The branch recently presented a certificate of appreciation to Dennis Reed, on his retirement from managing The Speaker on Great Peter Street in Westminster. Dennis has been manager of the Speaker for 15 and a half years, but has been in the pub trade for over 40 years. Previous pubs he's managed have been the Kings Arms in Poland Street, Queen's Head in Chelsea, Ye Olde Rose & Crown in Greenwich, and The Aquarium in Brighton.
The pub is known for it's good beer and is featured in the Good Beer Guide 2017. In addition to three regular beers (Tim Taylor's Landlord, Sambrook's Wandle, Adnams Pleisure Principle) there were two guests. The guests were both from the East Midlands: Flipside Dusty Penny (a porter from Nottingham) and Mr Grundy's Big Willie (from Derby). The latter was part of Dennis's theme of 'Embarrassing Ales You Wouldn't Want Your Granny to Order!'. There was nothing embarrassing really about the name of the beer though: it's the nickname of a First World War tank, unlike some of Dennis's infamous ties which he was auctioning off to the pub's customers for charity - one went for over £100! We also had some of his excellent homemade Thai curry which he was kind enough to let us try.
I'm sure we'll continue to receive the same warm welcome and excellent beer under the new manager, Uri Enoch, who had been the pub's deputy manager until now. So why not visit - but not on the weekend - like a few of the pubs in the area it's open on Monday to Friday only.
We also recently learned that Gerry O'Brien from the Churchill Arms on Kensington Church Street has also retired after over 30 years at the pub. We would like to wish Dennis and Gerry all the best in their retirements and good luck for the new licensees of both pubs.
