Blown out by a Blacksmith and a Toffeemaker
- Karen Taylor
- Mar 23, 2015
- 4 min read
It’s not often that the name of a pub captures your imagination. But The Blacksmith and The Toffeemaker seemed like a dream venue for someone that has written a children’s book series entitled The Toffee Makers. To have a Blacksmith thrown in too, at a pub just minutes from Sadler’s Wells, where the Ann Maguire tribute Gala was being staged on Sunday night, seemed portentous.
We were travelling from south west London to Islington in the north for the performance, a trek at the best of times, but even more so on a Sunday night. With local trains cancelled for track maintenance and road works left, right and centre, the only option was car, train, tube, feet.
The Blacksmith and The Toffeemaker is about eight minutes brisk walk from Angel down St John Road. We strode purposely past Sadler’s Wells and the brightly lit, modernist Jamie’s Italian restaurant, to my literary gem. Writers can be dreamers; we look for signs and romance in the most mundane things… like a pub. I’d read about the B&T beforehand. It got good reviews on TripAdvisor and a smashing one in Time Out. The latter filled me in on some details; providing layers as we writers like to say. The odd name refers to a song by the songwriter, poet and alcoholic Jake Thackray. So far so good. I like songs and alcoholics like bars. Better still, Jake had based his song on a short tale in Laurie Lee’s Cider With Rosie. The cockles of my heart were warming. They (the cockles, whatever they are) were practically flame-grilled when a commentator added that the story about the romance between The Blacksmith and The Toffeemaker was based on true life. Sweet.
So we – or, should I say I, I approached the B&T – with a light step, despite the many miles and minutes travelled. I could practically taste the “Blacksmith’s burger with triple cooked chips”, if not a sticky toffee pudding itself…
We spotted the pub on the corner, a sign with a cute couple of blacksmith and toffeemaker hammers swaying in the wind. But it wasn’t the only sign. A piece of paper stuck to the entrance read: “Come in. We are Open.”
We went in. There were just two people in there, sitting by a football table. There was a faint whiff of something. It wasn’t food. Certainly not toffee. Could have been sour disappointment. As we entered a second empty room the bartender, a bright young thing, trilled “Last Orders!”
“But it’s only 5.20 and your website says the kitchen is open 12-6pm on Sundays?” I replied.
“The grill’s broke. Sorry,” said the girl brightly.
I could feel my companions beginning to panic. The performance began at 7. They wanted to eat. Needed a drink.
“But I was going to write a review,” I said pathetically – in the style, I should imagine, of the old Toffeemaker crone in the story.
“Come back tomorrow,” said the girl, still smiling brightly, possibly relishing the thought of clocking off early.
So, no happy ending for this Blacksmith and Toffeemaker tale. If anyone is in the area and finds the kitchen and, indeed, the bar open, then do let me know. Time Out rated the place… but that could have been Once Upon A Time…
Rushing past the other TripAdvisor favourably reviewed “restaurants near Sadler’s Wells” – Miz en Bouche and The Brasserie – we headed to an old friend’s place. Jamie’s. When in doubt, and with just an hour to spare, tried and trusted is best. Thankfully, the St John Street Jamie’s is a good branch of the chain. The service, in particular, can be patchy in others. It was superb on Sunday night. The place was packed – with families, people going to the Gala, couples, young people, old people and the middle-aged. It was buzzing. But the friendly, lively waiter served us starters of crispy squid with garlic, chilli and lemon mayo and small (but generous) mains of fresh crab spaghettini and prawn linguine all within an hour.
I don’t go to the ballet often, but this was a special occasion for a deeply moving and just cause. Ann Maguire, a much loved teacher just weeks from retirement, was murdered in her Leeds classroom last year. Her daughter Emma, a soloist with the Royal Ballet, organised the fund-raising event hosted by Darcey Bussell and Jonathan Cope, for the Arts Education Foundation in Ann’s name.
We were rewarded for our efforts with some brilliant performances, including a stunning tap solo by Royal Ballet Principal Steven McRae. Another performance attracting cheers was the world premiere of Jonathan Watkins’ mesmerising Musance, accompanied by the Hackney Colliery Band. Ann knew Watkins when he was young and she also taught members of Leeds brass band. Emma danced twice, performing a beautiful pas de deux to Scarlett’s Asphodel Meadows. Visibly shaking, she paid tribute to her mother and also the good work of the fund set up in her name. It provides grants for young artistes.
They may have put down tools down the road at the Blacksmith and the Toffeemaker, but it was a job well done at Sadler’s Wells. A magical night to remember.
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