For a thrill-packed, all-action, dazzlingly exciting night out, head straight for Newbury. Honestly…
Goat on the Roof, 1 Bridge Street, Newbury RG14 5BE (01635 580015). Small plates £3.80-£9.50, bigger plates £9-£18, desserts £4-£7.50, wines from £29
I might as well get my second apology to Newbury in now. It’s more than warranted. Back in 2011, I was asked to contribute a short piece in support of a favourite cheese. I chose emmental. I said emmental was “at first sight, the Newbury of cheeses: it’s solid, workmanlike, but very, very dull”. I went on to say that this shouldn’t be misunderstood; that, just like Newbury, emmental is a reliable and important workhorse, but by then the damage had been done. “Historically, possibly Newbury was dull,” the outraged chair of the Newbury Society told the BBC. “But it’s changed a lot in the past two years.”
