The pub has some great deals on for lunchtime meals

It’s the time of year when the sun is finally out and beer gardens are put to good use again. One beer garden I discovered with a scenic view was at the Moorhen pub in Hampton, Peterborough.

Right next to this pub is a small lake, with geese, swans and ducks on. I headed to the Moorhen to not only enjoy the views, but to try out something from their lunchtime deal menu.

As I walked in the pub, it was daubed in England flags ready for the World Cup. With several big TVs around and pool tables to the near end of the pub, this looked like the perfect place to watch a football game. However, I wasn’t there to watch football, I was there for the food! Before sitting down, I got an orange and lemonade for £3.35.

When it came to food, I didn’t want anything too heavy, so I looked at their lunch deal, which includes smaller versions of some items on their main menu. There were a few good choices, including scampi and chips or a gammon steak. However, the one thing that caught my attention at a bargain price of £8.79 was hunter’s chicken. Hunter’s chicken always feels like proper pub grub, so I opted for this.

As I waited for my food, I admired some more of the pub’s decor. Where I was sitting was by a fake fireplace.

Whilst cosiness wasn’t exactly what I was after on this warm weekday afternoon, I couldn’t help but notice the fireplace and how warm and inviting it must make the pub during winter. There were also large windows that looked onto the beer garden and lake, so I spent a lot of my time there watching geese peacefully gliding across the water.

After about 15 minutes my food came out. The chicken, alongside chips and salad, were all neatly presented on my plate. I tried my chicken first, making sure I had the bacon, cheese and plenty of barbecue sauce included. The chicken was nice and tender, with the crispy bacon, extra barbecue-y sauce and melted cheese making it the perfect combination.

I tried some of the chips and there was a lot of crunch – which I loved. I don’t like soggy chips. I’m not usually one for side salads, however this salad – which included red onion, cucumber and lettuce – was just the right amount and had all the salad elements that I like the most.

Although this was a smaller version of the usual hunter’s chicken, it was the perfect amount for a lunchtime meal. I have definitely found a new favourite lunchtime spot in the Moorhen.

With the weather getting warmer, the pub will also be the perfect place to enjoy a crisp cold drink in the beer garden, while enjoying some peaceful views.

All of our food reviews are paid for by the writer. The establishments do not know we will be reviewing their food, allowing us to make fair judgements on each place.

The road is home to plenty of interesting spots along its Cambridgeshire stretch, making it a firm contender for the Route 66 title

The A1, Britain’s longest road stretching from London to Edinburgh. Its impressive 410-mile length may seem substantial by UK standards, but it’s merely one-sixth of the iconic Route 66’s whopping 2,400 miles.

The Cambridgeshire stretch of the A1 spans roughly 30 miles, from Eaton Socon near St Neots in the south to Wansford near Peterborough in the north.

Along this route, adventurous drivers can encounter hyenas at a zoo, explore a tower that once imprisoned one of Henry VIII’s wives, or delve into the history of the Nene Valley Railway – Peterborough’s first rail connection.

Discover some of the top spots to pause along the A1, Cambridgeshire’s second answer to Route 66, below.

Little Paxton: Paxton Pits Nature Reserve

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Heading north, your first stop is Little Paxton, home to Paxton Pits Nature Reserve. This former gravel quarry, now a sprawling 78-hectare site, teems with diverse wildlife, including otters, deer, and dragonflies.

Part of the reserve still houses an operational quarry, which visitors can observe during a guided walk. Despite its name, Little Paxton packs a punch with plenty more to discover beyond its nature reserve once you’ve parked up in the village.

Buckden: Tower that once sheltered Katherine of Aragon

Our second stop is Buckden, home to the historic Buckden Towers. This site played a part in the life of Henry VIII’s first wife, Katherine of Aragon.

Following her divorce from the King, she sought refuge in the Tower of Buckden Palace, spending six days confined within a chamber. She was forcibly moved from there to Kimbolton Castle in May 1534.

In addition to the tower, the site boasts an impressive garden named in honour of the divorced Queen, known as Queen Katherine’s Tudor Knot Garden.

Grafham: Home to the UK’s third-largest reservoir

Nestled between the A1 and A14, Grafham Water features on both of Cambridgeshire’s equivalents to Route 66. This reservoir – the third largest in the UK – is a must-visit, whether you’re seeking tranquil walks with picturesque views or something more adventurous.

The Grafham Water Centre and Grafham Water Sailing Club offer activities such as kayaking, canoeing and sailing. It’s also a popular fishing spot, hosting national and international fly fishing competitions.

Steeple Gidding: Zoo housing bears and cheetahs

The fourth stop is Hamerton Zoo Park, renowned for its ‘bear meadow’ and ‘cheetah country’. Among the zoo’s most recent arrivals are a trio of brown hyenas, the rarest species of hyena, which, according to Hamerton Zoo’s website, cannot be found in any other British zoo.

