Inapub Magazine May 2019 Issue 87

inapub

Issue 87 May 2019 ÂŁ4.95 trade.inapub.co.uk

Pub people

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Health, housing or money problems?

We offer emotional support, practical advice and financial grants.

Call our helpline 0808 801 0550 or visit www.licensedtradecharity.org.uk The last thing you want to do is bottle things up.

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e talk about you. In a nice way, of course. Semi-regularly the Inapub team sit down for a chat about you all. We think about the types of pubs you run, ponder your biggest challenges, imagine what changes you’d make to your business if you had the opportunity. Some of it is based on feedback, some of it data and some of it is instinct, but all of it helps us to come up with relevant features, find stories that might inspire you and identify the experts who can help you the most.

It’s a useful exercise and we’d recommend you undertake something similar for your business – so much so, that we’ve given you a head start in our lead feature this week. You’ll be glad to know this is based more on hard data than our imaginations. On-trade insight specialists CGA gave us access to their latest Pub Market Report, plus some extra insight into its consumer segmentations data.

If you can’t please all of the people, all of the time, the good news is you don’t have to.

The CGA data shows that just 15 per cent of the UK population made 50 per cent of the visits to pubs, bars, restaurants and the like.

Within that, just one or two “consumer types” make up the majority. So, if you talk about them (and to them) you can make sure you are pleasing all this key group all of the time, at least.

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this month Who’s drinking in your pub?

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drink Summer drinks

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eat

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play Women’s World Cup

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stay Turn your pub into a youth hostel

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back-bar business Plants for your pub garden

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Barbecues

Going cashless

Low & No

Local sourcing Shuffleboard

46 time at the bar Top 10 pub gardens

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Your work for charity

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Editor Robyn Black

Contributors Matt Eley, Richard Molloy, Jo Bruce, Michelle Perrett

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Production editor Ben Thrush

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Chief executive Barrie Poulter

Sales manager Katy Robinson

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this month.

BARSTOOL EXPERT all you need to know about THE MERRY MONTH OF MAY While strolling through the park one day, in the merry, merry month of...

Blimey, Judy Garland’s let herself go.

No need to be rude. I was merely singing The Fountain in the Park, penned by Ed Haley in around 1880. It wasn’t until 60 years later that Judy made the song famous in the film Strike Up the Band...

OK, OK. I’m not sure it needs another revival right here and now.

What’s so merry about May anyway?

Well, two bank holidays for a start. The Early May bank holiday derives from May Day, which in recent times has been associated with workers’ rights and was made an official bank holiday in 1971. However, it probably originated as a Roman celebration of the beginning of summer, and was linked with fertility and the sowing of the seeds.

Better stock up the johnnie machine in the gents, then.

Stop lowering the tone. Then there’s the Spring bank holiday (May 27 this year), which used to be called Whit Monday, named after the white garments worn by those newly baptised on the holy day of Pentecost.

Is all this strictly relevant in the Britain of 2019?

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Well, it was for the hospitality sector last year, when the sunny bank holidays provided a timely boost to trade.

So pub gardens were rammed for two Mondays?

Not only that. Pubs with letting rooms benefited from staycationers, while others tapped into the festive atmosphere with morris or maypole dancing, hog roasts and beer festivals. Not to mention the Tetbury Woolsack Race (May 27 this year), where competitors run up a hill between The Royal Oak and The Crown carrying a 60lb sack of wool, drawing a crowd of 5,000 spectators.

That’s only been an official event for 30-odd years, so there’s no reason an enterprising pub couldn’t set up their own piece of traditional silliness.

There’s quite a bit going on in May, eh?

And that’s before we even mention The FA Cup Final (Saturday May 18), British Sandwich Week (May 19-26) and National BBQ Week (May 27June 2).

As Scottish poet James Thompson wrote: “Among the changing months, May stands confest / the sweetest, and in fairest colours dressed.”

Oh, I see, you’re the expert now, are you?

MAY 2019

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IN THE TRADE THIS MONTH BBPA seeks extended hours for VE Day 75 The British Beer & Pub Association has written to the Home Office requesting extended pub hours for Victory in Europe Day 75, with celebrations due to take place from Friday May 8 to Sunday May 10, 2020. The body wants extended hours for Friday and Saturday, arguing pubs will be at the heart of festivities commemorating 75 years since the end of World War Two in Europe, just as they would have been in 1945.

MPs and peers begin future of pubs enquiry An enquiry into the future of UK pubs launched by the All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group is due to start hearing evidence this month. The cross-party panel of MPs and peers will be looking into the contribution of pubs to local communities, local economies and local wellbeing and exploring opportunities to boost pubs’ potential through tax and regulatory change. It is due to report back in October.

