QUACK AND PAKORA IN MARPLE

I imagine many of you County fans have noticed the generous offer from the owner of  'Saffron' in Marple of 30% off the price of a meal should County win. How many of us thought we would have to wait so long to take advantage of this offer!!

However, the sun shone at the weekend and the net bulged 3 times for County so we booked our meal at Saffron for Tuesday evening. The owner has been a fan for many years and talked fondly of County and its glorious past. He seemed genuinely pleased to have County fans as customers and has even included three County specials on the menu. I'm no expert on Indian food so needed a lot of help to pick the right thing because I'm a fish-eating vegetarian who can only tolerate mild curries. I found the staff really helpful and willing to adapt the menu to cater to the likes and dislikes of individual customers. We all enjoyed our meals and even more so when the bill arrived with the discount off and complimentary coffee. Thanks to Saffron for a true County eating experience - we'll be back!!

We chose to visit Saffron on a Tuesday evening because, farther up the road, at the Navigation pub, there is a regular live music night with main act plus open mike spot. The gigs, going by the name of 'Quack' because of the Navi's close location to the canal, are organised by Robin Sunflower, a musician himself who plays a mean harmonica.

Robin has many contacts in the local music scene and gets some brilliant and very varied acts to perform in the newly decorated upstairs room at the pub at no charge to the audience. He attracts all kinds of musicians to his Tuesday night gigs (which start at 9pm) from rock to blues to folk to jazz to world music; that's why you get all ages in the audience and performing in the open mike slots. 
 

Kyla Brox.

I can make another County link here because the Robin Sunflower band will be playing at the Beer and Cider Festival at Edgeley Park at the end of May so try not to miss it!! Kyla Brox, blues singer daughter of local blues legend, Victor Brox, has performed at the Navi (as has Victor) and will also be playing the Beer and Cider Festival on the Saturday evening. She has a stunning voice and is accompanied by fine musicians in her band.

Toots

 .To backtrack on this particular evening, after our meal at Saffron, we headed up to the Navi to hear a tribute to Toots Thielemans - who is Toots Thielemans, I hear you ask? If I mention the theme tune to 'Midnight Cowboy' and say that Toots played the harmonica on the track, you may be a bit wiser. It was a great evening with a totally passionate group of musicians playing a modern jazz-based easy-listening set. I had to pinch myself that this stunning music was happening in a pub in Marple at no cost to the punters.


 

Victor Brox.

Needless to say, the appreciation from the audience was overwhelming.

Sorry, I can't give you a critique of the real ales at the Navigation (that's more Graham P's territory) but Tuesday night is definitely County night in Marple!!
Why not try it or boogie on down to the Beer and Cider Festival at EP at the end of the month.

Pauline Coddington.