Pub Food

Struggling pub forced to launch crowdfunding campaign

24-Dec-2021 By Gary Lloyd

East Sussex pub, the Marina Fountain, has launched a GoFundMe campaign after the Omicron Covid variant, mixed messaging from the Government and a paltry grant allowance has left it in an “impossible situation”.

Kerridge: ‘Hospitality is being hung out to dry yet again’

16-Dec-2021 By Amelie Maurice-Jones

Celebrity chef Tom Kerridge has revealed 654 cancellations at one of his sites to shine light on industry-wide problems caused by the UK Government’s “mixed messages” about the Omicron variant.

Pub to serve free meals to those alone on Christmas day

15-Dec-2021 By Amelie Maurice-Jones

The Alexandra in Wimbledon, London, will serve free Christmas dinners to guests spending the 25 December alone to combat loneliness, a scheme the owners started in 2014.

Expect to see Middle Eastern and US dishes on pub menus in 2022

14-Dec-2021 By Gary Lloyd

Diners’ wishes to escape the UK while still wanting to care for the planet are set to lead what they expect to see on pub food menus in 2022.

Omicron fears cause 35% bookings drop at Top 50 Gastropub

10-Dec-2021 By Amelie Maurice-Jones

Christmas has turned “pear-shaped” for Lancashire-based gastropub the Parker’s Arms, with bookings dropping by 35% due to customer fears about the Omicron Covid variant.

November sales up but Omicron threatens future of fragile businesses

10-Dec-2021 By Rebecca Weller

Managed pub and bar sales grew by 3% in November compared to pre coronavirus levels, the latest CGA tracker has shown.

GBPA 2021 winner eliminated from MasterChef: The Professionals

07-Dec-2021 By Rebecca Weller

Great British Pub Awards (GBPA) Best Young Pub Chef 2021 winner, Samuel McClurkin, has been eliminated from BBC One’s MasterChef: The Professionals.

Award winning craft brewery officially opens Cornish pub

06-Dec-2021 By Rebecca Weller

Cornish craft brewery, Harbour Brewery, officially reopened the St Tudy Inn on Saturday 4 December in preparation to welcome customers for Christmas and New Year’s Eve celebrations.

Two pubs crowned Britain’s best roast dinners

03-Dec-2021 By Amelie Maurice-Jones

The Eight Bells in Hawkhurst, Kent and the Perch on Lancing Beach near Brighton beat tough competition to win the ‘Best Meat Roast Dinner’ and ‘Best Vegetarian Roast Dinner’ in Knorr Professional’s Great British Roast Dinner Competition.

Star Inn at Harome fire ‘started deliberately’

02-Dec-2021 By Nikkie Thatcher

A fire at Michelin-starred the Star Inn at Harome in North Yorkshire is believed to have been started deliberately, according to a police statement.

Morrisons and StarStock step in to help hospitality industry amid supply issues

02-Dec-2021 By Rebecca Weller

Pub operators across the UK have been offered help to fulfil food and drink orders from supermarket chain Morrisons and online marketplace, StarStock.

GBPA 2021 winner through to next round on MasterChef: The Professionals

01-Dec-2021 By Rebecca Weller

The winner of Great British Pub Awards (GBPA) 2021 Best Young Pub Chef award has made it through to the next round on BBC’s MasterChef: The Professionals.

Average cost of pub meals rises by 15p

25-Nov-2021 By Nikkie Thatcher

The average price of a pub meal increased by 1.9% this year compared to last year, according to research.

Fire 'reduces Top 50 Gastropub to ashes'

25-Nov-2021 By Nikkie Thatcher

Emergency services were called to battle a fire at an Estrella Damm Top 50 Gastropub in North Yorkshire last night and are still tackling it this morning.

Majority of licensees not looking to have completely vegan menu, snap poll finds

23-Nov-2021 By Rebecca Weller

The results from a recent poll conducted by The Morning Advertiser (MA) has revealed 60% of operators would not consider switching to an all plant-based menu.

Kerridge: ‘I was 100% committed to drinking’

22-Nov-2021 By Amelie Maurice-Jones

Tom Kerridge, the owner of Marlow-based gastropubs including the Hand & Flowers, opened up about his past alcohol use, and said the “exhilarating” nature of the industry often drew in people prone to excess over moderation.