TOP STORIES ON TRADE.INAPUB.CO.UK How low would you go with cooler cask?

Strawberry is the flavour of the summer A visit to CAMRA’s pub of the year: The Wonston Arms Brewdog announces new whiskies and a rum

More money for Pub is the Hub Seventy-six pubs are set to benefit from additional funding for Pub is the Hub. The government will provide an extra £188,000 to help rural pubs deliver services including new Post Office facilities, grocery shops and libraries.

Club Soda and Bud target bar staff drinking “Mindful drinking” movement Club Soda has joined forces with the Budweiser Brewing Group to help bar staff change their drinking habits, following data from the Office for National Statistics, which suggests those working in the pub trade had the highest rates of harmful drinking.

An online programme will be trialled later this year.

Brothers adds Parma Violet and Strawberries & Cream to cider line-up

Merchant’s Inn scores top rugby pub The Merchant’s Inn, Rugby has been named the nation’s top rugby pub for the second year in a row. The pub, which stands next to where William Webb Ellis first picked up the ball and ran with it, won the Aberdeen Standard Investments Sevens Rugby Pub of the Year title, ahead of the Sup & Chow in Cheltenham, The Queens Head Hotel in Kelso, and The Queen’s Arms in Edinburgh.

The award was voted for by punters on social media, with supporters praising the pub’s great atmosphere, friendly staff and winning selection of drinks.

Manager James Reeve said: “It’s absolutely amazing to win this award, especially when we were up against such tough competition, including two pubs much closer to the home of Melrose Sevens than we are, so I am genuinely shocked but very happy.”

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this month.inapub THE WAY I SEE IT NEIL WALKER

TWEET ALL ABOUT IT

Serving genuine craft beer is increasingly important for pubs

Twitter user @tandleman asked: “Should pubs and bars be required by law to display a representative list of prices?” The poll results were 79 per cent yes, five per cent no and 16 per cent didn’t care, but what emerged is there is some confusion about the legal requirements…

Over the last decade craft beer has grown to be one of the most important weapons in a successful pub’s arsenal, with flavoursome beers from small independent breweries growing hugely in popularity.

But the Global brewers of mass-produced lagers have in the last few years fought back, targeting the craft beer market by buying out or heavily investing in previously independent breweries such as Sharp’s, Camden, Fourpure, Beavertown and Magic Rock, or launching their own beers marketed as ‘craft’ such as the Maltsmiths beers from Heineken, or the ubiquitous Hop House 13 from Guinness/Diageo.

The idea is to offer consumers something which looks like a craft beer, without them perhaps realising it’s owned or brewed by one of the big boys. But beer drinkers and pub-goers are increasingly savvy, in-fact recent research published in SIBA’s British Craft Beer Report 2019 showed that just two per cent of consumers believed craft beer could be made by a Global brewer, and 45 per cent of people said they would be willing to pay more for genuine independent craft beer.

My advice? Ensure the beers on your bar are genuine craft beers from independent brewers and ensure long-term profitability and popularity with your customers.

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My understanding comes from The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008, which states customers are to be given sufficient information so as not to be misled on prices. If you don’t get prior information you can refuse to pay. Menus & drinks included. @69thecraftychef Courtesy of the @Popall website, it’s a legal requirement. @MelissaCole Yes, and it should be illegal to try too hard and put 4.5 when you mean £4.50! @NorthIrishSea Pubs in England should catch up with legislation in Scotland and a half pint should cost half. Not 2/3s pint or more. Why it isn’t the law baffles me. @Ryan_Ryeclops Seems I’m wrong but that’s nothing new though I thought it had been deregulated. Well, it has by the trade by and large. It certainly is seen more in the breach than observance. On second thoughts maybe it doesn’t. May constitute an offence isn’t the same as will constitute an offence. Certainly watered down to good practice. @tandleman

Neil Walker is head of PR and marketing at the Society of Independent Brewers

72%

Of licensees find the business rates system unfair to pubs New research presented by CAMRA to the House of Commons

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Smirnoff Infusions

“Enthuse your customers with new Smirnoff Infusions”, reads the press release, which works best if you say it in a cockney accent.

