A round-up of this month's news
Hygiene made public
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has decided that a single nationwide scores-on-the-doors scheme should be put in place to make food business hygiene ratings available to consumers.
This decision was based on experience with more than 100 schemes that have been running for the past two years. The FSA will consult on two possible schemes: a four-tiered system, with three stars and a fail rating and a three-tier scheme with "pass" or "improvement required" certificates being issued, alongside a fail rating - as per the scheme that was piloted in Scotland.
A 12-week consultation will be launched and be made available on the FSA website. Once this consultation has closed and the agency has reviewed the responses it will work with local authorities to finalise and implement the scheme.
l How clean is your kitchen - page 18
Something to beef about
Soaring beef costs are the latest item of spiralling food inflation to hit the pub sector. The Office of National Statistics has announced an 8.4% rise in average food prices in the past 12 months.
Operators including London-based Young's said it has taken beef fillet off the menu at some sites as a result. The current ban on most Brazilian beef has had a marked effect. Some operators are having to absorb costs in a bid to hold on to customers in an increasingly competitive market.
Horse power
Greene King Pub Company is piloting a more modern Hungry Horse.
The rebrand is currently going through 20 sites. Six pubs have so far been revamped with a more modern look, with investment per site ranging from £225,000 to £500,000. Revamped pubs in-clude the Chequers in Houghton Regis, Bedford-
shire, and the George in Slough, Berkshire.
The Hungry Horse website states: "Our new Hungry Horse pubs will have more comfortable and modern surroundings, offering a warm and friendly atmosphere for people of all ages."
A range of value-driven deals such as a Sunday lunch big-plate special for £6.79 and a Golden Years promotion for senior citizens
A Hoste of choices
Paul Whittome, owner of the Hoste Arms in Norfolk's Burnham Market, has opened a small boutique hotel directly opposite.
Vine House boutique hotel, which has seven bedrooms, is situated a minute's stroll across the village green from the Hoste Arms, next door to Gun Hill Clothing. Whittome said he wanted to create "the best boutique hotel outside of London".
He added: "It is quieter and more peaceful than the Hoste, you take breakfast at the main hotel or a hamper with Continental breakfast can be served in your room, and of course you can benefit from all the facilities that the Hoste can offer, including fabulous innovative dining using the best local ingredients."
High Five to get new outlets
JD Wetherspoon is opening two new outlets at the new multi-billion-pound Terminal Five building at Heathrow Airport, taking the total number of pubs it operates at airports to 25. Both the Crown Rivers and the Wetherspoon Express bar will open from Thursday 27 March - the terminal's official opening day. The Crown Rivers will offer a full menu throughout the day, while Wetherspoon Express will serve a wide range of sandwiches, paninis, muffins and other snacks. Geronimo Inns is also opening the Five Tuns at Terminal Five.
Eco enterprise
An enterprising licensee has seen energy bills tumble after using waste cooking oil to power his pub. Matt Solcombe is using a bio-diesel generator fuelled by oil used at the Crown Inn at Woolhope, Herefordshire, at busy times when energy usage and charges are highest.
A four-hour period over lunch costs about one quarter of the amount of using electricity from the National Grid, said Solcombe. The licensee inherited the generator when he moved into the freehold pub six months ago. Solcombe converted it to bio-diesel after investigating how to do so
on the internet.
Putting a lid on bottled water
The Government and the UK's biggest water provider are urging the hospitality industry to offer free tap water to customers as a matter of course.The initiative could be bad news for upmarket food-led pubs where the selling of bottled water at a high mark-up is an important revenue stream.
The campaign, led by the Government-funded Consumer Council for Water (CCW), follows mounting negative publicity surrounding the product, in particular the claim by the BBC programme Panorama that a litre bottle of mineral water produces 600 times more carbon emissions than a litre of tap water.
Northern stars
The pub finalists have been announced for the Northern Hospitality Awards 2008. Now in its third year, the Northern Hospitality Awards invites entries from the north-east, Yorkshire and the north-west. The pub finalists are the Bayley Arms, Clitheroe; the Highwayman, Mitton, Lancashire; the Q Bar, Stalybridge; the Shoulder of Mutton, Harrogate; and the Swettenham Arms, Congleton. The Pipe & Glass at South Dalton; the Wensleydale Heifer in Leyburn; and the Cock o' Barton in Malpas, Cheshire, have been nominated in the best newcomer award. The winners will be announced on 7 April. For more information visit www.northernhospitalityawards.co.uk.
Its a wrap
Tenanted operator Enterprise Inns has joined forces with the Wrapid flatbread sandwich chain to trial a unique food solution at a "run-down pub" in Pontefract.
The pub was converted to Bar Wrapid in mid-December. The site now trades as a licensed hybrid sandwich bar/cafe bar. Wrapid, which operates from five other sites, is now understood to be eyeing other Enterprise venues.
99p roasts
A licensee is offering roast dinners for 99p. The Four Ashes in Wolverhampton is offering a roast with all the trimmings for 99p every Thursday. The deal was launched to fight back against smoke
ban and Budget pressures by pub manager Lesley
Kelly. She buys all her vegetables fresh from a
local farm.
