Jolly Little Gem Needs Discovering

Whilst the new trend for Micropubs is a good thing as it is introducing new bars, outlets for good beer and a welcome return for beermats those opening times can be an issue…

Shut on maybe a Monday/Tuesday and then a couple of 4/5pm starts on a Wednesday and Thursday mean you can be limited in the times you have a drink.

Whilst Drink Aware will be delighted at decreased opening hours the majority of the population are perfectly happy to have a sensible alcoholic beverage at lunch time occasionally and not sign up to AA or start a fight.

Why, I hear you ask, am I wittering on about opening times and Micropubs.  Well, towns and villages need to support pubs that buck the trend and try and open seven days a week  and one such place is 31 –  The Jolly Farmers LE12 9EP.

If you check on FB reviews (well it is 2017 and social media is a boon for pubs) everybody and anybody raves about the place.  This is an era of fake news but it looks pretty genuine to me and I can concur with all the reviewers.

The only issue for this nice little free house on the outskirts of Shepshed is attracting footfall I would suggest.

2pm on a Thursday might not be prime time but I was the only punter in there.  The place had a real farmers feel to it with old fashioned drawing style pictures of fox hunting and filly and colts as names for the toilets.

It was tiny, cluttered but welcoming and the landlady was chilling with her daughter to the delights of GEM FM (can’t say I knew any of the tunes) but happy to serve me a good pint of Landlord (Timothy Taylor’s).

The good news is that a housing estate appears to be springing up alongside this pub and hopefully some of the locals will support this place.  Three workmen arrived about half an hour later on a Grolsch and Stella mission but, in an hour and a half, that’s not a lot of trade for a pub that is trying to stay open all day.

The beer was good and it serves food whilst looking cared for and clean inside.  I might suggest a switch to Radio 6 as opposed to GEM FM but, that aside, the phrase use it or lose it springs to mind and I hope the people of Shepshed discover this little gem (FM!) of a boozer.