Smoke-ban fog clears, allowing food to flourish

The news that smoking is to be banned in pubs from the summer of 2007 is, in my view, the fairest decision that could have been taken.

A total ban will give all pubs a level playing field and although undoubtedly a nightmare for drinking pubs, for food pubs the ban will not affect them. The blanket ban will also undoubtedly stimulate the growth of pub food generally, with many pubs looking to improve their food offer to try to attract and retain customers. The decision will also mean that pubs where food is an important but not significant part of turnover will not be forced to choose between food or smokers - which would have sounded the death knell for the diversity of pub food currently on offer.

For those pubs that already have a serious food offering, most have gone for a totally smoke-free pub or nonsmoking dining area, so the ban will not be too much of a wrench. According to the latest edition of Alastair Sawday's Pubs & Inns Guide, there are already more than 45 entirely non-smoking pubs. It is certainly going to be a challenging 18 months ahead for the trade and undoubtedly a worrying time for community pubs. But every new challenge is a new opportunity, and food is certainly one of the them.

Where is the best gastro pub in the UK? The results of our industry poll, with voters including Giles Coren, Matthew Fort, Jay Rayner, Terry Durak, Mark Hix and Tom Norrington-Davies, will be revealed in the April issue of PubChef. See you then.