Latest news with #barman
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
TALK OF THE TOWN: Sherlock star Benedict and the mystery of the vanishing photographs
It's a mystery that would baffle Sherlock Holmes himself... just why was Benedict Cumberbatch so secretive about doing a stint as a barman for charity? The actor who played the eccentric but brilliant detective on TV, recently spent an evening mixing margaritas at Trejos Tacos, a Mexican bar on Portobello Road, Notting Hill, after he auctioned off his time for a good cause. The highest bidder put him to work in the trendy West London eatery, serving cocktails and shots of tequila to her and her friends. Insiders tell me everyone was enthralled by the attention of their celebrity mixologist, who took to the role exceptionally well. I hear he doted on his starstruck customers and shook hands with fans. But news of the actor's good deed was supposed to be kept under wraps, with a strict 'no photographs' policy in place at the restaurant, which is owned by fellow Hollywood actor Danny Trejo. Despite the ban, pictures of Benedict the Barman did emerge from the night and find their way on to Instagram. But I hear the over-excited punter responsible for the leak was given a terse telling off and the images removed. The Doctor Strange star – soon to be seen with Olivia Colman in a remake of the comedy War Of The Roses – had sold off his services at a gala dinner raising money for the London Academy Of Music and Dramatic Art, of which he is president. Perhaps, Cumberbatch, 58, did not want to be pictured with booze as he's long valued his 'near sobriety', preferring yoga to alcohol. That explanation would be elementary, my dear... Nepo babies assemble! Nico Parker, the daughter of Mission: Impossible actress Thandiwe Newton, made her name in post-apocalypse drama The Last Of Us. Now I can reveal she is dating actor Cooper Hoffman, son of the late Philip Seymour Hoffman. The pair have been cast in Poetic License, with Jake Bongiovi, son of singer Jon Bon Jovi. It's being made by Maude Apatow, daughter of director Judd. You're just like your ex's mamma, Mia Is Romeo Beckham's ex following in the illustrious footsteps of his fashion designer mother Victoria Beckham? Model Mia Regan has set up a company called Mr Designs Ltd, listing herself as a designer. Last week she unveiled a new collection with high street chain H&M, but the launch party for her collaboration was not, shall we say, 'Posh'. I'm told the low-key affair was hosted at a cafe next to the Woodberry Wetlands in North London, which costs up to £4,000 to hire. Jazzy has landed a film role to dye for Socialite Jazzy de Lisser recently made a dramatic change when she dyed her hair from her natural brunette to a bright blonde and now I think I know why. The 33-year-old daughter of fashion designer Serena Bute has been cast in a new film called Pretty Ugly alongside Nicola Peltz Beckham. De Lisser will play a woman obsessed with social media beauty while Peltz Beckham, 30, will play 'a provocative make-up influencer'. Their characters will face a murder and learn the real meaning of the American Dream. Expect it to be, well, pretty ugly. Make Ellen a De Generes offer... A new life in the Cotswolds has not been without its challenges for ex-US chat show host Ellen De Generes and her actress wife Portia de Rossi, as their house suffered flooding which led to them buying a second home nearby. Now their first mansion, which they bought for £15million, is up for sale – not on the open market but only to the 'right buyer should they approach'. I think the biggest draw is that the house has its own pub. What's not to love? Clangers on air Poor Woody Cook is paying the price for having a famous broadcaster for a mum – everyone gets to know about his howlers. In her new podcast, Radio 2 star Zoe Ball reveals how Woody forgot to pay his car insurance, an error that somehow resulted in bailiffs knocking on the door. Zoe also discloses Woody's nicknames for her. 'He calls me Mum and Bass, because I like drum and bass. But also, we're Mumford and Sons. I'm Mumford, he's Sons.' Sheeran's old togs Want to dress like Ed Sheeran? I'm told the pop star donates his old clothes to the East Anglia Children's Hospice shop in Framlingham, Suffolk. Ed's no style icon but if you fancy jeans, hoodies or checked shirts, you know where to go!
