Caroline Nodder: 'It has been a genuine privilege to write about such a vibrant market'

Us journalists are notoriously fickle when it comes to moving from industry to industry, but I have to say the pub sector has been a massive part of my life for 15 years now and I can't see it being beaten in my affections any time soon.

It's been one of the most tumultuous periods in the history of pubs. Looking back to 1996 when I started out the industry now is almost unrecognisable compared with what it was then. A smoking ban was almost inconceivable at that time, the trade was recovering from the mass post-Beer Orders sell-offs, pub retail brands were huge on every high street, the City and entrepreneurs countrywide had started to see the investment potential in pubs and trade was booming.

But underneath the surface, the core of the industry remained wet-led, male-dominated and smoky, with only a basic food offer or in many cases no food offer at all. Children were frowned upon, and while women were now frequenting pubs in some numbers, they tended to favour the few "female-friendly" concepts, not your average local. Cask ale was deeply unfashionable, beer was a fairly stagnant category on the whole and suffered from a quality problem, and wine in many pubs came from a box marked red or white.

The issue of binge-Britain had just started to rear its ugly head with the Daily Mail headline writers already leaning towards anti-pub front page splashes, although the health lobby was still focused firmly on smoking, not alcohol.

Leap forward to 2011 and the trade has been through the wringer. The smoke ban, licensing reform, red tape, duty hikes, the recession, rising overheads, the tie debate, even the weather, on top of rapidly changing consumer tastes, have all made their mark on pubs. Only the fittest have survived. But I wouldn't want to leave the sector on a low note.

In truth, despite all that has been thrown at them, today's pubs are the strongest, most innovative, and in my opinion best businesses they have ever been. They knock spots off restaurants, coffee shops, cafes and bistros - just ask any tourist. Pubs offer something for everyone, from a cosy fireside post-country walk pint, to a top-level private dining experience that beats any restaurant - and everything in between. They have come into their own in these post-recessionary times, where customers want character, value, a warm welcome, top quality food and drink and a good local community spirit. And they deserve their place in the nation's heart.

It has been a genuine privilege to write about such a vibrant market and to get to know the people who make it what it is. It has also been an honour to work with the excellent team here on The Publican, both past and present, who have made my job so very enjoyable, so exciting, and so rewarding.

Thank you all, you know who you are.