Pateley Bridge v Baildon 29 September 2018
Saturday, 10th February
Adjudicators: PL, JK
Timing: 10:40 and 12:45
Prices: 1.40 and 1.25
Only two Adjudicators were available for this match…..as the third was busy painting Toby’s stable. However, he was able to issue food procurement instructions to the active Adjudicators, which the Adjudicators were able to carry out successfully. The journey to The Bridge, on a beautiful sunny morning, pleased the Adjudicators, who spotted a healthy young birch boletus growing by the roadside, and admired a couple of large birds of prey, as they made their way to The Bridge. More importantly one Adjudicator also clocked a small birch wood, with short grass, (possibly from grazing) and marked it as a potential birch boletus habitat, for further investigation on the return journey.
The Bridge opened strongly, with an ever-so-slightly warm pie. The crust was flaky but firm, (do not question this apparently contradictory statement), the meat content was tasty, nicely seasoned and accompanied by an almost set, but still soft jelly. As an aside, just as the Adjudicators were about to order their pies, the hot bacon joints, still steaming, arrived…..and one was acquired for The Stable Painter. These are things of beauty, with a smell to match any of the expensive products from modern Perfume Houses.
The return journey was punctuated with a stop at the previously noted birch wood, and the Adjudicator was proven correct…….a small collection of young, firm and healthy brown birch boletus was quickly gathered from the private wood, and the Adjudicators sped away to their next stop at Mackenzies Smokehouse, to complete The Stable Painters order, with a purchase of Smoked Tuna Carpaccio.
Half time drinks were taken in The Malt Shovel, Baildon, where one Adjudicator noted that there was an offer of a free pint, for every five bought. Unfortunately, the Adjudicators, being on duty, could not avail themselves of this generous offer, and hurried on to sample the Baildon Pie.
Misfortune struck again, as only one pie remained, and this had to be impartially divided into two portions by the shop owner, carefully overseen by his daughter. The pie was a sound pie, with a firm but not overdone crust, and a moderately seasoned meat content. But being cold, and a pie down……the result was never in doubt…….and as expected…..The Bridge emerged as victors, and can now be crowned as PLN Champions.
Post match drinks were taken at The Commercial in Thackley, where the adjudicators enjoyed their beer in the pleasant warmth of late September sunshine, and exchanged pleasantries with a gentleman who was overjoyed to see one Adjudicator in a Super Bulls shirt, as he himself had been a Bradford Northern / Bulls Season Ticket Holder for 60 years.