On Thursday 20 February, Kidd took to social media platform TikTok to voice her opinion on the economic pressures faced by operators across the sector, stating ‘God help us all who work in the pub industry’. Read more here.
Following this, The Morning Advertiser has reflected on its interview from August 2023 with the former model and TV personality about her time in the industry.
Kidd has run the Half Moon in Kirdford, West Sussex, since 2017, after restoring and reopening the Grade II listed 15th century site with her business partners.
Since 2017, the pub has been awarded two AA rosettes and taken part in various events, including Tom Kerridge’s Pub in the Park from 2019-2022.
Very lucky
The Half Moon has also previously featured on the Top 50 Gastropubs list.
Kidd told The MA she had been “very lucky” with her team when reopening the pub and navigating the “quagmire” of how to keep its doors open.
However, she noted many communities looking to save their local don’t have that support, making it difficult to “survive”.
Kidd added she had seen pubs face “one crisis after another” over her seven years in the industry.
She continued: “You need a good team around you, which I have been blessed to have.
“If we can survive Brexit, the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis and still keep our doors open, I think we are going to be okay.”
Major changes
In addition to taking a hands-on approach in her role at the pub, the operator has been an avid campaigner for beer duty since joining the industry and has previously shown support for the Campaign for Real Ale’s (CAMRA) Long Live the Local Campaign.
Kidd said: “I have been campaigning for years about lowering beer tax because we have one of the highest beer taxes in the whole of Europe, seven times higher than some other countries.
“It’s just a constant battle and there is going to have to be some major changes if we are going to lose the very scary statistic of 50 pubs a month closing their doors.”
