Leicestershire is more…

An Old Fart for Fifteen Minutes

More than the home of the Melton Mowbray pie, Leicestershire, I have recently discovered, has beautiful countryside and some very pretty villages. If you are looking for a picturebook English village complete with a welcoming pub and, close by, the sound of leather on willow, seek out, just north of Market Harborough, tiny, hidden away East Langton – an absolute gem! I called at The Bell Inn yesterday (tables out front on a lawn and, inside, low beams, cosy seating, good local brewery beer – all you want in a country pub) and was momentarily disconcerted when I found the place prepared for a party of some kind. Would I be able to have a quick lunch I wondered or was the place entirely given over to the bunch of merry-making men of a certain age clustered around the bar? Well, I needn’t have worried. Very soon I was declared a temporary honorary member of The Old Farts – a great honour indeed since The Old Farts is a men only outfit. They generously bought me a drink and the landlord, himself an Old Fart, was anxious that I should not be discomforted or offended by the exuberant speeches, toasts and chat going on alongside me as I enjoyed a ciabatta. I certainly was not. So I say hello to any Old Fart who may be visiting this site and long may you thrive and prosper to enjoy your get-togethers. It was better than finding myself teleported into The Archers!