Restaurant

Publican Awards 2016: Best food offer (2-50 sites)

14-Mar-2016 By Ben Winstanley

The Seafood Pub Company was celebrating a double at the Publican Awards, having taken the title of Best Food Offer (2-50 sites) for the second year on the run.

PMA sister title M&C Allegra FS becomes MCA

03-Mar-2016 By MCA

Today the Publican's Morning Advertiser's sister publication reveal a new look and a new name, as M&C Allegra Foodservice becomes MCA.

NEW OPENING

Ex-Gordon Ramsay and Star Inn chef to open new gastropub

29-Feb-2016 By Daniel Woolfson

A chef who worked at Gordon Ramsay's three Michelin-starred London restaurant – and Andrew Pern's acclaimed Yorkshire pub the Star Inn – is set to open a new food-led pub in Berkshire.

Menu trends

Macaroni cheese sales rise 550% as dish hits £10 mark

25-Feb-2016 By Nicholas Robinson

Some eateries are charging almost £10 for a portion of macaroni and cheese, as sales of the dish have grown by 550% in the UK since 2010.

C&B Bars set to expand after all-day dining offer revealed

23-Feb-2016 By Nicholas Robinson

C&B Bars, formerly Corney and Barrow, is set to launch an all-day high-quality food offer across its 10 bars, following a consultancy period with former Pret A Manger head of food Nellie Nichols.

Whitbread to launch new Beefeater concept in Birmingham

10-Feb-2016 By Daniel Woolfson

Whitbread is set to launch a new all-day dining concept for its Beefeater pub restaurant brand in Birmingham next month.

Jeff Galvin: Blurred lines between pubs and restaurants

27-Jan-2016 By Liam Garrahan

The line that has been drawn between pubs and restaurants is blurring as restaurateurs are being priced out of London and pushed into pub operations, according to Michelin-starred chef, restaurateur and pub operator, Jeff Galvin.

Top 50 Gastropubs

Double whammy for Freemasons at Top 50 Gastropubs

27-Jan-2016 By Nicholas Robinson

Front-of-house manager Agnieszka Tyczka of the Freemasons at Wiswell, Clitheroe, Lancashire, brought home the gastropub’s first award of the day at the Estrella Damm Top 50 Gastropubs.

Opinion

How was the top 50 Gastropubs list constructed?

25-Jan-2016 By Nicholas Robinson

What a difference 12 months can make. The Estrella Damm Top 50 Gastropubs list 2016 is very different to the one we saw this time last year.

Food

Great Sausage Roll Off competitors announced

21-Jan-2016 By Daniel Woolfson

Seven pubs chefs as well as several chefs from high profile restaurants and food businesses have been announced as finalists for the upcoming Great Sausage Roll Off competition.

Shepherd Neame

Ex-Rolling Stones & Le Gavroche chef takes on Canterbury pub

11-Jan-2016 By James Evison

An award-winning chef who has catered to rock stars such as the Rolling Stones has taken on Shepherd Neame pub, The Granville, in Lower Hardres, Canterbury.

Trends

The top pub food for 2016? Jamaican Jerk and 'dude food'

04-Jan-2016 By Nicholas Robinson

Turtle Bay’s planned rollout across the UK will drive demand for Jamaican Jerk in pubs, Spirit Pub Company’s former menu development executive Carl Newey has predicted.

Chef Focus

The Parlour: why an ex-fancy restaurant chef prefers pubs

24-Nov-2015 By Nicholas Robinson

Jesse Dunford Wood has created an environment where everyone is welcome. Nicholas Robinson reports

Children’s menus

Big pub chains reveal top menu tips for kids

22-Oct-2015 By Nicholas Robinson

Senior head office staff from Wetherspoons, Harvester and the Soil Association (SA) have revealed their top tips for creating a nutritious and cost-effective pub food menu for children.

Healthy options

Pubs serving some of the healthiest children’s food: Soil Association

21-Oct-2015 By Nicholas Robinson

Pubs offer some of the healthiest children’s meals on the high street, research published by the Soil Association (SA) today (21 October) has shown.

