Hot topics

14-Aug-2007 - It's political correctness gone mad. Kindly excuse that rather hackneyed theme, plagiarised from many a tabloid headline. I just needed to get it out of...

John Porter: Teenage ID blues

14-Aug-2007 - With my eldest having recently turned 18, I'm developing an interesting new perspective on the trade's approach to underage sales. It seems to me as...

Pete Robinson: Make mine an organic fry-up

13-Aug-2007 - On the surface the 'organic' faux-bacon and sausages may sound tempting but, other than it's probably about as truly organic as the contents of my...

Pete Robinson: Opinion polls? Just a matter of opinion

09-Aug-2007 - The same poll claims 36% of non-smokers 'intend to visit pubs more frequently'. Once again we have to ask where are they? As I've said...

Pete Robinson: Discarded fag ends? What a load of rubbish!

07-Aug-2007 - A survey last year by the Tidy Britain Group claimed that '80 per cent' of town centres were already blighted by cigarette litter. Now the...

Pete Robinson: Has Hamish had it?

01-Aug-2007 - This concerns smoking-ban rebel Hamish Howitt who runs the Happy Scots bar in Blackpool. The authorities are out to get Hamish one way or another....

Pete Robinson: 12 year old served drink in pub

31-Jul-2007 - Even my elderly mum doesn't believe this but my first beer purchase in a pub was made at the tender age of 12. Straight up! A...

Pete Robinson: Herne Bay pub goers saved by smoking

27-Jul-2007 - Not the customers of Herne Bay's Queen Vic pub, which dates back to the 1870s. They were all outside having a crafty fag when the...

Pete Robinson: Smokers come flooding in

26-Jul-2007 - Anyone who's been watching the news bulletins concerning the floods may have noticed a striking scene viewed from the helicopter's camera where the fast flowing...

John Porter: When trouble comes a'calling

06-Jul-2007 - I'm not a Daily Mail reader, but my mum is. And just at the moment, I'm having a bit of a tough time convincing her...

John Porter: Day one of the smoking ban

03-Jul-2007 - "Have you got another cigarette machine? This one's not ****ing working." It was not, perhaps, the most obvious question a family-led food pub could have...

Comment: Pointless Exercise

25-Jun-2007 - When I was about eight I was bought a replica shirt of my beloved football team, which is Watford (yes, Watford - you may have...

Business Opinion with Hamish Stoddart

21-Jun-2007 - Co-founder of Peach Pub Company talks about leases

MyShout

31-May-2007 - Getting tough on crime really means getting creative to reach target figures says Stephen Oliver. When I was a kid, around nine or 10, me...

MyShout - Peter Linacre

24-May-2007 - Challenges faced by area managers in the trade's front line deserve attention, says Peter Linacre Are there any easy jobs in the pub trade these...

Change is always tough but we should be confident post ban, says Barry Gillham

03-May-2007 - Change is always tough but we should be confident of the post-ban future, says Barry Gillham Everywhere I go at present I am asked, "How...

Brewers will feel squeeze of climate change, says John Grogan

26-Apr-2007 - Brewers will feel the squeeze as climate change affects the cost of malting barley, says John Grogan Last Sunday lunchtime I visited one of my...

Why do we have listings fees?

19-Apr-2007 - The Campaign For Real Ale's (CAMRA) submission to the Competition Commission's investigation of the groceries market includes some damning criticism of the impact below-cost selling...

Duty bound

02-Apr-2007 - It was interesting to see our old friend Dan Jago, head beer wines and spirits buyer for friendly family retailer Tesco, quoted in the drinks...

Lager is not your enemy

13-Mar-2007 - Last week I was invited to chair the main debate at the SIBA conference in Leeds. Taking up such a role you silently pray for...

Pinstripe: It's an oversupply thing

26-Feb-2007 - The affair, which could have seen the loss of hundreds of jobs, highlights the issue of saturation in the bar market in certain parts of...

Pinstripe: Private equity; storm in a teacup?

20-Feb-2007 - There's been a lot of stuff in the press recently about the private equity sector, much of which is absolute rot, in my humble opinion. Given...

Pinstripe: Planning for those outdoor eventualities. Or not.

12-Feb-2007 - His establishment is located in a delightful spot in the north of the country and is frequented by hugely appreciative beer drinkers and diners alike,...

Pinstripe: Smoking. Yes it's bad for you, but I love it

26-Jan-2007 - Smoking stuff in a bit. First...farewell then Eldridge Pope. News of the £155m deal, which broke yesterday, reached me as I was attempting to drive into...

Pinstripe: Please allow me to introduce myself...

23-Jan-2007 - Hallo. My name is Sebastian Connerie and I've worked in and around the City pretty much the whole of my working life. When Hamish asked...