October at the Tap: Jet Washers, Pumpkins & A New Toaster

Autumn has properly settled over Sudbury this month. Mornings across the water meadows have turned brisk and misty; the heating is officially on, and the Tap is filling up with an absurd number of pumpkins. October is always our favourite kind of organised chaos, and looking back over the last four weeks, we’ve barely stopped for breath.

Down in the cellar, life has been wet, loud, and immaculate. We’ve been deep in prep for our annual Cask Marque inspection, which kicked off with stripping the entire cellar bare and jet-washing every single inch of the floor and walls. Georgia spearheaded the deep clean and then hit the ultimate personal milestone by muscling a full 50kg firkin straight onto the top rack unassisted. If you see her pulling pints behind the bar, definitely don’t challenge her to an arm wrestle.

That cellar graft showed on the handpumps, too. Cornish Best had a cracking run with everyone wanting a proper malty pint against the cold, but Mauldons Gainsborough Gold has been the undisputed hero of the month. Brewed right on our doorstep, it’s been shifting faster than we can tap it—bright, citrusy, and local cask beer at its absolute best.

Up in the kitchen, things have been just as relentless. We’ve loved those quiet Wednesday mornings spent with the radio on, quietly rolling fresh sausage rolls and mixing dough before the madness begins. Friday pizza nights have been packed out, and the new black pudding and bacon scotch eggs barely lasted five minutes on the counter before vanishing. Alistair has also been noodling around with homemade fermented hot sauces on the prep bench. There are currently several suspicious-looking jars of chillies bubbling away under airlocks, so if you catch him heading toward your table with a wild look in his eye and a tasting spoon, act natural and make a break for the door.

We did have one small domestic catastrophe behind the scenes. We had to buy a brand new toaster this month because Alistair decided the quickest way to free a stuck crumpet was with a metal fork. The toaster did not survive, but thankfully Alistair did.

On a far tastier note, our new Sunday roast sandwiches have landed, and both of us are genuinely buzzing about them. Thick-cut bread loaded with hot roast meats, rich gravy, and all the trimmings—proper Sunday comfort food to nurse you through the autumn afternoons.

November and December are threatening to be absolute monsters on the pub diary, but we’re seeing October out in style with our Halloween Disco on Saturday the 31st. Dust off your most questionable fancy dress and come dance off the chill. Then, start tuning up your pastry skills for the Annual Sausage Roll Competition coming up on Sunday, 29th November. Whether amateur or pro, pork or plant-based, start dialling in your recipes now.

Pop into the Tap, grab a guest ale, and pull up a chair.

See you at the bar - Alistair & Georgia. xx