Opinion - Jo Bruce, Editor
Star-spangled business
More good news for the industry this month with another pub gaining the prestigious Michelin star and 11 others the bib gourmand.
Pubs saw the biggest growth in the guide. This year, 11 out of the 27 eating establishments achieving a bib gourmand were pubs.
There are now six Michelin-starred pubs and the editor of Michelin's Eating Out in Pubs guide believes that within five years the industry will see a pub achieve two Michelin stars. Who would have thought this would have been achievable 10 years ago?
The last few months have also seen three leading chefs - the Fat Duck's Heston Blumenthal, Ready Steady Cook's Phil Vickery, and Northcote Manor's Nigel Haworth join the ranks of pub operators. Again this should be seen as a stamp of approval on how much the quality of pub food has improved in the last few years. Pubs are now a serious challenger to restaurants and, with people increasingly enjoying more casual dining, this will continue to grow.
The future of pub food
In the centre pages of this issue you will find a questionnaire about your food business. The findings of this survey will be used as part of an exciting report on the future of pub food to be published in the April issue of PubChef. The information you supply will help give us an up-to-the minute picture of the market and make essential reading for anyone involved in pub food… so please fill it in.
See you next month.
Jo Bruce
Editor, PubChef