The UK’s number-one vodka brand has launched a 23 per cent ABV drink that it recommends serving in a wine glass with ice, soda and a fruit garnish. Available in Orange, Grapefruit & Bitters and Raspberry, Rhubarb & Vanilla flavours, the drinks are made with real fruit essence. We’re feeling infusiastic about summer already. www.smirnoff.com

Kopparberg Strawberry & Lime Gin

In the summer that ASDA introduces a “pink wall” in its drinks aisles and pink gin driving growth in spirits, it’s time to make sure your own selection is in the pink, as it were. Enter this new gin from Swedish cidermaker Kopparberg. “As global trends evolve and consumers search for new and interesting experiences, we have an opportunity to deliver our delicious, natural flavours in new and developing categories, which is why this summer Kopparberg introduces its premium gin to the market in Strawberry & Lime flavour,” the company explained. info@kopparberg.co.uk

Shake Your Fries

Farm Frites is taking the salt & shake concept to another level by giving chiploving customers the chance to customise their snacks. Its new Shake Your Fries sachets come in three different flavours: Texas BBQ, Ibiza Hi and Mumbai Hot. That should spice things up. www.farmfrites.com

Stuff

What’s new in the pub this month

Brooklyn Special Effects

“NO. SLEEP. TILL BROOKLYYYYN!” yelled the Beastie Boys back in 1987. Swapping in a few crates of these alcohol-free beers for their usual rider could have helped them stay awake, though it might have been less conducive to “trashing hotels like it’s going out of style”. It’s all part of what UK distributor Carlsberg calls a “clear cultural shift in the UK towards moderation”, which has made it cool to forgo the booze and just appreciate the hoppy flavour and piney aroma. www.carlsberguk.co.uk

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this month.

Tango Sugar-Free

“Tango is a brand with big personality” says producer Britvic.

We remember – back in the day it was a big orange personality that ran around slapping people. Tango has grown up since then, along with its fans, and is now most popular with 25 to 34-year-olds. In a bid to woo a new generation of young drinkers, it is launching sugar-free variants in Orange, Tropical and Strawberry & Watermelon flavours. The launch comes with a packaging redesign and a return to our TV screens.

03457 581 781

Alcoholic ice cream

G&T sorbet sounds like a proper treat to us, and we’re fairly sure a chunk of your punters would agree.

At three per cent ABV and made with local Fordington gin, the new flavour joins Brandy flavour gelato, Amaretto Ginger gelato, and Campari & Grapefruit Sorbet in the Baboo Gelato range. www.baboogelato.com

Graham Norton’s Irish Pink Gin

It’s not Gordon’s, it’s Graham’s. Chat show host Graham Norton has launched his own Pink Gin, following the success of his SauviGNon Blanc, Rosé, Shiraz and Prosecco. The gin is made with 12 botanicals in a distillery not far from his Cork home. www.benchmarkdrinks.com/ graham-nortonwines

1 of 5-a-Day Pizza

Pizza is not always associated with healthy living, but Dr. Oetker’s new Deep Dish Cheese & Tomato Pizza counts as one of your five-a-day. The lighter deep dish has more tomato sauce, a two-cheese blend of reduced saturated fat cheddar and mozzarella, as well as diced tomato under the cheese – for a vegetable boost. Perhaps this is why those Ninja Turtles were in such good shape. www.oetker-professional.co.uk

Altitude

Here’s a beer with some serious Altitude. Fresh from the Wainwright’s stable, this new cask brew was launched at the University Boat Race and is designed to attract new drinkers to the category. It should be served at a cool 5˚C – enough to send chills down the spine of many a CAMRA member. wainwrightgoldenbeer.com

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Who’s in tonight?

by ROBYN BLACK

Meet Geoff, Josh, Pam and Sam – key customers for your pub business, according to the new Pub Market report from on-trade data specialists CGA. And we’ve selflessly waded through the numbers to answer that million-dollar question (or it would be if pubs regularly made a million and traded in dollars) – who goes to the pub and what do they really want?

What do people like about pubs?

Given that the average pub-goer is perhaps younger than you might expect (see “when Geoff met Josh”), it is perhaps surprising to discover that what Josh wants from a good boozer is, well, pretty traditional, as the following five buzzwords compiled from a CGA survey demonstrate: “Cosy” got 52 per cent of the votes; “local” managed 50 per cent; before “family-friendly” at 34 per cent and “familiar” with 31 per cent.

Pam - tempted by international cuisine Pam is not a pub person. She goes to a pub once every two to three months or less. This group is identified in the report as mainly women (61 per cent), who are likely to live in the suburbs.

Pam has turned to branded restaurants such as Zizzi, Côte Brasserie, Giggling Squid and the like in recent years. However, all is not lost because 87 per cent of Pams say they could easily be encouraged to visit pubs more often. How? Over a third say international cuisine would tempt them and nearly the same number said the same about street food. Experiences could also be a big draw for this crowd, particularly Pam’s grown-up daughter and her friends, with 35 per cent of 18 to 34-year old infrequent pub visitors wanting to see non-traditional pub games. They also suggested live music, local food and drink, quizzes and live sport would be good ways for pubs to widen their appeal.

