please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
The refurb is impressive and the reconfiguration of the bar makes it easier to mange the queue and the new Management are a) much friendlier and b) know how to roster on enough staff (who actually know what they're doing) to meet demand at this popular pub. I'd encourage going back if you've had a bad experience in the past as you will be pleasantly surprised.
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Annoying, slow and inattentive bar staff. Avoid.
0/10
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Bit hit and miss this place. Tend to be in there once a week and it's certainly pleasant and inviting however very cavernous at the back and not what you'd call intimate. Decent pint of Ghost Ship but the bar staff can be absolutely shocking - No idea about what they're serving, very very slow and no queue management.
The garden is the most pleasant in the area and worth a trip to enjoy the rays. However, it can be a bit of a kids playground as children fuelled with sugary drinks are allowed to run wild whilst their parents look on, do nothing, and laugh at how cute their little cherubs are.
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A nice venue in a great location with a solid selection of ales. Unfortunately let down by the bar staff. Went in during a quite period and although there were only four of us at the bar, the two staff still served people out of sequence (causing clear annoyance) and took twenty minutes to serve everyone.
Shame
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I visited today, with a friend for the first time in a few months. Not great. I noticed with regret that they have TV screens showing sport again. A few years back they made a big point of closing and reopening with a different feel.
The barman, made no effort at all to see who was first at the bar, not even looking up, simply saying ' who's next' or ' anyone ready to order '. It was fortunate that despite being busy, everyone had the manners to take their turn. The first rule of a good barman is to know who is next in line.....
Rather slow in the food dept at clearing away used crockery/cutlery that was simply building up on a pair of tables positioned near the toilets.
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Revisited in Oct'13, the prices have increased. The draught cider (which should be room temp) was so warm you could have bathed in it. They had run out hand pub beer (yes really). Well below the standard expected for the very high prices they charge.
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As a local I retried this pub recently on a slow weekday evening (Weds).
A reasonably good atmosphere inside, beer is good (according to my friend the beer drinker).
The cider (mine) was quite good. However the barsman was clueless as to what he served. Incorrectly calling the the Thatchers, Sheppey's inspite of the fact he had a bottle in front of him. It was also warm (so needed ice - very poor) and he forgot they sell also Addlestones. All the drinks were expensive 3 & 1/2 pints costing approx £12.
The food was very good quality but slow to be served, its also expensive and pretentious, by calling the burger handmade they happly charged £9.75 for what was basically a burger & chips, and would happly charge to £1-3 more for a rasher of bacon etc.
However although there are negatives, ie the prices and staffing which seems poor. It serves good beer, reasoble cider and good food. you will just need a second mortgage if you visit regularly!
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Painfully slow service, expensive drinks and SURLY bar staff who think they're far too good to be working there (which ironically, most of the evening, they aren't).
Avoid this dump unless you fancy spending most of your night queuing for a beer.
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A real Jeykll & Hyde of an unbranded M&B Castle pub. Most expensive in Wanstead. Does have a lot going for it - nice interior, good selection of drinks, lovely beer garden. Sadly this is all let down by consistently poor service. Do not bother ordering food there when it's busy as it will take an absolute age to arrive. I am not a person who is prepared to wait over an hour for a pub meal. The quality of the food has also been exceptionally poor in the past, which is unforgivable given the restaurant prices they charge. Service at the bar is invariably slooooooow. Some good staff and some who need training. Popular quiz night on Tuesdays. Attracts a mixed crowd - well- heeled Wanstead folk during the week with an influx of younger, louder patrons at the weekends.
A real shame about the service as it really lets down an otherwise good pub.
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The pub is airy inside. The food is okay but does not change that much. It takes ages to get served but the staff are friendly. It is worth booking a table. Wanstead suffers from not having enough decent places to drink, but I would chose this place if wanted to meet friends for a drink and a bite to eat.
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Came in for lunch today. Very nice. I paricularly want to mention the Antipodean barmaid who is friendly, efficient and enthusiastic. When she got caught up with a big round and a couple of us were waiting she called on the cutlery polisher to give her a hand, which has been lacking here sometimes. The man who pulled my first pint was nice too. My main grumble about the Cuckfield at the moment is no wi fi. I'm sure plenty of people, like me, would bring their laptops to work over a pint or two.