Boasting a 4.5 rating from 3,346 Google reviews, one visitor remarked: “Wonderful place for children to go. It was exciting to feed zebras by hand and stand amongst the birds as they flew around our heads.

“The tiger was about two metres away from us and the animals calling to each other at various points throughout the day made it feel like you were in a jungle!”.

Elton: A grand Gothic mansion

A house has occupied the site since the 12th century, undergoing numerous expansions and modifications since the Proby family purchased it in the mid-17th century.

The result is an enormous gothic edifice set within a 3,800-acre estate. The garden, complete with an orangery and lily pond, bagged the Historic Houses Garden of the Year Judges’ Choice Award in 2021.

Wansford: Nene Valley Railway

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Next up is a treat for railway enthusiasts. Wansford Station served as the headquarters of the Nene Valley Railway, the first rail line to reach Peterborough.

The original station building on platform three, constructed in 1844/5 for the line’s inauguration, showcases intricate stone masonry. It is in the process of being moved brick by brick to another location.

Additionally, a miniature railway operates from Wansford Station, which also houses a ‘study centre’ featuring photographs and artefacts from the railway.

Thornhaugh: An 18th century mill and lambs

Our seventh destination is Sacrewell Farm and Community Centre. Thanks to a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, an 18th-century mill has been restored and transformed into a ‘centre of milling excellence’.

The farm also houses lambs and kids, with a ‘VIP Lambing Experience’ available from 1st to 27th April.

Stamford: An Elizabethan house built in honour of a Queen

Our final stop is truly impressive. The grand Burghley House, one of the largest surviving 16th-century houses, was constructed to honour Queen Elizabeth I.

This lavish residence features a ‘jewel closet’ and a ‘blue silk bedroom’. A ‘heaven room’, a ‘hell staircase’ and a ‘lower hell staircase’ are adorned with artwork depicting angelic humans and bloody battles.

It had otherwise been a sensational performance from the Dutchman, a kickboxing icon 12 years removed from his only previous professional boxing fight, who few people gave any chance at all of remotely troubling, let alone beating, the sport’s pound-for-pound No1, a three-time undisputed champion regarded by most as the best on the planet.

In The Mixer’s World Cup special

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Although it’s been the biggest first party PS5 exclusive of the year so far, a reader is disappointed with Saros and how it compares to predecessor Returnal.

Those in the know all agree that Returnal is the best exclusive on PlayStation 5. Even though it looks like it could be a PlayStation 4 game, it’s definitely my favourite game of the generation, with amazing action and a fantastic atmosphere and story. So, obviously, I was really looking forward to Saros, which isn’t a sequel in terms of the plot but is in every other way.

Naturally, I pre-ordered it and at first it seemed as good as I hoped. The action is very similar to Returnal but that in itself I found a bit disappointing. I wouldn’t necessarily say it was better in any way. The shield is an interesting addition, but it seems a bit underused a lot of the time and I prefer the way you upgrade weapons in Returnal.

In terms of action it is good though. You could argue it’s either a little bit worse or a little bit better, but for me the rest of the game is a major step down.

The most obvious problem is the story and characters, which are far too straightforward, compared to Returnal. In Returnal you never knew if anything you were seeing or doing was real. In Saros though there’s kind of a mystery but it’s very obvious what’s happened and for most of the game you’re just playing some generic tough guy who’s looking for his wife.

Things do get more involved towards the end but it comes way too late for you to really care and most of it I’d guessed beforehand anyway. The game has the same sort of Lovecraftian influence as Returnal, but it’s all a lot more on the nose and nowhere near as interesting. There’s still an atmosphere to it but it’s not borderline survival horror like Returnal, just because it’s not much of a mystery as to what’s going on.

Another problem is that the world design doesn’t change nearly as much as you’d like between areas. Most of it is the same dull grey world and ruins everywhere and while the graphics are good, especially the underground area, it’s all just minor variations of the same thing, unlike Returnal which seemed to have a lot more variety.

To me, the overall problem seems to be that the story and setting is too literal. What’s going on is never really a question and the motivations of the characters (none of which are likeable) is also very obvious. Lovecraft is all about fear of the unknown but the mystery in Saros is not good enough as, for some reason, they try to ground things a bit too much, rather going with the more surreal approach of Reutrnal.

Saros isn’t a disaster or anything like that, but it is a disappointment. It’s worse in just about every way than Returnal, except maybe the graphics, when I hoped it was going to better and become an undisputed classic. Instead, it just got a bit overshadowed by Pragmata, which I didn’t expect, and I’m not sure a lot of people even realised it came out.