Across the board however, infrequent pub goers agree that customer service was where pubs needed to raise their game – with 20 per cent saying it was the thing pubs needed to improve above all else.

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When Geoff met Josh Who goes to the pub these days? Perhaps you believe that the average pub goer is a middle-aged or retired man with a dislike of anything new. Lets’ call him Geoff (sorry Dad) and assume he wears chinos or dark cords with a plain sweater (again, Dad this is meant fondly. I love you).

Well you’d be right…and also wrong.

That’s because, while two in three of those who visit pubs at least once a week are male, a mere 18 per cent of them are aged 55 or over (that compares with the 36 per cent of the general population) and just nine per cent are retired.

In fact, half of pub regulars are 18 to 34-year-olds.

And what of the financial situation of our average pub-goer? Well, not bad – the household income of this group is nearly 13 per cent higher than average and they are also quicker to embrace new things than the average person, the data shows.

Seventy per cent fell into the categories of “early adopter” (the sort who camps overnight in the rain to buy a new iPhone), or “early majority” (the sort who will wait until for the fuss to die down before getting one). This is significantly higher than the average (44 per cent of the general population might be considered as part of these crowds).

The average pub goer is more likely to be a Josh, rather than a Geoff, striding through the doors brandishing his brand spanking new iPhone 2MCHMNY, or whatever model it is now.

Geoff and Josh are representative in another way – the average pub-goer is a bloke. So there remains a huge opportunity for any pub that can manage to get more ladies through its doors on a regular basis, We women currently make up a mere one third of regular pub goers. Dammit Janet, the pub trade needs you.

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Why do people go to the pub?

The Dog & Duck, you’ll be glad to know, is still the number one destination for socialising.

In the year to July 2018, the destination for just over one-third of people “going out” was down the old local and another fifth were off to pub-restaurants. This puts the Great British Pub well ahead of restaurants (25 per cent of visits) and bars or clubs (19 per cent).

When asked why they visited pubs, a quarter of respondents said they go for “sociable get-togethers”. Some 18 per cent went for a catch-up with friends; 15 per cent use them as a meeting point on a day or night out, while 12 per cent went for a post-work “just one for the road… oh no, now I’ve had five on an empty stomach and am going to feel rough in the morning” drink.

Naturally, for pubrestaurants the motives were a little different and the most popular times to visit were for family events (23 per cent) and (if you’ll excuse the excruciating Americanism) date-nights (22 per cent).

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Sam, a trending tastemaker Trending Tastemakers is the group, as named by CGA, that makes up a quarter of regular pub-goers. It is therefore the most important to pubs of CGA’s 10 distinct consumer groups*.

Introducing Sam. Sam is between 25 and 34 years old and is a pretty busy chap, but he still makes time to eat and drink out a lot – 84 per cent of Sams eat out and 66 per cent go out for a drink, weekly. He’s the first to visit a new trendy place, with its Edison lightbulbs, living wall and millennial pink loos, and he’s very likely to tell you all about it on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Ninety per cent of this crowd are self-confessed foodies and are constantly on the prowl for new openings and undiscovered venues.

We imagine Sam uses beard oil on his facial hair and rolls up his jeans and he most definitely grinds his own coffee beans at home.

We will put all that aside, however and thank him for his role in keeping the Great British Pub alive.

Sam, we salute you. *The other nine groups are: Confident Conformists; Business Class Seekers; Mainstream Minded; Sparkling Socialisers; Family Pit Stoppers; Comfortable Sceptics; Cost Conscious Champions; Carefree Dolce Vitas, and Steadfast Sippers.

What do people want from a pub?

For independent pubs “individuality and character” scored highly in terms of what people like. Some 37 per cent of adults said they had chosen to visit an independent pub because it was more personal and nearly the same number said they did so “for a change”, while 31 per cent gave their reason as “it wasn’t a brand or a chain”.

One pub-goer is quoted in the report as saying, “there’s more personality in an independent pub – everything isn’t standardised.”

Chain pubs were popular, however, with those who appreciated reliability and value for money.

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RICHARD MOLLOY Beer. We love it. We actually love it more than we say we do, and we certainly drink more of it than we profess to.

This love affair has been going on for millennia,but it’s in the last 50 years or so that we’ve seen the biggest swings in taste.