GBPA 2021 winner to appear on MasterChef: The Professionals

18-Nov-2021 By Rebecca Weller

Head chef at the Dog at Wingham, Kent Samuel McClurkin, has been announced as a contestant on this year’s BBC programme MasterChef: The Professionals.

British cuisine and sustainability top food and drink trends for 2022

17-Nov-2021 By Nikkie Thatcher

Ethical consumption, British ingredients and health have been tipped as the top trends for eating and drinks into 2022.

Food prices set to rise at least 3% by new year

17-Nov-2021 By Nikkie Thatcher

Foodservice prices will be under severe pressure in the run up to Christmas due to rising demand, product shortages and distribution issues, new research has revealed.

Poll - would you make your menu 100% vegan?

17-Nov-2021 By Rebecca Weller

Plant-based dishes could encourage chefs to be more adaptable with their food but would incur higher labour costs and, while there is a clear desire for vegan options, an all-vegan menu would not suit all customers, according to publicans.

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Are your products generating high profit levels to the till?

16-Nov-2021 By Venners, expert food and beverage stocktakers and compliance auditors

A recent report looking at the often undervalued and neglected topic of product yield within the pub sector has been launched by Venners, the expert food and beverage stocktakers and compliance auditors to the hospitality industry.

Managed pubs, bars and restaurants rolling 12-month sales down 4.5%

15-Nov-2021 By Rebecca Weller

Managed pubs, bars and restaurants rolling 12-month sales were down 4.5% in October but overall sales were up 3% from pre-coronavirus levels, the latest edition of the Coffer CGA Business Tracker has revealed.

45% revenue drop shows 'industry in peril'

12-Nov-2021 By Rebecca Weller

Full 12-month figures were nearly half what they were over the same period pre-pandemic, according to data from latest edition of the UKHospitality and CGA Quarterly Tracker.

Pubs urged to be disciplined with Christmas ordering

11-Nov-2021 By Rebecca Weller

Beef, pork, and salmon are set to be in short supply over the festive period this year while turkey has made a comeback following the CO2 supply problems.

Previous Great British Pub Awards winners back in business

09-Nov-2021 By Rebecca Weller

Great British Pub Awards Pub of the Year 2014 winners Joel Czopor and Susie Clarke are excited to be back in the trade after a five-year hiatus.

JDW to slash food prices by 16% for 3 months

09-Nov-2021 By Nikkie Thatcher

Pub giant JD Wetherspoon (JDW) is dropping its prices on a variety of meals across 660 of its sites until the end of February next year.

Rising inflation causes consumer cutbacks in hospitality

09-Nov-2021 By Rebecca Weller

Spending in pubs, bars, and clubs was lower in October compared to September according to data from Barclaycard.

Turkey crowned king of Christmas

08-Nov-2021 By Rebecca Weller

Turkey crowned king of Christmas despite a growing desire for new traditions this year, a study conducted by supermarket chain Tesco has revealed.

Supply chain issues ‘here to stay for foreseeable future’

08-Nov-2021 By Nikkie Thatcher

Disruption to the supply chain is an issue that doesn’t seem to be going away, one operator has predicted.

Estrella Damm Top 50 Gastropubs

Entries for Estrella Damm Top 50 Gastropubs awards now open

05-Nov-2021 By Top 50 Gastropubs

Think you’ve got what it takes to be crowned Newcomer of the Year or Front of House Team of the Year at the 2022 Estrella Damm Top 50 Gastropub awards then enter the coveted special awards now.

The White Lion pub saved after a year of closure

05-Nov-2021 By Rebecca Weller

The White Lion pub in Cerrigydrudion, Wales, has been saved by the local community after more than a year of closure.

Licensee’s message to new publicans

05-Nov-2021 By Rebecca Weller

Prospective publicans should be warned about the hard work and challenges involved in running a pub before entering the trade, one licensee has stated.

Licensees loaned £138m to pubs and bars during Covid

02-Nov-2021 By Rebecca Weller

Licensees were left with no option but to inject personal loans in excess of £2000,000 into their businesses last year as high street banks tightened lending criteria.

Tips on how to maximise World Vegan Month

01-Nov-2021 By Julie Cleijne, founder of Sustainable Kitchen Consultants

Sustainable menu expert Julie Cleijne, founder of Sustainable Kitchen Consultants and creator of a new plant-based toolkit for operators, Flex Up Your Menu, in partnership with Garden Gourmet, offers tips for pub caterers for World Vegan Month, which...