In terms of what went wrong I think part of the problem was trying to make the game more mainstream. In terms of making it slightly easier I think that all went fine, although now it seems a bit too obvious that each level is just a boss run. But I think making the story more obvious and straightforward was part of the same thing of making it more accessible.

Another problem is that the director changed, in fact he left and went to set up his own company, which I think explains a lot. The end result is that instead of potentially getting the best game of the generation we ended up with a game that is… very good. Not exactly the end of the world but I was hoping for more.

By reader Keller

The reader’s features do not necessarily represent the views of GameCentral or Metro.

You can submit your own 500 to 600-word reader feature at any time, which if used will be published in the next appropriate weekend slot.

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Reporters heard what sounded like possible gunfire near the North Lawn of the White House Saturday evening, prompting the U.S. Secret Service to move members of the media indoors.

Approximately 20 shots were heard just after 6 p.m. Eastern Time, appearing to originate from the side of the White House complex that contains the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, multiple local and national reporters who were at the White House at the time said.

U.S. Secret Service personnel immediately responded by ushering them inside.

Anthony Guglielmi, a spokesperson for the Secret Service, said in a statement to CBS News that the agency was investigating “reports of shots fired near 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW” and was working to corroborate the initial details with personnel on the ground.

FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed the bureau’s involvement in a social media post, stating that the FBI was on the scene and actively supporting the Secret Service.

President Donald Trump was inside the White House at the time of the incident, having been on the premises since at least 4 p.m., as reported by White House spokesperson Steven Cheung.

The security alert follows an incident nearly a month ago in which an armed individual breached a security checkpoint outside a Washington, D.C., hotel ballroom hosting the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

Investigations into Saturday’s incident remain ongoing.

Drivers are facing delays following a crash involving two lorries

Drivers are being diverted after an overturned lorry blocked the A14 on Saturday, May 23. Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service were called at 10.34am to reports of a crash involving two lorries on the A14 Westbound between Swavesey and Ermine Street.

Cambridgeshire Police, the East of England Ambulance Service, and National Highways attended the scene. Fire crews from Huntingdon, St Ives, Cambridge, Cottenham, and the south roaming fire engine attended.

A spokesperson for Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service said: “Firefighters arrived to find a collision involving two lorries. They worked with other emergency services to make the area safe.”

The A14 westbound between Junction 24 and Junction 23 remains blocked following the crash. According to National Highways, road users are being diverted off at J24 to follow local routes around the closure.

Drivers have been warned by National Highways to expect delays of 20 minutes in an update. A spokesperson for National Highways said: “The A14 westbound in Camridgeshire between J24B and J23 remains closed due to a collision.

“The road requires inspection as there was a spillage of oil and diesel from the collision. There are delays of 20 minutes on the approach.”

Traffic monitoring site Inrix said: “A14 Westbound blocked, queueing traffic due to overturned lorry and fuel spillage from J24B (Swavesey) to J23 (Godmanchester).”

A spokesperson for National Highways added: “If this closure impacts on your planned route, please allow extra journey time. Plan ahead, you may wish to re-route or even delay your journey.”

DUP leader Gavin Robinson said John Swinney’s comments caused “genuine hurt among victims and survivors”.

The First Minister of Scotland should issue a “clear and unambiguous apology” over comments urging people to “move on” from the Troubles, the leader of the DUP has said. DUP leader Gavin Robinson said John Swinney’s comments caused “genuine hurt among victims and survivors”.

Mr Swinney was speaking to The Herald newspaper after his party’s election victory. He was asked about potential dealings with Sinn Fein as a result of the three devolved administrations of the UK having pro-independence parties in leading roles.

The leader of the SNP recognised his dealings with Sinn Fein, whose vice president Michelle O’Neill is First Minister of Northern Ireland, had caused some “media consternation”. But he added: “I really do think people have got to move on.”

He said he had “no intention” of apologising for the comments, telling the Press Association earlier this week that: “The issues that are involved in the peace process have involved people moving on, people have had to move on, that’s exactly what they’ve done, and I’m simply reflecting what’s happened.”

However, the leader of the DUP has questioned whether he would consider the same “deeply hurtful” language appropriate for the Lockerbie bombing, the attack at Glasgow Airport or Dunblane shootings. In reference to Scottish soldiers killed by the IRA, Mr Robinson said no political arrangement or coalition with those “who have never honestly confronted the IRA’s brutal campaign can ever erase the truth about what has done”.

He urged Mr Swinney to “reflect seriously on the offence” his comments caused and “apologise publicly to those victims and survivors who feel insulted”. In a letter to the Scottish First Minister, Mr Robinson said: “Whilst I appreciate your subsequent efforts to clarify those remarks, the language used has caused genuine hurt among victims and survivors, many of whom continue to live daily with the consequences of terrorism and violence.”