In the early 20th century there was little else to drink other than mild or stout, and, indeed, mild was the market leader right up until the ’70s when, presumably, people cottoned on to the practice of all the slops – bitter, lager, stout and even cider, being poured back into the mild keg and recycled as a kind of working man’s punch.

Lager got a leg-up following the heat-wave of ’76 when people wanted the unfussy cold refreshment of the bland brands on offer.

Brewers barely had to think at all to come up with Harp, Hofmeister or Skol; just make it cold, fizzy and strong enough to cause a punch-up at chucking out time.

It’s only recently that lager has been challenged. Firstly, cider is pressing its case.

Where once there were three types of cider – sweet, dry and suicide – there are now dozens of flavours to choose from and the traditional hotbed of the cider industry, the West Country has been challenged and we now have to put ice in cider because the Irish told us to.

But it’s the craft beer flood that has caused the biggest stir and it shows no sign of being a fad. The APAs, ESBs, IPAs et al are here to stay to the delight of CAMRA members and acronym lovers alike.

Whilst this is widely welcomed as a triumph for the small businessman over the brewing giants, it’s not without its drawbacks.

Now there’s the odd punter that demands to know more. What colour is it? What’s the strength? What hops are in it? What malt was used? Where was it brewed? Was it filtered through a virgin’s knickers whilst a symphony orchestra played Mendelssohn’s fifth? Then they swill it like Jilly fucking Goolden and tell you that they can taste grapefruit and that they’re getting a nose of elderflower with

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These knowit-alls make something as simple and pleasurable as having a beer into a postmortem Richard Molloy is director of four-strong pubco White Rose Taverns and the microbrewery Platform Five. Read more of his work on trade.inapub.co.uk

a dry, chestnut finish.

I think this is my biggest gripe with modern pub culture. These know-it-alls who attempt to shrink you with their knowledge; make something as simple and pleasurable as having a beer into a post-mortem. I see them taking photos and tapping into their mobiles as they post on Untappd, giving marks out of five “2.4 – not awful, but a bit twiggy with an odd aroma and bitter undertones”.

The quiet snorts of derision and rolls of the eyes as a bloke orders a standard lager at the bar next to them give way to the “I can’t believe that people drink that piss, ho ho ho”.

Well, you know what, pal? That bloke knows what he’s getting. He knows he likes it and he knows how many it will take to get him pissed. He’s happy and he can now have a conversation with his mate that doesn’t consist almost entirely of what he’s drinking, what he drank yesterday and how amazing the chilli beer that he tried at The Yawnsville Beer festival was.

By the way, I love real ale. We have our own micro-brewery and we knock out some popular beers, but I detest the snobbery and pompous one-upmanship that some people have when it comes to one of the oldest and simplest of all alcoholic drinks, which, let’s be honest here, none of us would drink if it didn’t contain alcohol.

Yet it’s these anoraks who help the local pub the least. What they love most is a pub with a selection of half a dozen real ales at reasonable prices – something that is very hard for a small local boozer to provide.

Atmosphere and social interaction are way down the list of their requirements, probably somewhere between comfy chairs and clean toilets.

In short, they love a Wetherspoons,and will congregate there in their dozens before nipping to Sainsbury’s to pick up some speciality bottled beers.

And the irony of beer being partly responsible for the decline of the local boozer is a tough one to swallow.

JANUARY 2018

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FAMOUS FOR BEING CASHLESS Matt Eley puts his money away at the UK’s first cash-free pub

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You just press a button at the end of the night to count everything up and it’s all integrated with the accounting software.

It’s more idiot-proof than having cash

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If you were running a book, there would have been long odds on a 16th-century pub in a Suffolk village being the first in the country to go cashless.

But after their pub had been derelict for nine years, the people of Freston probably thought there was very little chance of it even opening again.

It did just that last June, after chef and experienced hospitality business owner Mike Keen realised his vision of re-opening the once proud pub that he drove past every day.

Being a new business gave him carte blanche to try new things from the off, so he decided that cash would never be part of the plan. He explains: “It just made sense to go cashless. The main points being: management time cashing up at the end of the night; cash can go missing; you don’t have to go in town to get change every couple of days; and there’s that risk of holding cash on the premises.

“Counterfeit is also a problem that pubs have to take the hit for if it is flagged up at the bank, whereas with card it is all guaranteed and covered. You just press a button at the end of the night to count everything up and it’s all integrated with the accounting software. It’s more idiot-proof than having cash.”

So, plenty of positives. But surely not everyone in the village was keen on the move?

