It had been a very, very long time since my standard routine of waiting in the pub while some nice chaps cook my curry had been possible, so this was my second post-covid pub. The Duck is a bit more rough-and-ready than The Royal Exchange, so I was a bit wary.
To be fair, very well done. The same screens at the bar and one-way, but contact tracing, hand sanitizer, and sensible locals. It did feel a bit odd and lacking in atmosphere, but the Stella was drinkable. A subsequent visit was much the same, then…
….it shut.
Then re-opened, with a refurb- new flooring, a general tidy up, and some new flooring. It’s all a bit tidier, and not bad at all. No cask ale, but that’s been gone for years now.