Drinks reception to launch the place

Here's the invite!

We'd like to officially invite you to our opening reception on Friday September 26th, from 6pm - 8pm. Ok, so we've been serving up great food, beer and music for a month now, but we thought we'd like to throw the doors open, show the place off a bit, and thank everyone who has helped us with the journey to get here - plus, we've just finished the first phase of the new events space, and are itching to try it out! By then, we should even have finished off the garden electrics, although looking at the rain I think finishing the outside of the conservatory is too much to ask!

We'll put on a spread from the kitchen, and some drinks from the bar - we'll also have some words from our local councillors. This will all be complemented by a great music set from local Latino guitar blues band, Lava. You can see them here on http://www.lavamusic.co.uk. The reception will be followed by an all-welcome disco, with the Continental's resident dj spinning soul, funk, reggae and maybe some disco if you're up for it... All of this will be in the newly refurbished events room, which is through the conservatory at the back of the building.

Saturday night will see Preston's very own slam winning poet, Mark Mace Smith aka Thud Dub. A regular Apples & Snakes Seconds Out slam winner, alongside BBC Radio 4 North West Slam winner 2007, and Commonword Superheroes of Slam finalist 2008, Thud Dub won 2008 Glastonbury Festival's poetry slam. He steps up in the Continental's snug on Saturday 27th September. You can hear him here: http://www.myspace.com/thuddub.

The weekend will close up with the SUNDAY NIGHT JAZZ CLUB, 28th September 2008 from 9PM. This month we're hosting a very special session from MIKE WALKER.

Fresh from the Ditson Festival of Contemporary Music in Boston, the Salford born guitarist plays The Continental Jazz Club for the first time. Expect to hear world-class improvisation from the man the Guardian called "one of the most powerful jazz guitarists in Europe" - this is a rare opportunity to catch him in such an intimate venue. Mike's debut album, "Madhouse and the Whole Thing There" is out now on Hidden Idiom records - if we're lucky, he might bring a few copies with him... Check him out at http://www.mike-walker.co.uk

He'll be playing with Harold Salisbury - we're sure Harold needs little introduction to the Preston jazz aficionado. The sax stalwart has become something of a local legend, having blown all over the northwest for the best part of 50 years. Backing up Mike and Harold are the rock solid rhythm section of ex-Free Parking bassist Gary Culshaw, and Jonathan Hartley on drums. All we can say is you'll need to be there early to grab a seat!

To ensure you're on the guest list for Friday night, email us back at info@newcontinental.net with your full name - also include the full name and email address of any guests you want to bring. See the invitation for further details.

See you there!

The New Continental is back on the map

This review was in the Metro - we're very pleased. 4 stars, no less!


by AARON LAVERY - Tuesday, September 9, 2008

The New Continental

Many of you will have travelled through Preston on a train at some time and, for most, it's not a particularly interesting journey. However, if the weather's good, the last moments of the journey, travelling over the River Ribble and looking over into the city's Avenham Park, can provide a glimmer of glamour before you trundle into the decrepit train station.

A decade ago, there was a pub in Preston that utilised these views wonderfully. Situated at the base of the bridge over which the trains roll, The Continental was the perfect place to spend a summer's evening, before the clientele and the standards of food and drink drove even the hardiest fans away.

Now The Continental has been reborn, thanks to an ambitious revamp from a young couple, Ruth Heritage and Jeremy Rowlands. They have also attracted some impressive collaborators - Stephen Kerfoot from the Running Pump in Catforth is the head chef, while ex-Marble Brewery manager Warren MacCoubrey is in charge of the cask ales.

MacCoubrey in particular is doing a good job. It was genuinely difficult to find a spot at the bar, but when we did, we were greeted by Marble's own 1334 (£2.40), one of the Manchester brewery's lighter, more delicate drinks, but it was surpassed by something from further afield. Whim Ale (£2) from Buxton was a real find, a light citrusy beer perfect for summer supping.

The money spent by Heritage and Rowlands on the decor also catches the eye. The old pub is still visible underneath, but there's some subtle tiling and lighting, plus a complete renovation of the large conservatory, which brightens the place up considerably. Taking a table in the conservatory near the large beer garden during the post-work bustle of a Friday evening, it was almost like being back at the Continental of yore.

