Who would have thought that going to the pub is a reference to a trip to heaven? There are various references to how the term “gone for a Burton” came about, but this is our favourite.

One of the adverts used by Burton Brewery during the war portayed a football match. One of the team members had not turned up and when asked where he was, one of his pals said: “he’s gone for a Burton”. So rather than playing his football match, the fellow had gone to the pub for one or more pints of Burton Ale. Apparently, when airman didn’t return from a combat mission, they had “gone for a Burton”. This has become a slang term for absence or mishap, but still a great story with local history.

Burton Brewery went on to become part of Worthington, then Bass and almost Molston Coors. Almost? Most of the real ales produced under the Bass name went on to be produced under license by another Burton brewery, Marston’s.

Starting a restaurant at the very beginning of the recession was not one of our brightest ideas. Hindsight is a great predictor of how things work. During that time we have gone from strength to strength. In the first year our proudest moment was winning Best Newcomer of the Year in the Taste of Staffordshire Awards. In 2009 we were listed as a UKTV Food Hero in 2009. The crowning glory was a coveted listing in the Good Food Guide in 2010, only four places in Staffordshire made it.

It’s not been all awards and glory, there have been some real challenges from sacking dishonest staff to vandalism, theft and leaking ceilings. Each of these was dealt with and we have progressed onwards and upwards. A real inspiration for us came at the beginning of 2009 when Daniel Pilkington replaced our outgoing head chef. Dan has taken each new menu to higher standards. Through his knowledge of some great local suppliers and produce, each dish is continuously perfected. Our real key to growing during these difficult times has been in keeping an eye on quality and trying constantly, to improve on what we have done before.

Who knows what the rest of 2010 will bring, but we are looking forward to our 3rd birthday and many beyond that. A big thank you to some great locals who dine with us, supply us and work as a team with us.

A bold statement you would think? Burton is indeed only a few miles away from the dead centre of England (a farm near Fenny Drayton), so that’s one part of the claim held up. Another is the nations most popular tipple on a night out, Carling Lager. This is produced at the Coors Brewery on Station Street in Burton and apart from Bass and Marston’s Pedigree, one of our most famous exports.

Although Burton is as far from sea water as is possible in England, it is only a few hundred yards from the water that started the tradition of brewing in the town. No, not the river Trent, but deep welled water, with high level of gypsum. To create the same flavour of beer anywhere else, the water needs to be “Burtonised”, by addition of sulphates which bring out the flavour of the hops used for bitter.

It’s that time of the year again, beer flows freely in the Town Hall. Sadly, the twice yearly event may be losing the Autumn slot due to lack of volunteers. The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) organise the festival. Many brewers around the country supply the beer and then it’s down to a set of dedicated enthusiasts to run the whole thing.

Given the popularity, this attracts a lot of visitors and also a lot of work for the kind folks who donate their time freely to support their passion. In an ideal world, they would be enjoying their hobby from the other side of the tressel table.

If you can give a few hours to this Great British tradition, so shall we. For the Autumn Festival, we will happily donate a special menu of fresh hot smoked food from the kitchen of 99 Station Street, on site at the town hall,  for those who work for free on the day. Anyone else out there want to donate: time, sponsorship or other support to prevent the next Burton Beer Festival being cancelled?

I was sent a YouTube link by one of our guests. Him and his young son are football fans (Port Vale) and have a ritual of going away to the matches, eating out somewhere nice and making a video diary of the day. We were very pleased when Mark came to visit us.

The full Video on YouTube

What struck me on this visit, was the very European nature. Food and family mix together very freely in places like France or Italy, it’s part of the culture. The British are coming around to this way of thinking, but it does not come naturally as it will take a generation to come through. My parents were brought up in the post war, convenience era and then as they got into comfortable middle age, along came fast food. So out came another generation expecting very little and trying out even less.

If you visit an Italian neighbourhood restaurant, you will not see a kids menu or anything else vaguely offensive to young diners. Children want to learn about food, explore menus and ask questions. To see a dad and his boy talking about and enjoying food, is the future of Britain. Thanks Mark

We are very proud to announce that we got listed in the guide this year. The Good Food Guide is Britain’s best selling restaurant guide and all entries are based on reader feedback with anonymous inspections afterwards. In the Staffordshire section, there were four establishments from the county, so this is a very special gift from our happy guests. Many thanks to all, hopefully our relationship with the Guide will continue for some time.

We have a great line up for this summer night in the comfortably air
conditioned, 99 Station Street.

ALAN FRANCIS
Scottish comedian ALAN FRANCIS first came to the notice of comedy
audiences when he won Channel 4's So You Think You're Funny Award
in 1991. Since then his reputation has grown as a writer, stand-up and
actor.

"the beautifully observed performances captures all the manic
ambivalence of a Hello Magazine culture." The Times

STEVE DAY
Steve Day is a truly unique comedian - warm, witty and engaging whilst
dealing with the dilemmas of being a deaf man in a hearing world.His
stories of multiple children, wearing a suit and the problems caused
by not knowing how words are pronounced will have audiences in raptures,
and his uplifting tales of overcoming the obstacles in his path will
leave crowds feeling inspired.

A printable flyer is available by clicking on this line.

Compere Pete Smith

£15 in advance to include main course or £18 on the night.

Our first post comes on the day when Britain gets surprised by the deepest snow for over 18 years. So with an expected 6 inches to 1 foot of weather expected over night, I’m in a nice warm hotel room in the west country with a block of Northern Irish Brie and some English crackers working out where to go and get some hot food next.

A big part of the philosophy of 99 Station Street is looking for the best produce available in the season when it’s at it’s peak of freshness and then creating great dishes. This cannot be done without a selection of local suppliers who have become “Food Heroes” to us.  With this blog, we will introduce you to our supplies, our favourite produce, news, events and the occassional rant.  There will also be feedback for questions which you send in.