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Mark Daniels

Mark Daniels is the licensee at the Tharp Arms in Chippenham, Cambridgeshire

20-Feb-2012 - Oh dear, it would seem somebody in Government has been speaking cobblers again. Of all the bonkers drivel spouted from our politicians this weekend, it was Ed Balls' pronouncement that really made me laugh.

A bit of courtesy goes a long way

08-Feb-2012 - Last Saturday morning, before the snow came, I was sat in bed sipping a cup of tea and reading one of the nation’s most popular red tops when I came across an article about what makes people happy.

Free Root Canal with Every Pint

31-Jan-2012 - There is nowhere I would rather be on a dreary Saturday afternoon in January than sat in the back of a mobile dental surgery… actually, strike that.

Don't forget pubs are social networks too

23-Jan-2012 - Brazilian. Nightclub. Facebook. Three words that don’t sound like they should be together in a sentence pre-watershed, but the story behind them is fascinating.

Minimum Pricing Could Go Horribly Wrong For Pubs

04-Jan-2012 - So that was Christmas. Another year over, a new one just begun. And all that jazz. What with the collapse of capitalism and the Mayan prophecy of doom, 2012 is stacking up to be a good year.

People who work in pubs have families too

23-Dec-2011 - A couple of Christmas Eves ago a family came in to our pub for lunch. The young lad was an ambulance driver enjoying a Christmas meal with his girlfriend and parents before embarking on a long shift rescuing families from turkey-related incidents, and he and I had been getting on like a house on fire.

Head: are you giving too much?

14-Dec-2011 - Last week, somebody decided that pubs are giving their customers too much head, which prompted somebody in a union to write to the government and complain that this is the sole fault of the pub companies.

Jeremy Clarkson in “Figure of Speech” whoopsie…

05-Dec-2011 - The following article contains a personal opinion. Please don’t shoot me for it. Last week, some people went on strike to protect their pensions and a television personality well-known for his comically outspoken points of view said something about it.

Vituperate At Will

23-Nov-2011 - Last night, I ended up asking somebody to leave the pub because one too many expletives had passed their lips. Now, I’m no prude, am prone to the occasional profanity myself, and rarely only ask people to stop swearing at the bar if I feel it is offending others or simply becoming a bit too much

Innuendo: it’s the bedrock of beer

11-Nov-2011 - Hands up if you’ve ever bought an alcoholic product on the assumption that it’s going to give you an almighty erection?

Living Rooms: They’re the new Smoking Rooms

09-Nov-2011 - So David Cameron has announced that he supports the smoking ban and thinks that it has worked — cue every smoking zealot spouting figures to the contrary, and everybody else telling them to shut up and get on with it.

MP becomes Barman

21-Oct-2011 - I’ve written before about how much I enjoy taking on new staff, training them, nurturing them to the way I want them to work behind the bar, and watching them flourish.

Has The Final Whistle Blown for Sky?

05-Oct-2011 - I was on my way to a meeting yesterday when the news came over the car stereo that Karen Murphy had been successful in her legal battle with the Premier League over using a foreign satellite to show her customers football matches, and I almost crashed the car with joy.

Having a wine In the car park...

23-Sep-2011 - “Playground Politics: I recognise the tone in my last blog came across differently to the way I had intended it to... and alcohol retailing: is it really responsible to offer free samples of wine in a car park?”

Sticks And Stones...

19-Sep-2011 - Last week, my eleven-year-old started Big School (though don’t call it that to his face, he thinks it makes him sound babyish) and, with that transition from primary to secondary education, he’s going through a few changes he’s finding awkward.

Beer — It’s An Affordable Treat

12-Sep-2011 - “Whoever says buying beer in a pub is expensive,” I wrote on my pub’s Twitter and Facebook feeds on Tuesday, “has clearly never bought two coffees in Costa...”