Akenside Traders, Dean Street, NE1

Date: December 2023

“It was Christmas Eve, babe

And in the Akenside

A barman said to me

Here’s your lime and soda.”

Two things. One, please forgive me for the above riff on a Christmas classic (R.I.P Shane). Two, it wasn’t Christmas Eve, but it was mid-December when I visited Akenside Traders, which sits on Dean Street, just up from the Quayside in Newcastle. I was killing time between the end of the work day, grabbing something to eat and heading to a carol service at St. Nicholas’ Cathedral.

The weather outside really was frightful. It was disgustingly wet and even after a short walk from the office down to the river, I was drenched through. Despite this, the city was starting to fill up with the Christmas party crowd. Groups of mostly middle-aged people were dashing into the bars and pubs determined to make merry despite the conditions. 

With the water soaking through my shoes and into my socks and 45 mins to spare, I decided to seek shelter in the warmth of the pub to revel in the merriment myself. It felt a bit strange to be sitting by myself among various groups of jolly people, a little isolating even. However, one of the things I like best about the British pub is that, in general, all are welcome, regardless of the circumstances. A lesson that we would do well to apply in other aspects of our society. In fact, and I appreciate this is a bit of a stretch for a lime and soda review blog, this seems to me to be the essence of the message of Christmas.

So I entered the pub, felt the blast of warm air on my face, and went straight to the bar to order my drink. The bartender was incredibly friendly, which I imagine isn’t an easy thing to be at this time of year for someone in the hospitality industry. In fact, their generosity was extended beyond warm season’s greetings, as they whacked out the full bottle of lime cordial and performed an amazing free pour on the bar right in front of my eyes. I’ve genuinely never seen anything like it before. It felt like an early Christmas gift. With soda water added along with a fresh lime garnish, I paid and took my beverage to a seat next to a radiator and directly in front of the Christmas tree. Chestnuts roasting on an open fire it wasn’t but my feet certainly felt a lot toastier. 

Appearance: This lime and soda looked incredibly green. I imagine that was a result of the very generous free pour of cordial. Unfortunately, the cordial had all congealed at the bottom of the pint glass so I knew it would require a stir before I could give it a fair taste test. 

Taste: It was ok. The stir did little to enhance the flavour and it mostly just tasted like soda water with a hint of lime cordial. The cordial itself tasted a little chemically. The sweetness of the cordial did come through as I reached the bottom of the glass where most of the cordial had gathered, despite my many stirring attempts. However, this proved to be a bit overpowering as the flavouring was incredibly saccharine.

Price: 50p. Cheap and cheerful, much like the pub itself. 

Overall, it did a job. As was clear from the other clientele, you can have a very good time in the Akenside. As for myself, I wouldn’t say it was a lime and soda to remember but that’s not always what this is about. Sometimes you just want shelter from the storm outside. The Akenside on this night provided that in abundance. I hope you all find your shelter whatever you are up to this Christmas, dear readers.

Merry Christmas!