Man can’t live by beer alone

There’s nothing like free pub grub to cheer the heart of the weary
drinker. The appearance of a complimentary platter of sandwiches or
sausage rolls cheers the soul like nothing else.

Gone are the days when one could buy a pickled egg at the bar. Scampi men selling fishy delights are also a thing of the past — lost like shove ha’penny and ‘toad in the hole’ billiards.

Crisps and nuts are ok, but most people enjoy sandwiches
with their pints. Lots of pubs used to sell or give them away, sadly
few do now. But one pub keeping up the fine tradition is the Mason’s Arms on Anchor Street.

If you’ve never been to the Mason’s, it’s a cracking back street
boozer, that takes one back to a different era of drinking, when
bars were populated by happy-go-lucky characters always ready for a conversation and a sing song.

At least one Irishman will tell you their life story if you’re lucky
enough to catch their eyes. Unfortunately my storyteller had a particularly thick accent and I was unable to follow all the twists and turns of his tale, but think I managed to smile, nod and frown in the appropriate places.

On the first and third Wednesday of the month the pub is used by folk musicians who entertained us with a surprisingly eclectic mix of tunes. As one dark-eyed troubadour gave a hair-raising rendition of the Stone’s Sympathy for the Devil, this writer dived towards plates of free sandwiches provided by licensee Brenda Kelly.

The Mason’s is the only Merseyside pub owned by Stockport’s Robinson’s Brewery. I’ve always found Robinson’s pubs serve good, honest session beers although I must say I prefer the Best Bitter to the Unicorn ale on that night.

What I’d really like to see is the excellent Old Tom cask beer the
brewery produces, and which goes down with folk-rock and free prawn sandwiches better than most.