Think local

Television soaps come under a lot of fire for their hyperbolical slant on modern life - all sex, drugs and punch-ups - but there's one area where I actually wish life would imitate art.

Whenever the cast of Emmerdale, Coronation Street or Eastenders pop into their local pub (and there's only ever one, just as no one's allowed to move to any location where there isn't an existing set), they always ask for a pint of their local beer.

The Woolpack has Ephraim Monk on tap, the Rover's Return serves Newton & Ridley with Betty's hot pot and you'll probably earn yourself a "Walford kiss" from one of the Mitchell brothers if you ask for anything other than Churchills in the Queen Vic.

Even the longest-running soap in history - Radio 4's The Archers - has Shires Bitter for the folk of Ambridge to drown their sorrows down at the Bull.

But go into most real-life pubs and you'll be lucky to see anything beyond the national blands - sorry, brands - dished out in every other corner of the land.

This country has a fine brewing tradition stretching back several thousand years, hardly surprising when you consider the dangers posed by drinking the water back in the days when urban sanitation comprised of a bucket and an open window.

So next time you drop into an unfamiliar pub and spot a guest beer or cider behind the bar, look a little closer. If it tickles your tastebuds, all the better. I've began plenty of my happiest relationships with regional ales that very same way.