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One of the nicest pubs in the area, food looks yummy (can't say I've eaten here, usually just pop in for a pint on my way home) staff have always been friendly if a bit flustered at times. Blue Moon on draft is always a bonus.
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Usual grumble about the Cuckfield. Mid afternoon Thursday I went to the bar to get a second pint. One man behind the bar got caught up with women ordering bottles of wine and left me dangling my fiver for about 5 mins unacknowledged. A woman member of staff was floating around and could easily have pulled my pint but didn't. I cut my losses and am now at The Nightingale down the road where I was served instantly. Had lunch in Cuckfield on Sunday and had to wait close to 10 mins to buy a drink each time. There simply weren't enough people serving to cope with all the food orders, big rounds, capuccinos etc. A shame because the pub has a lot going for it. In general it's better than the terrible service a couple of years ago but obvious things still elude this pub. They have a "feedback" form on their website which takes ages to go through and is completely unnecessary because they should know people are waiting ages and do something about it.
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Until yesterday had great things to say about this pub.
We ordered 3 Sunday lunches 2 pork 1 beef (as they only had one left) hence the 2 pork. Otherwise it would have been 2 beef 1 pork - worth noting as it is relevant later.
Anyway, 2 of the 3 lunches arrived. When we pointed out to the girl that we ordered 3 - 2 pork, 1 beef. She told us that's what the ticket said and that's what we ordered. No offer of an apology and if she could have done she'd probably have stuck her fingers up at us.
My point being that if we ordered 3, therefore we were expecting 3 and hence the question! Silly girl was too short sighted to see that the guy who took the order may have cocked up. the fact we had a tab meant this wasn't brought to our attention sooner either.
Following that disaster, my drink was swiped away before I had finished it! This time the bar man, who's manner escaped him too, returned with a thimble of beer to replace the glass he'd had his grubby fingers in (he tried to give me the glass back after his hands had been in it!).
Had we received an apology and admission that they had got it wrong, or not experienced the sloppy table service, I wouldn't be writing this.
I am sure there are better pubs in Wanstead to enjoy.
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Lovely pub with good food, but make sure your not starving hungrey when you order as we waited an hour and half for our meal. Apparently it is even worse on a sunday.
However nice place for a drink.
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I should have said in my review just now that I left without ordering my pint.
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Old habits die hard at the Cuckfield. I just had a couple of pints at lunchtime (Friday 15 Oct 2010). When I tried to buy a third pint, there were people looking fed up at the bar waiting to order food. It then took over five mins for the barman to serve them while he was getting a frothy coffee and I ended up waiting nearly 10 mins. All the while, the other bloke was poncing about having a chat with some customer and talking to the woman who was sorting out the delivery. Not once in this place have I heard the shout, "We need some service here."
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Pretty decent pub food, not sure I'd call it "Gastro" but they offer more than burgers and fish & chips. Skip the Sunday roast.
Service depends on how busy it is, the person behind the bar, and whether or not that person happen to be in a good mood.
I've always gotten fair to good service, but then again I'm polite. Never have gotten great service.
Went by last Saturday and the back door was open to reveal quite a large garden area... who knew they even had an outdoor area?!?!?!
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Apparently, if you sign up to the Cuckfield Club Newsletter on their website, you receive a voucher for a free pint of Staropramen!
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Service still swings from good to bad like a rusty gate. Enjoyable Tuesday Quiz night, lack of trouble and good attitude towards families at weekends being plus points though
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I would have to presume this place has new management as it is currently great. Staff really friendly and food excellent. Its no snug old style boozer but I live down the road from here in Walthamstow where all the pubs bar the village ones are pap and none of them do decent food. I have been here twice now, they have a good range of micro brewery beers and guest ales as well as a great pint of Hoegarden. We have tried the pie, fish and chip and scampi and all of it was delicious with the only waiting time being while they cook the food and don;t microwave it!!
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A winning combination of pretentiousness and hopelessness. As a local, I have tried to love this pub but have now (finally) reached the conclusion that it's a lost cause. As commented on by another reviewer, the service here is PAINFULLY slow and is dispensed by a group of too-cool-for-school teenagers with (bad) attitude.
