August Newsletter 2015
Posted on July 23rd, 2015
Let’s hope my very late Newsletter is worth the wait for you! I hope it will be and do let me know your favourite parts of it please, as I enjoy writing it, it’s just that running a busy pub, fishery and cottages and being a full time Mum to my three lovely children does take all my time! I would welcome any short interesting stories about your fishing day here with a photo for my Newsletter, so after holding your fly rod, why not pick up a pen!
The highlights from the last 6 months!
My girls’ yearly trip to Derriford Hospital to check their hips
Both my daughters were born with shallow hips and had to be put in a Pavlic Harness for weeks after they were born. Fortunately they are doing very well and Dr Metcalf from Derriford sees them once a year to check their progress. This year during their visit Dr Metcalf said that his Christmas trip to The Trout n Tipple in December last year was 1st class and the Roast lunch was the best out of the four that he had eaten in different establishments – I was over the moon! I was delighted that he was in my pub last year and once I realised he was drinking Prosseco I treated him to a fine bottle at his table and also one to take home! Thanks Dr Metcalf for looking after my daughters’ hips since they were born! Jack took this photo in July especially for this Newsletter.
Run away pigs
Geri and Rasher our pet pigs are a delight and this day proved to be a truly special one! It started with Michele finding me while I was cleaning a holiday let on a busy Friday afternoon and shouting our pigs had escaped and gone to our neighbours! I was worried sick as I didn’t want them to get on the main road and cause an accident and so we jumped on the mule and went at speed to our neighbours Graham and Jo’s. I was so relieved to see that our two ginger pigs had been shut in a paddock and were out of danger! While I was busy apologising and chatting with our neighbours, Graham asked how we would get them back and I said ‘Oh just open the gate and they will follow us’. As Graham was opening the gate Michele said quietly to me that they were NOT our pigs! I quickly said to Graham ‘Sorry Graham but they are not our pigs!’ Wow was I happy! Michele and I returned home at speed to find our ginger pigs safely in their paddock! I have a new policy in place now for Michele and I, whereby we must first check the fishery for our livestock before we rush off at speed on a jolly!
My brother visits regularly
What a delight to have my brother and his family visiting us regularly! My girls and Jack love playing with Molly and Tom and we all can’t wait for them to come again in August! Yippee!
Our own Gazebo finished
It has took about 3 years but now Mark has finished our own Gazebo in our garden. It is complete with gorgeous lights just like the first one he built 4 years ago for our guests to use. Thanks Mark!
‘FG’
As you are probably aware our very old fishery cat ‘FG’ died recently and it was a very sad time but she has been laid to rest beside her favourite lake and so in a way, she is still here. Anglers and holiday makers from all over the Uk have sent some lovely messages and this proves what a huge following of fans she had. The photo below shows her eating a fish head that an angler gave her only recently.
Bill Steel’s Birthday
I would like to extend my warmest congratulations to my great friend ‘Bill’ on his 79th Birthday that was on July 5th. Bill has been helping on the fishery for over 11 years now and most of you that have visited here will have bumped into Bill at some time or another. He loves the fishery as much as I do and we do have a lot of fun everyday he is here! Bill is pictured below on the right.
Sell The Trout n Tipple or not?
There are many times during the last 15 months that I have considered selling my pub and I suppose the biggest reason for this thought is, I miss quality time with Mark and my three young children. Working 7 days and about 80 hours a week answering my phone, looking after the cottages and taking bookings, running the fishery and the pub does take its toll and then, if that isn’t enough I work at least 4 nights a week in the pub behind the bar and I stay to lock it up at closing.
Selling my pub would buy me a shiny car and that would be ok for a bit but it will depreciate in value from the moment it comes out of the garage and be a total waste of money and so I won’t be doing that but I made a decision last month to book a last minute bargain surprise holiday back to Cuba for Mark and my children. My children love having my full attention and at the end of the day, they are young and they deserve some quality time with me and I deserve some more quality time with them! Mind you, I think Mark is just as excited as they are! Photo below shows Charlotte collecting shells in her bucket on our last holiday to Cuba.
Of course there are advantages to running my own pub too! Having top quality food any day of the week and any drink at any time of the day! I can open it and serve a guest for a drink whenever I feel like it as long as it’s after 10am and before midnight and that’s just what I did at Christmas time for Maria and Andrew Seabright, two very special friends. They are a delightful couple that I have known for over 10 years now and they are almost part of the family, I only wish they lived nearer and then I could pop round with a bottle of Maria’s favourite tipple and chill and chat. Mind you I think if I lived too near Maria we would be drinking Prosecco most nights of the week and then Prosecco really would be in short supply! My fondest wishes to you both and I hope to see you in September for a bbq and Champagne on me! Love Ab x
Loyal help from very good friends Bernie and Nancy!
