/03/26/i-started-sunday-drag-nights-northcote/
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