Host on trail to use Slug & Lettuce name
A landlord who has recently taken on a Berkshire pub has hit a dilemma over plans to revive its original name the Slug & Lettuce.
John Andrews, of the Wink-field at Winkfield near Ascot, wants to change it back to the Slug & Lettuce, a name which is already used by the SFI Group for a pub chain.
"We're faced with a dilemma," said John.
"We're almost certain that this pub was the first Slug & Lettuce in the country and we want the name back, because long-standing customers still refer to it as the Slug & Lettuce, but we can't call it that for legal reasons.
"We're considering calling it the Original Slug & Lettuce to get around the problem. That way our customers are happy, and so is everyone else!"
The Slug & Lettuce at Winkfield, was renamed the Winkfield 10 years ago when its previous owner bought it and ran it as a pub/restaurant.
But when Wiltshire-based family brewer Arkell's bought it two years ago it was keen to restore the pub's original atmosphere.
Arkell's managing director James Arkell said: "It's a wonderful pub with good food, but there are also wonderful restaurants in the area so when John and Jill Andrews took over and declared that they wanted to run a pub and not a restaurant, we agreed wholeheartedly.
"The idea to restore it's original name came when John tried to explain where the Winkfield was to a telephone enquirer who said where is the Winkfield in relation to the Slug & Lettuce?' and John had to explain it was the Slug & Lettuce."
