A round-up of the month's pub food news
Sixth site for Merchant Inns
Merchant Inns, the company headed by veteran entrepreneur Robert Breare, has opened its sixth site - in Ripley, Surrey.
The food-led inns operator purchased the Talbot, at Ripley, off a guide price of £3.75m and it opened at the end of June.
The 15th-century coaching inn is currently trading, but the company plans to close the outlet for a £3m refurbishment, including the addition of 30 bedrooms to its current nine.
Michelin-starred executive chef Rob Clayton has designed a menu for the 70-cover outlet. Ian Richards, former head chef at Merchant's Horse & Groom, will head up the kitchen.
Floods prompt food-price rises
Pubs have been warned to expect food-price inflation in the wake of recent flooding.
British Hospitality Association chief executive Bob Cotton said: "Food prices have remained fairly static over the past five years, but suddenly we've got food-price inflation."
Cotton said several factors, including the cost of transport, rises in the minimum wage, world-wide shortages of some products and floods have led to the increase.
"The price of wheat alone has doubled in
the past year and food prices across the board
are increasing by between 7% and 10%," added Cotton.
According to figures from the Office for National Statistics, vegetable prices rose by 9.6 % in the last year. Fish prices are up by 12.7% and overall food prices are up by 4.9%.
Double-starred chef moves on
Michelin-starred chef Michael Bedford is leaving Wadworth's Trouble House pub, in Tetbury, Gloucestershire, in August.
Bedford, former head chef for Gary Rhodes at City Rhodes, has been at the pub since 2000 with his wife, Sarah. The Bedfords now plan to launch a café-delicatessen in Tetbury.
"After seven years, we need a new challenge and with all the overheads to cope with, running a pub is not getting any cheaper," he said. "There is only so much we can do here without extending the pub, so it's time for a change of direction."
The venture, Chef's Table, will offer British seasonal dishes in a similar style to that of the Trouble House. All Bedford's staff will move with him.
Martin Caws, previously head chef at London's Village East, is taking over the lease on 6 August.
Bedford scooped the Craft Guild of Chefs' Pub Restaurant Chef award earlier this month.
Perking up the menu
Nigel Haworth's Ribble Valley Inns has added a touch of pink to summer menus.
A new Pinky and Perky grazing menu is being offered daily between 2.30pm and 5.30pm. Nibbly bits include Ascroft deep-fried cauliflower fritters and wicked mayonnaise (£2.50); Winnie Swarbrick's corn-fed Goosnargh chicken liver pâté, golden raisins, Cumberland sauce and toasted organic bread (£5.90) and fresh local strawberries and vanilla ice cream (£4.50).
The promotion also includes "in the pink" discounted drinks. Tipples include Three Choirs rosé (£2.75), pink Champagne (£4.10) and strawberry milkshake (£2.60). The offer is available at the company's two Lancashire pubs - the Three fishes, in Mitton, and the Highwayman, in Burrow.
Innovative pub wins award
The True Lovers' Knot in Blandford Forum, Dorset, has won the Wales & West Country regional award in the Business Innovation of the Year Awards 2007. The pub picked up the award for its innovative approach to welcoming customers with disabilities. The licensees introduced Braille, large print and audio menus for blind people and developed coeliac and diabetic menus.