When the food arrived however, it became clear that rather than returning the pub to its former glories, Kerfoot had surpassed them in the kitchen. A savoury fresh herb-baked cheesecake (£4.50) was testament to the risks being taken; nothing unusual in a celebrated city kitchen, here in a pub it seemed gloriously out of step. Bursting with tangy Lancashire cheese flavour that went well with the red onion relish, it was a clear statement of intent.

So, too was the warm ham hock salad (£5.50), basically a dish of Bury black pudding, Lancashire cheese and meaty strips of ham on a bed of rocket. It ticked all the boxes for those looking for locally sourced grub, but more importantly, it also impressed those around the table for whom salad is a dirty word.

Whether red snapper served with stir-fried vegetables (£9.50) is native to Lancashire is up for debate, but any concerns over food miles were forgotten after the first mouthful. A huge piece of fish offered a clean, meaty taste - it actually would have been better served on its own or with plain veg, as the sweet chilli sauce tasted a bit too close to the type you find on a supermarket shelf.

There were no such worries with the other main, a pan-fried French cut of chicken (£9.50) stuffed with black pudding and that Lancashire cheese again. A seemingly innocuous cheese, it can be inexplicably offensive to some, but having been brought up on the stuff, I cannot think of a dish that wouldn't be improved by it. It certainly added a lovely creamy counterpoint to the rough texture of the black pudding here, served on a hefty bed of mash.

To go with the mains, we decided to forgo the ales in order to examine the wine list. A 2006 bottle of Orballo Albarino Rias Baixas (£16.95) was a good choice, aided by a casual recommendation from the jovial waiting staff. Light and only slightly dry, it went well with a hearty meal, but might not be as successful sampled alone.

Both our mains were chosen from the extensive specials list, as were the desserts, scribbled down by the chef and narrated to us by the waiter (once he'd deciphered the handwriting). Opting for a chocolate fudge brownie and vanilla crème brûlée (both £4.50), the massive portions that arrived at our table suggested we had either chosen well, or that the puddings are designed to finish off any appetites still left standing. They may have lacked the surprising touches found elsewhere, but both desserts made up for it with sheer sweet delight.

It seems that Heritage and Rowlands have done an impressive job, hauling the Continental back on to its feet and adding some exciting flourishes. Solid choices in the kitchen and behind the bar have obviously helped, but there's an ambition to the whole project (plans are afoot for a performance space to be opened) that is obviously their own. Next time you're delayed at that train station, you know where to head.

South Meadow Lane, Preston. Food served Mon to Thu noon to 2.30pm and 5pm to 8.30pm; Fri noon to 2.30pm and 5pm to 9pm; Sat noon to 9pm; Sun noon to 8.30pm. Tel: 0177 249 9425. www.newcontinental.net

see it here:

http://www.metro.co.uk/metrolife/article.html?in_article_id=300626&in_page_id=231

Really is a team effort that's got it that review - good on everyone!

Deb's Puddings

For the uninitiated, Debs’ puddings range from the sublime to the ridiculously divine. On the menu we have vanilla crème brulee and seasonal fruits, apricot-glazed bread & butter pudding, meltingly gorgeous chocolate brownie with velvet milk chocolate sauce, and poached pear.

But if that’s not enough choice, the pudding of the day multiplied into three on last Friday's specials board: Belgian chocolate terrine with a vanilla sauce and chocolate ice cream, brandy snap basket filled with chocolate brownie ice cream and chocolate sauce, and finally the fabulously-named longue du chat biscuit filled with fresh strawberry fool and garnished with seasonal berries.

If that choice isn’t enough for you, I suggest you seek help for your serious pudding problem. What's on tonight? I don't know. But whatever it is, it'll taste very good.

Upcoming Jazz

We’ve now been open for three weeks, and like everyone else we’re more than a bit sick of the rain. However, our cosy snug has provided a haven to shelter in. And we can at least watch the Ribble roll threateningly by from the conservatory window.

Just to keep you going through September, we’ve started to schedule regular Jazz in the snug. Happening at 9pm on the last Sunday each month, anyone who was there for bank holiday jazz will know that the vibe was super cool and the snug was filled. We’ve got a great line-up for the 28th September: Preston’s favourite jazz saxophonist Harold Salisbury, Gary Culshaw on bass and Jonathon Hartley beating the skins will be joined by Manchester guitar talent Mike Walker.