PODCAST

Crimes against pub food? Top chefs reveal all...

12-Oct-2015 By Daniel Woolfson

Two top chefs have revealed what they consider to be crimes against pub food.

JJ Food Service eyes new sites after profits up

09-Oct-2015 By Nicholas Robinson

JJ Food Service has posted record profits of £12m for the year ending March 31 2015 – up 55% year-on-year – the majority of which would be pumped back into the company’s existing and new sites.

Third Smokehouse on cards for Neil Rankin

07-Oct-2015 By Daniel Woolfson

Neil Rankin plans to open a third site for his Smokehouse concept over the next year.

My PUB

My Pub: the Marksman, Hackney

06-Oct-2015 By Joe Lutrario

Chefs Tom Harris and Jon Rotheram reopened archetypal East Endboozer the Marksman to rave reviews earlier this year. Joe Lutrario catches up with the pair to talk beef and barley buns and keeping the locals sweet.

Nottingham pub wins Best Roast Dinner 2015 competition

06-Oct-2015 By Daniel Woolfson

Nottingham pub the Larwood & Voce, was this Sunday (4 October) named as the best place to eat a Sunday roast in the UK.

Food pub openings up by 9%

21-Sep-2015 By Nicholas Robinson

Branded food pubs bucked the wet-led pubs closure trend over the past 12 months with a 9% growth in openings.

SRA: food operators unengaged with sustainability could put businesses at risk

16-Sep-2015 By Daniel Woolfson

Food operators who don’t engage with sustainability issues could be putting their businesses at risk as new research suggests diners have become increasingly likely to pick eating out locations based on their sustainability credentials.

Christmas

Pubs losing out to restaurants in the battle for Christmas bookings

15-Sep-2015 By Emily Sutherland

Pubs are losing out on the battle to win Christmas party bookings according to new research from HospitalityGEM.

Oakman Inns & Restaurants launches Christmas portfolio

14-Sep-2015 By Daniel Woolfson

Oakman Inns & Restaurants has launched its Christmas party portfolio, featuring menus devised by ex-British Larder chef owner Ross Pike.

£1.5m gastro-led refurbishment for York pub

08-Sep-2015 By Nicholas Robinson

More than £1.5m will be pumped into a former Punch Tavern pub’s kitchen and dining area, following its new owner’s plans to raise its reputation as a gastropub, creating 10 new jobs.

Lifestyle Hospitality Group eyeing food-led managed estate

08-Sep-2015 By Ruth Williams, M&C Allegra Foodservice

The Lifestyle Hospitality Group (LHG), which operates multiple restaurant brands under franchise, is planning to build a managed pub estate following the launch of its first pub.

Consumer trends

London diners want more healthy options when eating out, claims new survey

26-Aug-2015 By M&C Allegra Foodservice

Customers in London are twice as likely to be motivated to eat out by the desire for a light or healthy meal than those in the rest of the UK.

Chef Spotlight

Development chef profile: Paul Fletcher, Beefeater

24-Aug-2015 By Daniel Woolfson

Daniel Woolfson speaks to the company's brand research and development chef.

Pub sales flat as public 'benefit from greater choice'

13-Aug-2015 By James Wallin, M&C Allegra Foodservice

Restaurants recorded like-for-like growth of 4.3% in July but pubs remained essentially flat, according to the latest Coffer Peach Business Tracker.

Chef spotlight

Development chef profile: Liezel Bezuidenhout, Admiral Taverns

07-Aug-2015 By Daniel Woolfson

Name: Liezel Bezuidenhout Job title: catering development manager, Admiral Taverns

Oxfordshire pub named Good Food Guide's Readers' Restaurant of the Year 2016

31-Jul-2015 By Daniel Woolfson

An Oxfordshire pub has been named Readers’ Restaurant of the Year 2016 by the Good Food Guide.

