Lunch at the Rose
By Rab MacWilliam
I’ve been drinking at the Rose and Crown since about 1981 and it’s hardly changed today.
It’s obviously gone through cosmetic renovations – flagstone instead of wooden floor, removal of public bar, arrival of plasma screens and so on – but essentially the old place has somehow kept its comfortable, friendly atmosphere, a pleasant, almost countrified escape from the bustle and hassle of the rest of Stoke Newington.
Now managed by Mick and Mabel (a lassie from Elgin who supports Elgin City Nil – they’ve had a bad season), the pub sells a range of real beers, has a good wine list and faithfully retains the original interior décor from the 1930s. It’s probably the closest thing to a traditional pub in Stoke Newington, if not far beyond.
One of the main attractions of the Rose – for me, at any rate – is the outstanding quality of the lunchtime food, freshly cooked by Mabel and available during the week between noon and 2.30pm. The menu is the quintessence of well-prepared comfort food, in enormous portions. The weekday average price of £4.95 includes such favourites as shepherd’s pie (my favourite, which I’ve just finished, and delicious, although I think I’m going to take the afternoon off to digest it) and Cumberland sausage with onion, mash and peas (my fellow diner and a man of some sophistication described this as ‘lovely… the best onions I’ve ever eaten’, and he knows his onions). You can also treat your appetite to such delights as lamb casserole, liver and bacon, ham off the4 bone, salmon fillet, burger, scampi… you get the idea: simple, basic but lovingly cooked and incredibly tasty. If your appetite is not ravenous (and it’ll have to be to handle the main meals), then there are sandwiches, soup of the day and salads, modestly priced and swiftly served.
The menu changes somewhat on Sunday, when the pub offers a selection of roasts for £8 (the price of the main menu also rises to £8) between noon and 4pm. Get there early or you won’t manage to get a table. The place is packed, as it also is for the regular Tuesday quiz nights, hosted by Mabel. And as for Stokefest…
So head off down to the Rose and Crown when you start salivating with hunger. You won’t be disappointed.
Rose and Crown, 199 Stoke Newington Church Street, N16. Tel: 020 7254 9494
The Shillelagh Presents…
It’s going to be a busy summer at the Auld Shillelagh.
The pub is celebrating (bemoaning) this government’s draconian, anti-libertarian smoking ban, beginning on 1 July, with an evening of sustained chain-smoking on 30 June. This will be followed by an ashtray auction. The evening will be hosted by local impresario and bon viveur David Knight (the brains behind ‘Frank’s Back’, ‘The Sons of Lee Marvin’ and other similarly successful theme nights at the pub) and, in keeping with Stokeys’s radical tradition, will feature protest songs and a lot of drinking. Stub it out in style at the Shillelagh.
Future gigs in the Mediterranean garden include John Power, Pete Docherty, Mick Jagger (insists David, although he’s been known to exaggerate), and a warm-up gig with Patrick Wolf. They are also planning a Bowie Bar regular evening, featuring music from the Thin White Duke, circa 1967-1982. Ch… ch…changes, Ziggy Stardust, Heroes – you get the picture. They will be, as ever, one of the focal points of the N16 Fringe in August, featuring The Other Brothers, Tony Wrafter (ex-instrumentalist with Massive Attack among many others, and Fringe regular) and an array of other musical talent. Also, local soul superstar Luddy Samms will soon be starting a monthly Sunday residency, not to be missed judging by the reaction to his storming last gig at the pub.
You also have the opportunity to test your memory and show off your knowledge at the regular Trivia quiz, as well as the N16 Magazine ‘On me ‘ead, son’ football quiz, with the questions set and presented by N16 publisher Rab MacWilliam on 30 August.
On a healthier note, the pub is sponsoring a10km run, walk or crawl round Clissold Park on Sunday, 22 July, beginning at 10am. You can then recover from your efforts in their Mediterranean beer garden with music, BBQ and the best Guinness in London. Last year the event raised £2500 for charity, and the pub has already doubled the number of competitors who took part in the inaugural event. Sponsorship forms are available from the bar.
All details of these events are available from the bar.
Auld Shillelagh, 105 Stoke Newington Church Street, N16 0UD. Tel: 0207 249 5951
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