Phew, what a scorcher! We've been almost melting in the Folded Wing office this week - it seems that summer has well and truly arrived and brought with it some tasty temperatures firmly into the 30s. It's absolutely perfect weather to spend the weekend under a large umbrella with a large glass of something cold.
Read moreAnd so Team Folded Wing have all picked our favourite beer gardens for the blog this week. From Sweden to Leigh-on-Sea, these are the places we'd like to be this weekend. We've also picked the tunes we're going to have on repeat this summer and you can listen to all of these in a handy Spotify playlist below while you're reading. We'd love to hear from you on Twitter @FoldedWingUK - which beer gardens will you be spending the sunny weekend in and what will you be listening to in them?
Karen
The Old Neptune, Whitstable
"I love drinking next to the seaside - I knew my Mum would pick Leigh-on-Sea so I've gone for my second favourite place, The Old Neptune in Whitstable. It doesn't technically have a beer garden but there's wooden benches next to the sea so you can eat fish and chips at the same time. Wish I was there now!
Music-wise, I'll be listening to 'Garden Dog Barbecue' by GoGo Penguin - perfect song title for a day like today!"
Pete
The Windmill, Macclesfield
"Not my favourite pub, that award goes to The Pack Horse in Macclesfield in case you're interested, but definitely my favourite beer garden. It's right next to the Macclesfield Canal so you can take the dog for a walk and then head to the beer garden straight after. It's in the middle of the countryside so it's a really lovely place to have a few beers in the sun and look at all the other cute dogs too! It also used to have a football net in the garden so that you could have a kickabout too.
I think the song I would like to listen to in the beer garden would be Nick Mulvey's 'Fever To The Form'. It's such a chilled, lovely, summer song - perfect combination with the sun and a pint of Bosley Cloud, which they sell at The Windmill."
Andrea
Mossebacke, Stockholm
"This is my favourite beer garden anywhere. It's right up on the cliffs overlooking Stockholm so you have a beautiful view and it's the perfect place to spend long Swedish summer nights.
I'll be listening to a perfect summer tune, 'Angel (Touch Me)' by The 2 Bears."
Ian
Beau Nash, Tunbridge Wells
"The summer I did my A-levels was really hot and I spent almost every night (after my exams were over, obviously) in the garden of the Beau Nash pub in Tunbridge Wells. It's a tiny place up a side alley but the garden is great and the beer - mainly the local Harvey's - is excellent.
My song of the summer was going to be 'Angel (Touch Me)' by The 2 Bears, but Andrea got there first. So I'll have Jamie xx's 'All Under One Roof Raving' instead..."
Sandie
The Crooked Billet, Leigh-on-Sea
"I love the Crooked Billet in Leigh-on-Sea, right by the cockle sheds and the sea. It's the perfect beer garden on a summer's day.
My song of the summer has to be Neil Diamond's 'Summerlove' - of course I listen to it all year round!"
Lucy
The Fox On The Hill, Denmark Hill
"I've spent quite an impressive amount of time in the Fox's expansive garden over the years! It's round the corner from my friend's place in Denmark Hill so we always end up there whatever the weather. The garden's so huge you never have to worry about getting a seat, there's a cute brass sculpture of a fox in the middle and the pub's a Wetherspoons so you can happily feed and water yourself all day long without breaking the bank.
This summer I'll have Caribou's comeback track 'Can't Do Without You' on repeat - absolutely love the Extended Mix version, the original just wasn't quite long enough."