“It was a lot less of a problem than I thought it was going to be,” he continues. “I was going to do it anyway but the amount of negativity has been minimal. It is more of a mindset than a logistical or physical problem. People over the age of 40 are so used to doing cash, so it is just getting used to it. 99.9 per cent of people have a bank account and those that don’t or are off the

grid don’t tend to come into pubs anyway.”

The majority of payments are made by card but a growing number – around 10 per cent – are settled with smartphones.

One of the few downsides of only taking electronic payments is the charge from equipment providers, as Mike explains.

“There’s a transaction fee but it’s quite competitive out there now and we are looking at getting that below one per cent.

But you get charged a fee by the bank for paying cash in anyway, so going card-only is financially better for us.”

Other businesses have been in contact to try to follow The Boot’s path. One difficulty for them is managing the transition from cash to cashless. Mike advises: “As long as you put notices up and tell people. It’s at least a six-month process. It will snowball now and at some point it won’t be viable to mint money.”

Move over, Silicon Valley

Another benefit for The Boot has been the publicity, as news of its cashless status hit national and international headlines and TV channels. “It was fantastic,” Mike continues. “You think it isn’t that much of an interesting story but because it’s a pub and the industry is seen as being traditional and hardly Silicon Valley cutting-edge, it was.”

Cash is one of the few things missing from The Boot. There are the eight cask beers, and an ever-changing menu of home-cooked traditional pub grub featuring many ingredients and herbs grown in the pub’s own garden.

That isn’t all you’ll find outside. An outhouse has been converted into a cinema (a project supported by Pub is the Hub) ducks swim in the pond Mike dug himself, then

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this month.

The Boot Freston, Suffolk Style: Food-led destination Freehouse Staff: 35 Handpulls: 8 Covers: 75 inside Wet/dry: 60/40

there’s the Icelandic ram, two Hebridean ewes, a turkey (who will survive this Christmas and beyond) and Grippe the raven.

There are also two petanque courts, a wedding reception area, and dining space to complement the 75 covers inside.

With Freston having a population of only 100, Mike says the pub needs to create enough interest for people to keep driving there. “You can’t sit still because there is always competition coming up. New places are opening up all the time and people will go and try them out because they want to try new things. Everything we do is because we are passionate about it, and it adds value.”

It’s a pub with loads going on and one from which you’ll always return with as much money in your wallet as you started with.

Well, your physical wallet at any rate.

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National Independent

Beer Award

O K

Winners 2019

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SIBA, the Society of Independent Brewers, represents more than 750 independent craft breweries across the UK, producing exciting, flavoursome beer in cask, keg, bottle and can. Here are the winners from their National Independent Beer Awards, which were judged at BeerX UK in March. All SIBA members abide by SIBA’s Food Safety & Quality standard.

BF Breweries with this symbol are members of SIBA's BeerFlex distribution

network which supplies beer from local, independent craft breweries into some of the UK's biggest pub companies. If you are a licensee in a tied pub and interested in beer from one of these brewers local to you call 01765 640441 for more information.

Cask OVERALL WINNER OF THE CASK COMPETITION Sponsored by Close Brothers

Brewery Rentals G GOLD Gloucester Brewery Imperial Stout 9.0% Gloucester, Gloucestershire www.gloucesterbrewery.co.uk 01452 690 541 BF S SILVER Loch Lomond Brewery Lost in Mosaic 5.0% Loch Lomond, Alexandria www.lochlomondbrewery.com 01389 755698 B BRONZE Shiny Brewery Wrench 4.4% Little Eaton, Derbyshire www.shinybrewing.com 01332 902809

CASK BRITISH DARK BEERS UP TO 4.4%

Sponsored by IC Filling Systems Ltd G GOLD Shiny Brewery Wrench 4.4% Little Eaton, Derbyshire www.shinybrewing.com 01332 902809 S SILVER West Berkshire Brewery Maggs’ Magnificent Mild 3.8% Yattendon, Berkshire www.wbbrew.co.uk 01635 767090 BF B BRONZE Brewster’s Brewery Aromatic Porter 4.4% Grantham, Lincolnshire www.brewsters.co.uk 01476 566000 BF

CASK BRITISH DARK BEERS (4.5 TO 6.4%) Sponsored by Rankin Bros & Sons G GOLD Weal Ales Brewery Centwealial Milk Stout 4.9% Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire www.facebook.com/WealAles 01782 565635 S SILVER Windswept Brewing Co Ltd Wolf 6.0% Lossiemouth, Moray www.windsweptbrewing.co.uk 01343 814310 B BRONZE Green-Jack Brewing Co. lurcher 4.8% Lowestoft, Suffolk www.green-jack.co.uk 01502 562863 BF

