Beeses News December 2006

Hello All

You may have been wondering why you haven’t heard from us in a while. Well, even if not, it’s not because we’re flooded (not yet, anyway), but we have been busy bringing in new ideas and generally dealing with riverside life.

November finally brought autumn to Beeses and Pa took some lovely pictures which you can view on the website. Frankly, Ma’s a bit concerned at how he found the time to take pictures; clearly the list of jobs she’s giving him are not long enough.

For those of you who may not have been down for a couple of months, as you can see Ma has changed the furniture on the tea room side, and it looks great.

The last Sunday in November saw Gypie Mayo bring Sebastian from the Zen Hussies, and a fine afternoon was had by all, in particular by Adrian, Terry and the Messing About on The River crew who braved the mighty Avon to spend the afternoon chilling with Gypie. Again Pa was a bit of a star because the river was very high and the ferry landing stage was flooded so Pa ripped out some pampas grass. Down the river it went and a temporary landing stage was created. Pa never did like the pampas grass and Ma took a particular dislike to it after she had been informed it was the universal ‘sign’ for swingers!

Also last month, with the help of some walkers Pa rescued a deer from the river. It must be said that Ma’s mind was thinking up venison recipes, but hats off to Pa, he saved the poor thing [those walkers had nothing to do with it, ooh no... Ed].

Finally, Ma was able to pilot her roast lunches on the first Sunday in December. The beef and lamb come from a farm in North Somerset and is naturally reared. Ma buys it at the farmers market in Bristol, along with organic vegetables from Leigh Court Farm, Bristol, and local cheeses for the cheese board. The pilot went well and Ma intends on advertising the next date sometime in the New Year. Diners particularly enjoyed the experience of having their own roast served to the table for them to carve, and commented that the meat was tender and delicious. For future dates, numbers will be limited and booking in advance will be essential.

We now have a wider range of teas, which are generally organic and/or fair trade and include Rooibos (red bush) Earl Grey, Assam as well as a selection of fruit teas – all at £1 a pot.

There is no forced Christmas joviality at Beeses, so if you’re looking for somewhere to escape the madness, then this is the spot. Take a stroll down and see which real ale we have on, or perhaps try one of Ma Beeses’ homemade soups: leek and potato, spicy parsnip, vegetable, or tomato and basil, all served with crusty bread.

Beeses will be open at the following times over Christmas and New Year:

Well that’s your lot for our third newsletter. Ma and Pa would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a safe and happy Christmas, and we hope the New Year brings you what you want. We look forward to seeing you soon.

Season’s Greetings

Pa and Ma Bees