Running a fishery, cottages and a pub is no easy task for me but of course I couldn’t do it without loyal friends Bernie and Nancy who give up their spare time to go shopping for me in Plymouth for all those essentials that the business needs. I am truly not a person that likes shopping and I am lucky that Bernie and Nancy do! Thanks you two! Bernie and Nancy will be enjoying a lovely break in Charlotte’s Barn while I am away on holiday and some complimentary meals at my pub for giving up their spare time! I hope that they have good weather too! Love Ab x
Baby Guinea fowl at last!
Here they are at last, some day old guinea fowl hatched in our incubator from eggs that Mark managed to find on the fishery! Over the next 2 weeks we hope to see many more baby guinea fowl and thus they will join our livestock, not the special board at the pub! I do like to see guinea fowl roaming around the fishery.
Interesting News and What’s on!
Weddings
Mark and I intend to tie the knot ourselves here on the fishery and so it makes sense that we should have our special day here. So now that the fishery, cottages and our own pub are finished we will start offering wedding packages from next April to our guests. Over the next 8 months we will be putting the final pieces of the puzzle in place to enable us to offer a variety of packages for different budgets. This will include the complete re-slabbing of the patio in front of our wooden lodge overlooking the lakes, the decoration of our new bride’s suite for the day of her wedding and the decorating of our main ceremony room in our wooden lodge. There will actually be 5 different locations on our site that the bride and groom could choose to tie the knot. Wow, not sure which one I will choose!
Holidays Book now!
Why not land yourself a lovely holiday this summer or autumn at this beautiful place and come and enjoy some peace and quiet but yet, with a gorgeous pub, fishing and chickens roaming around it’s got lots to offer! Please email for availability and a price.
The Trout n Tipple
We celebrate our first year and go from strength to strength! I decided about 2 months ago to change our specials board and to introduce a variety of new dishes that would be served with a choice of potatoes but not chips. Carl, head chef came up with the honey mustard mash and dauphinoise potatoes and some great dishes to serve with them. One of his dishes is below, a trio of local sausages with honey mustard mash and red wine gravy. These dishes are proving a great success and I am delighted to say that we are now offering a wider variety of meals to suit everyone’s taste.
Our gluten free meals are proving a real hit and to extend this even further, we now have a gluten free specials board too. My favourite is the duck stir fry with a glass or two of Merlot! Yummy!
The Trout n Tipple is promoting its fishing theme at the moment and this is great! More beginners are trying out the sport and having a go at casting a fly. If you or someone you know would like to have a go with 15 mins free tuition and tackle hire included on a Saturday or Sunday at 10am, please tell them to give me a call. The cost for this is £28 and it also includes a one fish permit.
The beginning of September sees our most popular theme arrive for 2 months ‘Halloween’. This is a fantastic theme and my favourite by far! I am not sure why I enjoy it so much, maybe its because I would secretly like to fly on a broom stick or perhaps cast spells! Actually I think it could be because I see families come together and have a wonderful time and appreciate and enjoy the effort I have made and the £2,000 I spent on decorations! This delightful photo shows Carol and Sam from ‘Moorprint’ in Plymouth and their wonderful family having a really fab time on Halloween last year! Carol and Sam have been providing me with an excellent printing service over the last 15 years or so and if you want some top printing, give them a call. I can’t recommend them highly enough! Tel : 01752 606026.
Fishing forecast
My fishing forecast for the next few months highlights the fantastic Daddy long legs as a very successful fly and yes, it is my favourite fly for this time of year. I don’t really think you will need many other flies in your box if you have a few of these and there are many different sorts you can buy. My tackle shop stocks rubber legged daddies, floating daddies, diving daddies, gold head daddies and many more in different colours. So come on and join us this Summer or Autumn and have a go yourself. Once I return from holiday, I will be fishing most Sundays after working the lunch shift in my pub and enjoying a gorgeous roast dinner with a glass of Merlot or two!
I am a firm believer in working hard and a lot of hours to get the best out of life but also enjoying everyday as much as possible and on this gorgeous fishery, I certainly do! Even when I am outside in the cold, rainy weather dressed in my chest waders, I still do!
I wish you all the best and I hope to welcome you soon!
Abigail Underhill
Holiday Cottage and Trout Fishery owner and now ‘successful’ Publican too!