The Sun
15-07-2025
- The Sun
Is this the UK's quaintest pub? Never mind Prosecco, they don't even serve lager in ‘legendary' inn untouched by time
I FOUND what seems to be the UK's quaintest old school pub almost by accident - but don't expect to be able to order any champagne. The Dyffryn Arms is certainly not the easiest pub to find, but is well worth the effort. 7 7 It's not in the middle of nowhere so much as on the far edge of nowhere, down any number of narrow winding rural lanes in farming country called the Gwaun Valley, inland from Fishguard at the west end of Pembrokeshire in Wales. Originally built as a house in 1845, it was converted into its current pub-of-sorts format sometime in the V ictorian period and has remained little changed ever since: one room for the drinkers, the others for the family that owns it. And it's been run by the same family for over a century. Our sat nav initially took us to a random spot surrounded by fields with no buildings in sight. Then, after we'd finally worked out that we were actually a mile or so from where we should be, we found ourselves driving the rest of the route at walking pace - or rather at the walking pace of the herd of dairy cows that were being led very slowly down the narrow country road ahead of us. When we finally got to the pub, it didn't look like a pub at all, an impression reinforced by the appearance of the barman. He looked at least 85-years-old and appeared to have fallen asleep in an armchair while watching daytime TV very loudly in his front room. When he finally stirred and noticed that he had customers, he directed us to the small public area of the pub while disappearing behind a hatch to serve us. There was no conventional bar as such, just that hole in the wall separating us from him. The choices were Bass ale poured from a barrel and served from a jug - or two or three room temperature other dusty bottled drinks of unpromising appearance. Never mind drinks like a glass of Prosecco, the pub didn't even have lager. The snacks also had a retro quality: I noticed a Curly Wurly that was on sale, so leave your ideas of being able to order your Kettle crisps here. And the public area was decidedly unlike a conventional modern boozer. There was no banquette seating or any other concessions to comfort, just austere straight-backed wooden chairs and benches that looked like they might have done several decades of previous service as church pews. There was minimal decoration save a few vintage pictures including one of the late queen - and the paintwork looked as though it hadn't been redecorated since she came to the throne in 1952. My wife, demonstrating an extraordinary degree of optimism, actually inquired 'what wines' they kept, as if there might be an extensive list. 7 7 The question was met with a rather blank stare, with a slight bit of side eye thrown in. She eventually asked for a cider, along with my beer - and of course had the option of only paying with cash. There were no screens (except that TV you could still hear booming from the private front room next door), no music, no phone signal and no wifi. Yet to some, having no distractions of any kind would be a welcome respite from the bustling pubs found elsewhere. And the only customers were us, being so quiet I wondered if we might be the only customers that week. This place might not be for everyone but for me it was a long cherished ambition to get here and it didn't disappoint. Because, in some beardie real ale circles, the Dyffryn is a legendary pub, a holy grail for the serious pub enthusiast or social historian. 7 CAMRA (the Campaign for Real Ale) describes its interior as 'of outstanding national historic importance' while National Geographic called the pub a 'time warp tavern'. But you will just have to remember to commit to finding it, as it isn't one you will easily wander past. The previous manager, one Bessie Davies, had operated the pub's hatch for 72 years by the time she passed away aged 93 in 2023. In tribute her family have done absolutely nothing: keeping it as Bessie kept it and her fans like it. At one point a lot of country pubs would have been like this. In Thomas Hardy's famous Victorian novel Tess of the D'Urbervilles, his village has a pub like this where overspilling punters will often end up drinking in the landlady's bedroom, perched on her bed or chest of drawers while supping ale. The Dyffryn is the closest I've ever come to seeing such a phenomenon in real modern life. I would feel guilty publicising The Dyffryn's extraordinary charm in case this were to see it overrun, but in reality most people reading this will never get there, and the few that do make the effort deserve the treat that awaits them. I just hope that when their time comes Bessie's grandchildren are as respectful of the past as to leave this winning formula alone. That's an ambition worth drinking to. There is also a small English pub that overlooks one of the UK's best secret beaches. Plus, the best pubs in the UK have been revealed. 7
