We will be closed all day Monday 6 January and Tuesday 7 January. Open as usual on Wednesday 8 January 2020.
Advance notice: closed for two days
The Retreat Matches
Look at what just surfaced at The Retreat…a box of The Retreat branded matches, with a few live ones still in there.
We love finding more bits and pieces of The Retreat’s colourful history. Anything you’ve got. please share it with us.
The Retreat Snowball Christmas Special
The Retreat Snowball 2019 Christmas Special is being served from today. It is so good that Santa has messaged Brian to say that he will be leaving all the glasses of port and sherry when he does his rounds this Christmas. He still wants your mince pies though.
This is all on the condition that Brian provides a Retreat Snowball Christmas Special at his fireplaces. Brian has four fireplaces at The Retreat, so I don’t fancy Santa’s chances of flying in a straight line after that!
The recipe is a closely guarded secret, but you might spot them when Brian makes The Retreat Snowball 2019 Christmas Special for you.
Theakston’s Christmas Ale has arrived
We have one barrel of Theakston’s Christmas Ale, available from 16.30 today, Monday 16 December 2019. First come first served.
Chew on this: a fictional Yorkshire beer which starred in a hit US crime series in 2011 is now being brewed every year for Christmas… it’s Theakston’s Christmas Ale.
Billed as, “A rich festive ale with cinnamon, raisins and a hint of walnut,” this seasonal real ale almost needs a spoon and a fork to consume it. And it is hugely popular. Theakston’s go on to describe their Christmas Ale as, “An outstanding rich, fruity, dark and mellow ale – just like liquid Christmas pudding!”
You can read the history of this once a year real ale on the Theakston website.
Christmas is on the way to The Retreat
Di Whitaker dressing 
Stuart Henderson on trumpet 
Simon Price on drums 
The musical theme keeps on at The Retreat with the Christmas decorations.
Mine’s a Pint
Behind the bar at The Retreat with Brian Moignard. This article has just been published in the CAMRA publication “Mine’s a Pint” Winter 2019 edition.
It should feature on the CAMRA website soon.
The opinion poll votes are in at The Retreat
We asked you which is best, Twiglets or Mini Cheddars. In a referendum-esque way, the result was very close: Mini Cheddars 56% to Twiglets 44%.
Therefore, the Twiglet voters are claiming a win and a fresh vote. The Mini Cheddars voters are saying, “Let’s get Cheddars done.”
The Retreat customers are contradicting the poll result by protesting from their seats and eating more Twiglets then Mini Cheddars.
Attempts at community conciliation have been made by Luke and Phil who are both residents of St John’s Street.
Bar Wars
When the followers of The Retreat were asked if they preferred Mini Cheddars or Twiglets it tuned out to be a question that divided the nation in a Cameron-esque manner: the vote stood at 52% Minischeddare and 48% Twiglets. Two grown men set out to unite the country by combining the two…
The Retreat’s got a cat
I was asked, “Did you know The Retreat has a cat?” And apparently this is the cat. I asked what his name was and the reply was, “Stephen. That’s Stephen with a PhD.”
Anyway, I don’t fancy his chances when Brian spots him.