3.6% of TripAdvisor reviews ‘fake’ in 2020

27-Oct-2021 By Nikkie Thatcher

Review site TripAdvisor has claimed it identified 3.6% of review submissions last year as fake, with the majority being rejected before they were posted.

Teaching an old dog new tricks: Britain’s best pub for dogs reveals secrets to success

26-Oct-2021 By Amelie Maurice-Jones

Dog beer and handmade peanut butter treats are just a few of the dog-related delicacies that won Derbyshire’s the Flying Childers Inn the title Best Pub for Dogs at this year’s Great British Pub Awards.

‘Everyone wants to be head chef, no one wants to learn anymore’

26-Oct-2021 By Amelie Maurice-Jones

The hospitality industry, which is “looked down upon” by UK public, must attract young staff to solve the staffing shortage, said award-winning chef patron of the Purefoy Arms in Preston Candover, Hampshire.

Return of students a ‘large boost’ for UK pubs

22-Oct-2021 By Amelie Maurice-Jones

The return of students to universities across the UK this month has boosted business in pubs due to an increased footfall, a number of publicans have said.

Delivery and takeaway sales soar for restaurants and pubs

22-Oct-2021 By Amelie Maurice-Jones

Britain’s leading managed pub and restaurant groups more than doubled their delivery and takeaway sales from pre-pandemic levels in September, the latest edition of the CGA & Slerp Hospitality at Home Tracker revealed.

Brighton pub serves award winning meals on wheels to community

20-Oct-2021 By Rebecca Weller

The UK’s only community owned pub on a housing estate, The Bevy, Brighton, has won the prestigious NACC award for Meals on Wheels services.

Food prices rise by 1.2%, further increases predicted into 2022

19-Oct-2021 By Gary Lloyd

Food prices were pushed up by 1.2% in August and further increases are likely in the coming months, according to the latest CGA Prestige Foodservice Price Index.

Soaring energy prices pose new problems for pubs

18-Oct-2021 By Rebecca Weller

A potential surge in energy costs poses a new struggle for pubs already facing a multitude of problems such as staff shortages supply issues and rising tax.

Pig price drop - hog the profits

18-Oct-2021 By Ed Bedington

Pub operators are being urged to take advantage of low pork prices and stage a hog roast as the autumn gathers pace.

Managed pubs, bars and restaurants strong in September but challenges continue

18-Oct-2021 By Amelie Maurice-Jones

Britain’s managed pubs, bars and restaurants saw their second successive month of year-on-year sales increases, up 8% on pre-pandemic levels of September 2019, and 42% from September 2020, according to the latest Coffer CGA Business tracker.

Bidfood cancels delivery slots amid ‘supply chain strain’

14-Oct-2021 By Nikkie Thatcher

Wholesaler Bidfood has cancelled delivery slots and stopped serving some accounts, putting it down to “significant pressures across the supply chain”.

Britain’s most remote pub saved by local community

13-Oct-2021 By Rebecca Weller

The Old Forge in Inverie, listed as the Guinness World Records most remote pub in mainland Britain, has received £508,000 through the Scottish Land Fund (SLF) after months of fundraising.

A pub should have banter, says Gareth Ostick

13-Oct-2021 By Amelie Maurice-Jones

The casual atmosphere and homely feel is what sets fine-dining pubs apart from restaurants, according to the joint-owner of the White Swan at Fence, East Lancashire.

Steven Smith: ‘You’re soon forgotten about in this industry’

13-Oct-2021 By Amelie Maurice-Jones

The chef-owner of the Freemasons at Wiswell, Clitheroe, said winning awards was essential for maintaining business, whilst also gave a “thumbs up” that the team were doing the right thing.

The pandemic gave Michael Wignall chance to transform pub

12-Oct-2021 By Amelie Maurice-Jones

The pandemic provided an ideal chance to transform 15th century the Angel at Hetton from a “pubby-pub” into a more modern restaurant, according to the head-chef.

Stephen Harris: ‘You’re not necessarily going to just nick dishes wholesale, although I have’

12-Oct-2021 By Amelie Maurice-Jones

The chef-patron of The Sportsman in Seasalter Kent, widely acknowledged as one of the UK’s best gastropubs, revealed his award-winning menu was inspired by eating out, travelling and his back garden.