January is traditionally a time when people like to offer us
lifestyle advice; as if wise to the fact that we have been eating and drinking
too much over the preceding two weeks or so, which is probably true, but also
on the assumption that we actually feel guilty about it. Some of us are
stronger than others in this respect, or at least wiser to the hard sell of
those preying on our remorse over those six extra slices of pork pie.
Few things are more doomed to failure than the ‘new year, new me’ short term-ism of reluctant cash injections on diet magazine subscriptions, gym memberships and dry weekends watching ‘Take Me Out’ with a glass of Cranberry Schloer. You can imagine the scene as willpower is pushed to the limit throughout the country; invites to the pub are turned down in exchange for a case of mineral water and a DVD, and the Steak and Chips treat on a Thursday is blown out for a joyless homemade Cous-Cous Salad.
Few things are more doomed to failure than the ‘new year, new me’ short term-ism of reluctant cash injections on diet magazine subscriptions, gym memberships and dry weekends watching ‘Take Me Out’ with a glass of Cranberry Schloer. You can imagine the scene as willpower is pushed to the limit throughout the country; invites to the pub are turned down in exchange for a case of mineral water and a DVD, and the Steak and Chips treat on a Thursday is blown out for a joyless homemade Cous-Cous Salad.
It gets to the stage where a Ryvita with low-fat spread at
midnight is the only carefree vice you will allow yourself, and while you hear
tales of your mates out enjoying life, your cheerless existence will continue
until you hit a pre-determined and frankly unrealistic weight target. Or you
give in and join the rest of us back in the real world.
In short, if we truly wanted to adopt such a lifestyle, we wouldn’t wait until January every year to half-heartedly attempt it, and we wouldn’t approach it with disdain, rather like a residential health and safety training course in Luton. The calendar change from December to January, in truth, is no more significant than May 21st turning into May 22nd. Night turns into day, like any of the other 365 days, yet many people are lured into new and uncomfortable behavioural patterns which any other time of year wouldn’t be on their radar.
In short, if we truly wanted to adopt such a lifestyle, we wouldn’t wait until January every year to half-heartedly attempt it, and we wouldn’t approach it with disdain, rather like a residential health and safety training course in Luton. The calendar change from December to January, in truth, is no more significant than May 21st turning into May 22nd. Night turns into day, like any of the other 365 days, yet many people are lured into new and uncomfortable behavioural patterns which any other time of year wouldn’t be on their radar.
That is not to say that we at the Old Peacock frown upon a
healthy lifestyle of course. Everything in moderation is the way; “a little bit
of what you fancy” as the saying goes, and the pathway to wellbeing is being
able to balance exercise and nutrition with good food and good beer all year
round, rather than a lacklustre and ill-fated attempt at shock therapy once we’re
knee deep in regret and the clock ticks over into a new year. Which is why we
are sticking to a winning formula at the Old Peacock in 2016.
We know what you want and we know how to get it to you.
2015 proved to be a hugely successful year for the pub. Our food
menus were more popular than ever, we hosted three great nights with ex-Leeds
United stars Norman Hunter, Duncan McKenzie and John Lukic, we installed our
new match day marquee in the beer garden and we took our place on a global stage
when we welcomed the Rugby World Cup to Elland Road.
Perhaps most importantly, we continued to welcome thousands
of regular customers through our doors. Being where we are, it would be foolish
to ignore the fact that Leeds United match days are a big deal, and so much
work goes into ensuring they run smoothly and everyone has a great time. This
is why we invested in the match day marquee and I think everyone agrees it has
been a huge success and has contributed to smaller beer queues and happier
faces all round. I have spoken before about how the pub is part of Leeds
United’s tapestry – having existed long before the football club was even
formed - and it is hugely important that we recognise that and be faithful to
our heritage as a vital cog in the match day experience for Leeds United fans.
At the same time, the Old Peacock has been an essential part
of everyday life in the local community since 1826, even more so today as other
hostelries in the area like the New Peacock and the Wheatsheaf have long since bitten
the dust. For that reason, we also work very hard to ensure that on the 340
days-or-so that Leeds United aren’t playing over the road, we are serving our
regulars with a good range of local ales and providing hearty, well-cooked food
on our menus.
The success of our kitchen and how busy it is during the
week and on non-match weekends, and also over the recent Christmas period,
suggests we have got the formula right, but we won’t be resting on our laurels
this year.
In our bid to offer something for everyone, we will be
launching our new Curry Night in the next few weeks. To accompany our Burger,
Steak and Sunday Lunch menus, our Curry offerings will be a feast of the best
eastern cuisine, a value-for-money midweek treat to get the taste buds tingling
and a nod to the nation’s favourite dish. The wafting aroma of the finest
Indian spices might even tempt some of our regulars who have a more traditional
palate.
More details on that soon, but in the meantime we are pressing ahead with more of our successful Leeds United ex-player nights for 2016 and are always working on sourcing new beers, wines and spirits, and introducing new dishes to our ever-expanding all-day menu. So while fad diets, intense detox and a pretty dismal sin-free January is on the agenda for much of the country, or at least for a fortnight or so, we will continue offering a little bit of what you fancy at the Old Peacock. It can’t do any harm.
On a more serious note, regulars in the pub will notice the
absence of Dawn behind the bar over the next few weeks. Dawn was featured in
our last blog post, being a veteran of nearly thirty years’ service at the Old
Peacock, and offered us some priceless insight into a time when all the Leeds
United first team players used to frequent the pub. Unfortunately Dawn had an
accident last week, has fractured her fibula in her right leg, and will be on
crutches and off work for several weeks.
Staff and management have often joked that, like the ravens
fleeing the Tower of London, the pub might collapse and fall down if Dawn ever
left, and I guess we are about to find out. Dawn’s absence will only be
temporary of course and she is already complaining of boredom, so hopefully she
will make a speedy recovery and be back pulling pints and changing barrels
before too long.
Leeds United’s results have picked up in recent weeks and
thankfully there is an air of calm around the place for once, although with the
January transfer window opening this week we don’t expect that to last for
long. January is a fairly quiet time for home games though, with only Rotherham
in the FA Cup and a date with Bristol City on the 23rd on the
agenda.