BF

Sponsored by Murphy & Son Ltd G GOLD Fyne Ales Ltd Hurricane Jack 4.4% Cairndow, Argyll www.fyneales.com 01499 600238 S SILVER The Earl Soham Brewery Ltd Albert Ale 4.4% Debenham, Suffolk www.earlsohambrewery.co.uk 01728 861213 BF B BRONZE Prescott Ales Hill Climb 3.8% Cheltenham, Gloucestershire www.prescottales.co.uk 07526 934866 BF

CASK PREMIUM BITTERS (4.5 TO 6.4%) Sponsored by Charles Faram & Co Ltd G GOLD Great Oakley Brewery Gobble 4.5% Towcester, Northamptonshire www.greatoakleybrewery.co.uk 01327 351759 BF S SILVER Whitstable Brewery Pearl of Kent 4.5% Maidstone, Kent www.whitstablebrewery.info 01622 851007 BF B BRONZE Milton Brewery Minerva 4.6% Cambridge, Cambridgeshire www.miltonbrewery.co.uk 01223 862067 BF

CASK SESSION IPA (UP TO 4.3%)

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CASK PREMIUM PAS (4.4 TO 5.4%)

Sponsored by Crisp Malting Group G GOLD Loch Lomond Brewery Lost in Mosaic 5.0% Loch Lomond, Alexandria www.lochlomondbrewery.com 01389 755698 S SILVER Ainsty Ales Cool Citra 4.4% York, North Yorkshire www.ainstyales.co.uk 01904 703233 BF B BRONZE Bedlam Brewery Bedlam Amagansett 5.0% Pumpton Green, East Sussex www.bedlambrewery.co.uk 01273 978015 BF

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CASK IPA (5.5 TO 6.4%)

Sponsored by Rankin Bros & Sons G GOLD Oakham Ales Green Devil IPA 6.0% Peterborough, Cambridgeshire www.oakhamales.com 01733 370500 BF S SILVER Loch Lomond Brewery Bravehop 6.0% Loch Lomond, Alexandria www.lochlomondbrewery.com 01389 755698 B BRONZE Saltaire Brewery Unity 6.0% Shipley, West Yorkshire www.saltairebrewery.co.uk 01274 594959 BF

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CASK SPECIALITY LIGHT BEERS

CASK BRITISH BITTERS (UP TO 4.4%)

Sponsored by Thomas Fawcett & Sons Ltd G GOLD Quantock Brewery QPA 4.0% Taunton, Somerset www.quantockbrewery.co.uk 01823 433812

S SILVER Loch Lomond Brewery Southern Summit 4.0% Loch Lomond, Alexandria www.lochlomondbrewery.com 01389 755698 B BRONZE Great Oakley Brewery Tiffield Thunderbolt 4.2% Towcester, Northamptonshire www.greatoakleybrewery.co.uk 01327 351759 BF

BF

Sponsored by Rankin Bros & Sons G GOLD Avid Brewing Co Limited Raspberry Ripple Ice Cream Pale 4.6% Quernmore, Lancashire www.avidbrewing.co.uk 07976 275762 S SILVER Moor Beer Company Do It Together 5.2% Bristol, South West www.moorbeer.co.uk 01179 414 460 BF B BRONZE Ferry Ales Brewery Ltd Farmhouse Ale 5% Lincoln, Lincolnshire www.ferryalesbrewery.co.uk 07790 241999

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BF

CASK SPECIALITY MID TO DARK BEERS

Sponsored by NFU Mutual G GOLD Gloucester Brewery Imperial Stout 9% Gloucester, Gloucestershire www.gloucesterbrewery.co.uk 01452 690 541 BF S SILVER Hammerton Brewery CRUNCH 5.4% Islington, London www.hammertonbrewery. co.uk (020) 3302-5880 BF B BRONZE RedWillow Brewery Ltd Smokeless 5.7% Macclesfield, Lancashire www.redwillowbrewery.com 01625 502315 BF

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CASK STRONG BEERS 6.5% AND OVER

Sponsored by Bulk Storage & Process Systems Ltd G GOLD Loch Lomond Brewery Outlander 6.5% Loch Lomond, Alexandria www.lochlomondbrewery.com 01389 755698 S SILVER Exmoor Ales Exmoor Beast 6.6% Taunton, Somerset www.exmoorales.co.uk 01984 623798 BF B BRONZE Bowland Brewery Dragonglass 7.4% Clitheroe, Lancashire www.bowlandbrewery.com 01200 443592 BF

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Keg OVERALL CHAMPION OF THE KEG BEERS Sponsored by Kegstar