Made the mistake of eating there recently - was charged �6.50 for a jacket spud with cheese on account of it being on the daily specials board (no, I'm not joking!)
Customer service / satisfaction is clearly not a prority for this place - not that this will bother the boss - am guessing he'll be too busy deciding which flip-flops and sunglasses combination to wear rather than worrying what the locals think.
Avoid at all costs - Wanstead deserves better.
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Not a bad place - it has a great beer garden, nice decor inside and a good range of drinks
On the downside, the bar staff wouldn't win awards for speed, and the food isn't good considering the cost (the whitebait being a very honourable exception)
Still prefer the Nightingale though when I'm in the area
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painfully slow service, expensive drinks and SURLY bar staff who think they're far too good to be working there (which ironically, most of the evening, they aren't).
Avoid this dump unless you fancy spending most of your night queuing for a beer.
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All up I think this is a great pub, the food is excellent, they have some good beers and the outside seating a probably the nicest in the area.
The down side is some of the staff aren't the best, although all are friendly. But hey, I'd much sooner slow and pleasant service than quick and moody. Who wants to go to a McPub?? And I'm in the pub so it's not like I'm a terrible rush..
Will definitely be going again and again!
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used to love this pub until they took off the best beer in the world- franziskaner hefe wheat beer,can any like minded beer lovers let me know anywhere else in east or north london sell this beautiful stuff.
cheers.
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Just had a late Saturday lunch here, the Broadside was spot on and the food was also good, bacon egg and chips was very tasty and the glaze made up for the meat being slightly dry. The homemade burger was also good, burnt on the outside but plenty of flavour to compensate.
The bar staff were friendly though incredibly slow and one had a bizarre fear of champagne corks.
All in all, a good experience that with a little tweaking would be perfect.
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Ordered Steak and fish and chips. the fish batter was dark brown because it had been fried a few times, although the fish did taste alright, however the steak was very hard to cut and impossible to to eat. We complained, and the waitress appeared to have a row with the cook(?) who refused to take it back. She offered another meal with the comment that "I had steak sandwich for lunch and couldn't get my teeth into it !" Having seen the cook(?) we asked for a refund and a free drink which we got.
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Called in for the first time this afternoon, the very friendly Canadian bar maid and excellent Maredsous Abbey Ale made for a pleasant experience.
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painfully slow service, expensive drinks and SURLY bar staff who think they're far too good to be working there (which ironically, most of the evening, they aren't).
Avoid this dump unless you fancy spending most of your night queuing for a beer.
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Arrived on a Saturday afternoon about 4.00p.m and although pub not packed, none of the tables had yet been cleared after busy lunch trade. Sat at table, cleared the plates and glasses ourselves, ordered drinks and asked for table to be cleaned.. nothing happened. Ordered more drinks and asked for table to be cleaned again.. nothing happened.. Ordered some food and asked for table to be cleaned..Same story.. Barmaid appeared at out table to advise that our selection was no longer available. We changed our order and asked for table to cleaned again.. Again,nothing ...Food arrived at table and barmaid,(accidentally, mind you) tilted plate of onion rings all over dirty table, picked them up, placed them back on the plate....Having successfully delivered order,fetched fags from behind bar and went out front for a nice little smoke.
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We had Sunday lunch at the Cuckfield the Sunday before last. The entire meal was a catalogue of bad service and bad food. There was very little of the menu that was still available, in spite of there being hours of service left, so we made our reluctant choice out of what little was left (one roast lamb and one toad in the hole) the staff were slow and surly and when they brought our mains before our starters we actually had to explain that this was not accepted practice and that, as a rule, the starters tend to be served first, the waiter looked at us like we were mad and had to be asked twice, and then told, to take our mains away and bring our starter. When the mains returned (I'm sure they were the same mains has had been brought out to begin with) we had been brought shoe-leather overcooked beef and sausages with mash with large lumps of raw potato in - awful food and not even what we ordered. The chef in the open kitchen argued with the waitress, and then with us, as to whether we could send this back. The manager was eventually summoned and was apologetic and accepted that we wouldn't pay for the mean and promised to send us a letter of apology and a voucher for a free meal to restore our faith. We have received nothing. There were a number of other issues but it would take an age to list them all, suffice to say this was easily the worst pub meal I have ever experienced. I would not recommend this pub to anyone.
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it's been open a good while.
Is it that difficult to sort out the service when the pub is busy ?
they will take even more money behind the bar IF YOU EMPLOY EXTRA OR QUICKER BARSTAFF !!!
i know of at least a dozen to 20 people who have been a few times but won't go back until this is sorted out.
it ain't rocket science.
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I must admit, I prefered this place BEFORE the refurbishment. They closed down an open plan bar to make everything more claustrophobic. Waiting at the bar takes ages. On the plus side, the outside drinking areas are beautiful. I'd rather here than the clique orientated kiddie pub The George down the road, at least the patrons can hold their alcohol here.
anonymous - 24 Aug 2007 11:36 |
I agree that the staff can be somewhat surly and are painfully slow. That said, a reasonable selection of european beers for those of use non-ale drinkers and some good wines. Food is reasonable enough. Lots of places to sit, good atmosphere with a fantastic, eclectic beer garden. Not the worst pub in the world but it really could be better - like the board games in there!
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painfully slow service, expensive drinks and SURLY bar staff who think they're far too good to be working there (which ironically, most of the evening, they aren't).
Avoid this dump unless you fancy spending most of your night queuing for a beer.
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The two things that let this pub down are the much remarked on slow service and the music. I waited 15 mins to get served the other evening and the pub was hardly even busy. They were advertising for staff so maybe that will solve it. As for the music, the Cuckfield is by no means the worst offender but I just don't see why a pub where people come to chat and eat should play music at a volume where you have to talk over it. I'd like to take my parents here for lunch but they're both a bit deaf and would have trouble hearing over The Cure or whatever.
On the plus side, the beer garden's lovely, the interior's nicely done up and the atmosphere's very friendly.
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Like the touch with the outside bar in the beer garden, however food is pricey with basic pub quality and standard of service.
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Vastly superior than it used to be.
It has an excellent range of beers and wine (even if it can take a while to get served!), the decor is rather appealing as well plus the beer garden is ideal on a sunny afternoon.
The food however falls a long way short of where it should. On a recent visit with family we encountered a food label in a vegetarian rosti, when we complained the barmaid/waitress was very apologetic and my girlfriend was given a replacement which was undercooked and far too oily. Although to be fair we were given a full refund on the rosti in the end.
Alas there have been numerous separate experiences where for example the chicken is dry and overcooked, excessively fatty lamb and what would appear to be an overuse of inferior quality ingredients which is all too often badly cooked, often with what would appear to be an overuse of a microwave.
I have given this place many chances now with regard to the food and I have far too often been left dissapointed. I'll be giving the food a wide berth from now on, which is a shame because apart from that and the sometimes achingly slow service its a rather good pub.
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Busy and noisy
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A rather nice pub nowadays...
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They've just started a quiz on a wednesday night and it's actually really good. The 1st place prize is usually around �100, the hosts are great fun and to top it all there's lots of different beers and the pub is really nice and cosy. Come and see for yourself (plus the more people who join, the higher the pot).
anonymous - 9 Feb 2007 17:29 |
We used to refer to this boozer as the chavfield and for months following its revamp gave it a wide birth, I remember the tart up previously and that did little to improve it. A friend of mine however persuaded me to visit and I went along grumbling like a boy who wasnt allowed his football. All I can say now though is that as a butterfly sheds its chrysalis this pub has shed its chavs, its a really nice pub to be with a great range of beers, lovelly beer garden and a broad cross section of clients from the young to the old, one thing they all have in common however is the overwelming desire to part with thier cash and how the landlord like to help them.
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The Cuckfield has undergone more than it's fair share of changes and refurbishments over the past 15/20 years but has just enjoyed the best one yet. This place has been crying out for an update and the new look totally suits Wanstead. Eclectic seating and funky lighting. The sort of plsce you want to pop into mid-afternoon and stay. Walks all over similar pubs in more established 'trendy' gentrified areas. I've been there three times in less than a week since it's reopening which is more than over the past 6-months total. Family friendly during the day too.
