Ooh, patron!

St Patrick's Day is one of the commercial successes of the pub calendar. Ben McFarland suggests England's inns should follow suit on April 23.

Last month when millions of revellers all around the world commemorated St Patrick by flocking to Irish theme pubs and consuming copious amounts of Guinness in a sea of green and shamrocks, St George must have looked down from his fluffy cloud, head in hands, and wondered where it all went wrong.

While St Patrick's Day has become a recognised fixture among pub-goers of all nationalities, few in England - or anywhere else for that matter - even raise a glass to the memory of St George.

A survey conducted last year revealed that fewer than one in five people knew that St George's Day fell on April 23, while more than a quarter didn't even know who their patron saint was.

In fact, mention St George's day to the average man on the street and the response is likely to be along the lines of "Eh? Y'what?"

Apart from perhaps the publication of a new set of commemorative stamps by the Post Office, the day generally passes unnoticed.

Pubs are not festooned with red and white bunting, there are no silly St George's Day hats and barstaff are not given a crash course in how to draw an English rose in the foamy head of a pint of traditional cask ale.

However, while it may not have been de rigeur to shout about being English in the past, in the year of the Queen's Jubilee and with England's hopes riding high for the impending World Cup, St George's day represents a fantastic opportunity to boost trade - especially in light of the fact that this year's St George's Day falls on a Tuesday, a traditionally quiet time in the week for pubs.

While the international success of St Patrick's Day can be partly attributed to Guinness, until recently there has been no English equivalent to help raise the profile of England's national day.

However, last year Bedford brewer Charles Wells embarked on a patriotic crusade to bring England in line with Ireland, the USA and Australia and make St George's Day a national bank holiday.

The on-line petition acquired more than 64,000 signatures - not surprising when you consider there's a day off up for grabs - but the proximity of the event to the extended Easter weekend seems to have ultimately scuppered its chances.

Although Charles Wells has pledged to continue in its quest, attention has been switched to a new initiative this year. The Bedford-based brewer's crusade now turns to a similarly devoted "Really Rather English" advertising campaign featuring quintessentially English icons and slogans.

A high-profile Bombardier press advertising campaign in national newspapers will be supported by a promotional kitincluding two 5ft inflatable figures, one of St George and the other of his arch nemesis the dragon, as well as Bombardier drip mats complete with finger holes to help drinkers recreate the epic battle.

Pub-goers will also be offered the chance to win a made-to-measure suit of armour as part of the St George's Day celebrations.

As well as Bombardier, there are a number of other suitably "English" ale alternatives to consider with the most obvious being St George's Day Special, a 4.6 per cent ABV ruby-coloured traditional English bitter from the St George's Brewery in Malvern. Both London Pride from Fuller's and Spitfire, the Bottle of Britain, from Shepherd Neame also fit the bill.

Who is St George?​

Very little is known about St George. Pope Gelasius said that George was one of the saints "whose names are rightly reverenced among us, but whose actions are known only to God". However, as the Almighty was unavailable for comment at the time of writing, we were forced to rely on rumour and hearsay.

St George has become synonymous with the English ideals of honour, bravery and gallantry, but he wasn't actually English at all. He was born in Turkey, grew up in Palestine and then joined the Roman army as a cavalryman. His military career prospects took a downturn, however, when he publicly announced he was a Christian - a bad move when your boss happens to be the ruthless and anti-Christian Holy Roman Emperor, Diocletian.

Instead of simply giving George his P45 or a golden handshake, the ruthless Diocletian forced him to swallow poison; crushed him between two spiked wheels and then boiled him in a cauldron of molten lead before sentencing him to death and beheading him in 303AD.

It wasn't all bad, though. Following his death, tales of his martyrdom reached England and in 1222, disenchanted with the job St Edward the Confessor was doing as patron saint, England adopted St George as its new virtuous figurehead.

St George's curriculum vitae takes some beating. He is patron saint not only of England but also of Aragon, Catalonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Palestine, Portugal, Germany and Greece; and of Moscow, Istanbul, and Genoa. And if that's not enough to be getting on with, he is also patron saint of soldiers, archers, cavalry and chivalry, farmers and field workers, riders and saddlers, leprosy, plague, skin diseases and syphilis. Oh, and the scouting movement!

and what about the dragon?​

St George did not slay a dragon. No one did. They're mythical creatures that have never existed, even in the olden days. The role of the dragon is solely symbolic.

It represents the snake that got Adam and Eve into all that trouble in the Garden of Eden. By teaching that dragon an English lesson, St George is slaying Satan in the name of the Christian church - which can only be a good thing.

English food​

Although it may not rival its French and Italian counterparts, there's more to English cuisine than Spam fritters and Chicken Tikka Massala. Leading foodservice distributor 3663 has come up with a suggested recipe for St George's Day:

Boozy bread and butter pudding​

Ingredients​

• 125g (4oz) 3663 sultanas
• 50g (2oz) 3663 dried apricots, chopped
• 3 tbsp Cointreau
• 8 slices white bread, buttered
• Pinch grated nutmeg
• 1 vanilla pod or a tsp vanilla essence
• 475ml (16fl oz) milk
• 125g (4oz) caster sugar
• 475ml (16fl oz) whipping cream
• 6 eggs, beaten
• 75g (3oz) apricot jam

Method​

• Soak the sultanas and apricots in the Cointreau for half an hour
• Cut each slice of bread into four triangles and lay half the triangles in the base of a large buttered ovenproof dish.
• Sprinkle over two thirds of the sultanas, apricots, remaining liqueur and nutmeg.
• Arrange the bread on top and sprinkle over the remaining dried fruit.
• Break the vanilla and place in a pan with the milk, sugar and whipping cream. Heat to dissolve the sugar and leave to cool slightly.
• Whisk the eggs into the cream mixture. Strain and pour over the bread.
• Bake at 160°C (325°F) Mark 3 for 45 mins-1hr until golden.
• Heat the jam with 75ml (3fl oz) water until the jam dissolves. Brush the top of the pudding with the jam. Serve with extra cream.

• For more food ideas and tips on making the most of your pub and food menu for St.George's Day you can contact the 3663 advice centre on 08701
  57 57 57.

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