G GOLD Swannay Brewery Muckle IPA 6.6% Birsay, Orkney www.highlandbrewing.com 01856 721700 S SILVER Otter Brewery Tarka Four 4.0% Honiton, Devon www.otterbrewery.com 01404 891285 BF B BRONZE Orkney Brewery Skullsplitter 8.5% xxx 01667 404777

KEG BRITISH DARK BEERS UP TO 4.4%

Sponsored by Muntons plc G GOLD Neckstamper Brewing Bonebox Cooler London Porter 4.4% Walthamstow, London www.neckstamper.com 0207 018 1760 S SILVER Stonehouse Brewery Ballast 4.4% Oswestry, Shropshire www.stonehousebrewery. co.uk 01691 676457 BF B BRONZE Joseph Holt Ltd Black 3.4% Greater Manchester www.joseph-holt.com 0161 8343285 BF

KEG BRITISH DARK BEERS 4.5 TO 6.4%

BF

Sponsored by Pentair Food & Beverage Solutions G GOLD Padstow Brewing Co The Smoke 5.5% Padstow, Cornwall www.padstowbrewing.co.uk 01841 532169 S SILVER Dovedale Brewing Company Stout 4.6% Ashbourne, Derbyshire 01335 310271 B BRONZE Windswept Brewing Co Wolf 6.0% Lossiemouth, Moray www.windsweptbrewing.co.uk 01343 814310 BF

KEG BRITISH BITTERS (UP TO 4.4%)

Sponsored by Schafer Container Systems G GOLD Rooster’s Brewing Co Yankee 4.3% Knaresborough, North Yorkshire www.roosters.co.uk 01423 865959 BF S SILVER Gloucester Brewery Gloucester Gold 3.9 Gloucester, Gloucestershire www.gloucesterbrewery.co.uk 01452 690 541 BF B BRONZE Wily Fox Brewery Original 4.5% Bristol, South West www.liberationgroup.com 01934 863963 BF

BF

KEG BRITISH PREMIUM BITTERS (4.5 TO 6.4%) Sponsored by Anton Paar Ltd BF

G GOLD RedWillow Brewery Wreckless 4.8% Macclesfield, Lancashire www.redwillowbrewery.com 01625 502315 BF S SILVER Signature Brew Progressive Bitter 4.7% Leyton, London www.signaturebrew.co.uk 020 7684 4664 BF B BRONZE Butcombe Brewing Co Original 4.5% Bristol, South West www.liberationgroup.com 01934 863963 BF

KEG SESSION IPA (UP TO 4.3%)

BF

RS

BF

Sponsored by Zoedale G GOLD Salopian Auric 4.0% Shrewsbury, Shropshire www.salopianbrewery.co.uk 01743 248414 BF S SILVER Leigh on Sea Brewery Legra Pale 3.8% Southend-on-Sea www.leighonseabrewery.co.uk 01702 817255 B BRONZE Barngates Brewery Pale 3.3% Ambleside Cumbria www.barngatesbrewery. co.uk 015394 36575 BF

KEG PREMIUM PAS (4.4 TO 5.4%)

BF

ER

BF

Sponsored by Close Brothers Brewery Rentals G GOLD Quantock Brewery Titanium 5.1% Taunton, Somerset www.quantockbrewery. co.uk 01823 433812 BF S SILVER Keith Brewery Ltd Pale Keith 5.0% Keith, Speyside www.keithbrewery.co.uk 01542 488006 B BRONZE Love Lane Brewery Love Lane Pale Ale 4.5% Liverpool, Merseyside www.liverpoolcraftbeer.com 0151 2369400 BF KEG IPA (5.5 TO 6.4%) Sponsored by Close Brothers Brewery Rentals G GOLD Love Lane Brewery Love Lane Double Dry Hopped IPA 6.1% Liverpool, Merseyside www.liverpoolcraftbeer.com 0151 2369400 BF

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S SILVER Rooster’s Brewing Co Baby-Faced Assassin 6.1% Knaresborough, North Yorkshire www.roosters.co.uk 01423 865959 BF B BRONZE Tap East IPA 6.0% Stratford, London www.tapeast.co.uk 00207 3789461

KEG IMPERIAL IPA (6.5% AND OVER)

Sponsored by Flextech Hose Solutions G GOLD Swannay Brewery Muckle IPA 6.6% Birsay, Orkney www.highlandbrewing.com 01856 721700 S SILVER Brecon Brewing Mind Bleach 10.0% Powys, North Wales www.coldblacklabel.co.uk 01656 728081 B BRONZE Blackedge Brewing Co Ltd DIPA 8.0% