Friday, 28 August 2009

Tenterden 'Pudding Club'

Just finished catching up on calls etc after an enjoyable meeting of the Tenterden Pudding Club

This is an informal monthly lunchtime networking meeting for Tenterden business people

If you are in business in the Tenterden area and would like to join us, send me an email at jn@justinnelson.co.uk

Saturday, 22 August 2009

The Hoodeners Horse, Great Chart, Ashford, Kent UK

I have to post my thoughts on this truly excellent pub

I have visited it twice for Tweetups, and took my family today for lunch. On every occasion, I have been impressed by the warm welcome (especially from Andy Setterfield, the owner, but also from all his staff), the real ale (and cider), the efficiency and the FOOOOOD!

Today, I mainly drank the St Austell Tribute; after a few pints of that, I notice the London Pride pump - London Pride is one of my favourite real ales, but it paled by comparison to the Tribute: it took most of a pint to dissipate the lovely Tribute taste but, when I had, the LP was brilliant - Black Cat was also available, but one can have too much of a good thing!

The four of us had lunch. The pub has a Mexican food theme (though that is not the only food it serves). My wife had chicken tacos, my daughter chose chicken fajitas (each with a side order of chips) while my son and I both had Mexican burgers (which came with chips). I cannot speak too highly of the Mexican burgers - really, really nice. It is easy to beat my small appetite, but even my son could not finish completely. However, quantity is not the issue here - it is the quality that really counts, and that is top notch. The tacos and the fajitas were as good - all of us ended up stuffed and very satisfied indeed.

It is the chips that are the real story, however: I don't think I have ever tasted better - and I mean that sincerely, folks. All four of us agreed that they are the best chips going - if you only have the real ale and chips, it will make your visit worthwhile

The barmaid was lovely - not a robot or surly as in so many other venues, but a real human being who was a peasure to deal with. All-in-all, a very happy Saturday lunchtime and well worth repeating - if only there was a similar pub in Tenterden ... !

Tuesday, 11 August 2009

Government trickery

Typical, isn't it? My daughter is at university. In applying for grants and loans last year, my relevant income was for the financial year 2007-08, so no grant for her.

This year, after the credit crunch and while enduring its consequences (ie: a reasonable profit becomes a small loss), my relevant income is still for for the financial year 2007-08, so still no grant for her.

What's the betting (assuming the economy recovers) that the relevant financial year next year will be the year ending in 2010, which should be vastly improved from the year just ended?

Talk about making up the rules as you go along!

(Whinge over!)

Monday, 3 August 2009

Plenty of stick - no carrot

Apparently, "The Legal Services Board could punish non-compliant regulators with multi-million-pound fines " - see http://tinyurl.com/nwsa6a

And how will the regulators pay those fines? By charging them out to those they regulate

The net result will be (a) over-cautious regulation resulting in a massive increase in red tape for lawyers to comply with (b) an over-cautious approach by lawyers, resulting in even slower and more expensive legal services and (c) the risk of swingeing increases in practicising certificate fees, to pay for the regulators' own mistakes and the desire for the LSB to show it has "teeth"

None of this will help the user of legal services one jot, but if it results in complete meltdown perhaps we can start again - a post-Apocalyptic future