Breakfast focus: Children tuck in at the Bramble

YOU MAY have heard of adults popping into the pub on the way home from work, but in Rastrick, Halifax, children are having a pit stop at a local on their way to school.

The Bramble Inn has started opening at 7:30am and offering low cost cooked breakfasts. Situated close to six schools, it has proved popular with youngsters wanting sustenance for the school day on their way to assembly with their friends.

It is an unusual catchment for a licensed business, but nevertheless a valuable one that has successfully expanded the trading hours of a pub that had only been opening at 5pm in the afternoon.

Licensee Diana Lawton came up with the idea after being inspired by her own son. "We noticed a substantial difference in him, his behaviour and his school results after having a good meal in the morning. We thought it would probably work for other kids as well," she says.

The menu allows the young customers to mix and match from the traditional 'full English' range. The Bramble Inn charges £1 for a sausage or bacon sandwich, and children can get a full cooked breakfast from £1.50. There is unlimited tea and coffee for those that choose a full English.

The new offer is advertised on an A-board outside the pub, and with kids milling in the playground after their morning meals, word of mouth is likely to prove a decent advertising tool.

"It gives children a good start to the day," Diana says. "A lot of parents don't have time in the morning rush to prepare a breakfast."You know what kids are like. They want to get out with their friends as early as possible. They don't want to be hanging around having breakfast at home in the mornings.

"It's also about what I call the 'can I be bothered?' element. If someone else is cooking for them and washing up after them, obviously they are far more likely to sit down and eat it."

An A+ for the Bramble Inn!