He added: “The passage of time does not diminish the need for sensitivity, nor does it erase the legitimate pursuit of truth, justice and accountability.”

Mr Robinson told Mr Swinney that victims of terrorism are “not an inconvenience to be brushed aside because their pain sits awkwardly alongside today’s political arrangements”. He added: “They deserve honesty, respect and the assurance that those who lead will never minimise what they endured.”

He told the First Minister that leadership requires “the courage to say difficult things plainly” rather than to “manage relationships at the expense of those who suffered most”. Mr Robinson said: “No victim should ever be told – directly or indirectly – to simply get over the murder of their loved ones.

“I urge you to reflect seriously on the offence your comments have caused and to apologise publicly to those victims and survivors who feel insulted and abandoned by your remarks.”

The Scottish Government has been contacted for comment.

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With still no official word about a new Animal Crossing game on Nintendo Switch 2, a reader has a very unconventional idea of what direction it should take.

Reflecting on the challenges of overcoming class oppression, the leader of the October (Russian) revolution, Vladimir Lenin, famously posed the question: ‘What is to be done?’ We might ask the same question of Nintendo’s Animal Crossing, especially in the wake of the arguably better Pokémon Pokopia.

The comparison to overcoming oppression may sound trite, and in a way it is, but it serves the purpose here, of answering how the series can, though likely will not (in a million years), evolve.

This relies on how the text is interpreted, specifically the character of Tom Nook. That Nook is a parody of a capitalist is not controversial. Nintendo are not exactly subtle about it.

Tom Nook appropriates the land to turn it into real estate to sell to inhabitants for money (bells). Just as in real life, acquiring property means getting into debt and paying off the mortgage through hard work, here by cultivating and gathering fruit and so forth.

The bells acquired for Nook can also be exchanged endlessly for commodities to decorate the home. Hence production (cultivation, harvesting, fishing, and so forth) is a means to generate an income to exchange for goods (consumption) owned by Nook and other traders.

As with consumerism, the desire for such products is never satiated. In fact, Nook entices the player to consume more by taking out further mortgages to buy bigger homes in which more products are required to fill them. And on it goes…

The question of what is to be done about the franchise is answered in response to the secondary question of what is to be done about Tom Nook?

My idea for the next game involves the player building solidarity with other villagers through kind acts such as gift giving, helping them out, and so forth, thereby recruiting them to the cause of overthrowing Nook and turning the island into a commune.

As happened after the October Revolution, this is complicated by nearby islands under the yoke of their own Tom Nooks being threatened by the example the now liberated commune sets. To thwart their attacks, island defences must be constructed and once the external threat is overcome the task is to liberate the other islands by clandestinely recruiting its dwellers to the cause.

While this would introduce a battle element, it would be in the same charming aesthetic and satirical tone the game is known for. Failure of worldwide revolution would lead to scenarios such as that depicted in George Orwell’s Animal Farm where, in an allegory for Stalinism, the liberators become the oppressors who also must then be overthrown, thus starting the sequence again (and again until ultimate victory).

If a critique of capitalism is indeed a subtext of Animal Crossing (it can be considered as one irrespective of whether intended), there is also a utopian subtext too, of a non-alienated society where work is play, nobody goes hungry, there is no war or violence, and everyone (aside from Tom Nook) is a potential friend.

If utopia is realised, the game continues, only now the form through which resources are gathered, managed, and distributed change. This opens new gameplay mechanics such as resource management and construction of new public institutions and infrastructure, such as railroads.

The history of popular culture is one of appropriation, corporations appropriating critiques of capitalism for monetary gain. Punk and black American rap music are obvious examples. More recently, Disney bankrolled the surprisingly subversive Rogue One television spin-off Andor, which is unashamedly and unsubtly a story about working class people under the yoke of fascist-authoritarianism becoming revolutionary agitators organising and using all means necessary to overthrow an evil Empire.

It made Disney a lot of money and helped somewhat redeem a tarnished reputation for the truly dire sequel trilogy. If audiences do not act on message by becoming revolutionaries too, Disney is untroubled. So, while it may appear strange that a corporate behemoth would sponsor such incendiary texts, if it makes them money then all well and good.

While I say not ‘in a million years’, it is not entirely inconceivable or contradictory for Nintendo to double-down on the satire by taking this logical next step. The point, however, is not for Nintendo to make a political text (it can be done more subtly than depicted here) but rather a game that builds on previous iterations in novel and engaging ways. Here is one idea for doing precisely that.

By reader Ciara

The reader’s features do not necessarily represent the views of GameCentral or Metro.

You can submit your own 500 to 600-word reader feature at any time, which if used will be published in the next appropriate weekend slot.

Just contact us at gamecentral@metro.co.uk or use our Submit Stuff page and you won’t need to send an email.

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