About 20 beers on tap, with a heavy focus on German wheat beers. Just about worth it at �3.80 a pint. Personally I think they should have put on some of the lesser known Czech Pilsners but I'm not complaining. There's also Pride, Adnam's and IPA. It seems they've learnt how to look after beer at last. Plus Staropramen and some standard other 'lager' style beers.
There's a big open-kitchen that serves decent looking trendy gastro-pub fare. Beer garden is much better than it was and has a BBQ and outdoor bar.
I do hope they stick to the principle of not-showing football and keep the music at sensible levels - leave that to BRB and Russells and concentrate on being different. And I hope that the beautiful-crowd-wannabee-gangsters-footballers-wives-style-crowd stick to going other places elsewhere.
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Bit of an average pub. The beer is a bit average. The decor has been spruced up so it's just really average. Nice conservatory bit though.
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Complete and utter transformation and bears no resemblence to pre-revamp Cuckfield other than they sell beer in glasses. Super trendy (yet comfy) interior - more like an Islington pub but without the attitude. Short menu of classy pub type grub, but are feeling their way a bit. 3 handpump ales, 2 German, 1 Belgian Flemish and 1 Belgian French lager at decent prices (Schneider Weisse - �3.50). No Fosters-type garbage.
A few of the monied chavs seeping thru, but nice classy clientele in the main.
Seemingly a totally independent and private venture, this is the pub Wanstead has been screaming out for. NOW USE IT!
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Went to the opening night of the Cuckfield's latest revamp. It's always been an appealing pub but lacked in the finer details. Now, its got an edge; they seem to have nailed it!
Great decor, brilliantly transformed garden (could use a few more plants), friendly bar staff and just the right prices to keep the chavs out. Nice to see the mamouth TVs have gone too.
Casha Henderson
anonymous - 21 Jun 2006 12:25 |
i tell you what, before christmas it was probably the worst pub in town. i don't know whats happened (area managers probably) but they have turned it around. there were no 'chavs' as such, i was in there on a friday night two weeks ago and it was like the old days (less the footballers). no hip hop banging out, mainly house at a nice background level, it was nearly like being in a wine bar uptown!!! well done cuckfield i thoroughly enjoyed myself and will be back soon...
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This is possibly the chavviest pub in London. Full of lairy Essex boys with mullets. Regularly get bothered by the client�le when walking past. Terrible, absolutely terrible.
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Made the mistake of trying to watch an England foootie qualifier there..... only lager or cider on tap, never a good sign.... half fat skin-heads, half spiky haired lairy essex boys..... and the staff were poo..... left at half time, so there you go!
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This bar is Chav heaven, it used to be frequented by local footy stars but the pants 50 Cent "Hip Hop" they play at 50,000 decebels and the shirt, jeans and trainer chav brigade have scared them, and many other off...the chav's have taken over the cuckfield...and soon the world!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
anonymous - 5 Aug 2005 15:18 |
No beer with flavour. Looked modern and clean, but didn't hang around as they only served lagers.
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As with George up the road-good social pub. Somewhat preffered than the George as it has bit more of a modern edgy look compared to the "Traditional" Georgeesque Interiors. Bottle of wine wen u order 2 large glasses. Doesnt really make much difference cos u've practicaly had most of it in the two glasses but still a nice touch! Nic3e sofa area lookin onto high street wear u can hav a nose at passers by, etc.
Emily - 10 Sep 2004 16:29 |
Nice pub, great for watching the football with so many tv's. Nice place for a drink with your mates if you fancy a bit of music too.
Jaris - 27 Apr 2004 21:02 |
This definately has more of a party atmosphere on busy nights. There is a large bar area so getting served is not a problem although it can get very busy at times. It's a good place to go particularly when there is a major football game as the are numerous TV's dotted around and a huge projection screen at the back. There is a nice beer garden which is always packed during the summer and has it's own mini bar, so you don't have to trapse inside to get another drink. They have a DJ there Fri and Sat playing a good selection of modern music. Also try Bar Room Bar.
jason - 10 Mar 2004 23:57 |
The Cuckfield is a pretty decent bar to go for a drink before visiting a club. Good Dj (usually) on fridays and saturdays. Usual selection of drinks. Staff aren't the most helpful.
Chris - 4 Jan 2004 06:25 |