Join the pub brigade

Celebrity pub chef: 'I'd love to see more young people choosing hospitality as a career'

29-Jul-2015 By Josh Eggleton, chef patron of the Pony & Trap, Chew Magna, Somerset

When I joined the trade, life as a chef was tough - with long hours, hard work and not a lot of time off. But that didn’t deter me at all and I’ve loved it since day one. 

Business Booster

How one pub made a killing from Champagne and food matching

29-Jul-2015 By Michelle Perrett

Bruno Palliard Champagne and food dinner

Health

Licensees claim displaying calories on menus 'impossible'

21-Jul-2015 By Emily Sutherland

Calls for pubs to list the calorie content of food on their menus have been branded ‘impossible’ by licensees.

Pubs urged to display calories on menus by council leaders

20-Jul-2015 By Emily Sutherland

Pubs should display the calorie content of the food and drink on their menus according to council leaders.

Pubs urged to display calories on menus by council leaders

20-Jul-2015 By Emily Sutherland

Pubs should display the calorie content of the food and drink on their menus, according to council leaders.

UK diners more flexible than ever about meal times, report finds

20-Jul-2015 By Noli Dinkovski

UK diners are becoming increasingly flexible in the way they approach mealtimes, according to a new study.

Four pub finalists in Sussex Food & Drink Awards

14-Jul-2015 By Daniel Woolfson

Four pubs are competing as finalists in this year’s annual Sussex Food & Drink Awards.

Drop in growth for eating out sector

13-Jul-2015 By Daniel Woolfson

According to a survey by foodservice consultancy Horizons, the eating out sector has seen a small year-on-year drop in penetration, frequency and consumers’ average spend.

Pub Brand Monitor

Wetherspoon's leads pubs on brand awareness

03-Jul-2015 By James Wallin, MC Allegra FS

JDW is on top, while Flaming Grill tops list for experience.

Drake & Morgan appoints new Parlour head chef, announces plans for ninth site

03-Jul-2015 By Daniel Woolfson

Drake & Morgan site the Parlour, in Canary Wharf, London, has appointed Christopher Hickey as its new head chef.

Galvin: ‘It’s no wonder pubs are closing down with food like this’

01-Jul-2015 By James Wallin, MC Allegra FS

Successful restaurateur Chris Galvin has said standards of cooking across pubs are not meeting customers’ expectations.

Menu Focus

Focus on menu marketing: read the small print...

26-Jun-2015 By Daniel Woolfson

Daniel Woolfson looks at the ways different operators are marketing their menus and implementing some serious innovation to drive profits

Business Booster

Viva España: how one pub made a killing by looking to Spain for inspiration

18-Jun-2015 By PubFood

Where: The Millbrook Inn, South Pool, Kingsbridge, Devon

Business booster

Menu ideas: seafood platters and sustainable menus

08-Jun-2015 By Alison Baker

Licensees share two ideas which helped drive trade at their pubs

Menu ideas

Ten tips on making the most of your pub's menu

21-May-2015 By Mark McCulloch

Mark McCulloch, CEO & founder of creative brand and marketing agency We Are Spectacular, looks at whether your pub's menu is too wordy or too worthy?

Top gastropub chef appointed Hampshire food tourism ambassador

12-May-2015 By Daniel Woolfson

James Durrant, chef patron of Top 50 Gastropubs acclaimed site the Plough Inn, Longparish, has been appointed as Hampshire’s first food tourism ambassador.

New opening

Knight to the rescue at winery pub

01-May-2015 By Daniel Woolfson

Kent winery Hush Heath Estate has re-opened the Goudhurst Inn, Goudhurst after a major refurbishment with plans to turn the site into a ‘traditional’ pub and inn.

Food news

Pieminister opens flagship restaurant site with expanded offer

30-Apr-2015 By Jo Bruce

Pie company Pieminister has opened a pie and cocktail restaurant in Leeds, described as its “most ambitious restaurant yet.”

Four pubs in 40 best restaurants list

27-Apr-2015 By Daniel Woolfson

Four pubs have ranked in a list of the 40 best restaurants in Britain according to some of the country’s top chefs, compiled by the Observer Food Monthly.