Mike Walker appeared aurally in concert on BBC Radio 3, last Friday (the 5th) at 11.30pm. This is his Ropes project, recorded at the Manchester Jazz Festival. You can listen again this week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00d6zx8. Mike’s website is at http://www.mike-walker.co.uk, and here’s what the Guardian had to say about his long-awaited album Mad House and The Whole Thing: ‘this debut is a soaringly confident piece of idiosyncratic contemporary fusion, with brief borrowings from what sound like radio monologues and pub singalongs dropped into the thick-textured, backbeat-smacking grooves’. He’ll be here on the 28th September so you might want to claim your seat sometime around now!

Back to school at the Continental

It's a new school year, and so it's time to dust off that school timetable and add some curriculum-based events to your diaries:

General Studies:
Tuesdays – starting tonight – will be our weekly pub quiz night. We'll be starting at 9.30pm and each week we'll include a general knowledge round, and three other specialist rounds taken from picture rounds, entertainment, sport, history, music and all the trivia favourites. It’s 50p a person to join – all teams welcome – and ½ of the money goes out in team prizes on the night. The other ½ goes to a snowball question and this prize money will roll over every week until someone gets one of these stonkingly tough questions right. Warren is the quizmaster, so be warned. The winning team will also get a gallon of beer. That's eight pints – get studying now!

English:
The first Thursday of the month will be our monthly book club. Do you have books on your shelves gathering dust, which you've always meant to read? Want to read them before either you die or they get sent to Oxfam? Come and join us for a monthly book discussion at 7.30pm in the conservatory, with coffee and cake or maybe a readerly glass of wine. We’ll pick books democratically with titles drawn out of a hat. And if you don't already have the book, the lovely people at Waterstones have offered us a 10% discount on reading group books. If you're interested in joining us then drop me an email on ruth@newcontinental.net and I’ll email back the book we'll be reading for October.

Music:
Looking for somewhere to showcase your musical talents? Keep an eye out for our regular acoustic open-mic night, coming soon to the snug. We're going to start this in a couple of weeks, so dust off your guitars, write some lyrics, and get practicing. If you want more information about this, drop me a line on info@newcontinental.net. We've also got the monthly jazz nights on the last Sunday of each month, kicking off on the 28th September with Preston's favourite jazz saxophonist Harold Salisbury, Gary Culshaw on bass and Jonathon Hartley beating the skins, joined by Manchester guitar talent Mike Walker.

Drama:
Coming up in the events space we have a couple of Saturdays booked in for children's theatre from Dynamic New Animation, and a 2-week Christmas run for their play 'Atishoo!', which has been performed at Bristol's Young Vic & the Lowry Studio, Salford. We'll also be having visits for the grown-ups, from Second Nature Theatre Company (who've won a Manchester Evening News theatre award recently) & one from Mike Heath, whose work has been performed amongst others at the Library Theatre Manchester & The Lowry Studio.

Art:
You'll soon be able to see some work from local photographers Helen Cooper and John C Taylor on the walls. This is shortly to be accompanied by a wider exhibition of local artists, which will adorn our walls for the near future.

Home Economics:
As if we need to mention what's going on here…lots of lovely food, that's what.

Beer Studies (we run a pretty liberal school, ok?):
Plans are currently being brewed for the inaugural Continental Oktoberfest – We'll announce the details shortly, but look forward to a long weekend of great beer and music in the new events space towards the end of next month. Of course in the meantime, you can still pop in to enjoy our wide range of cask real ales, bottled beers, draught lagers, wines and spirits any time (not forgetting the superior selection of soft drinks, tea and coffee).

Why not book the school gym?:
The Events Space (formerly Captain Coconuts) is nearly completed, and will be available to hire for private functions in the very near future – email us for information on our availability and rates, and to find out what The Continental team can do to help with your event. You guessed it, the email address is info@newcontinental.net.

If you've got any other ideas of things you’d like to do or see at the Continental, please let us know!

We’ll see you soon,

The Continental Team

All quiet on the blogging front

I will get back to proper blogging and recounting the story of the
refurb at some point soon...but it's just been crazy busy round 'ere so in the meantime i'm just going to post a couple of newsletters i've been sending out.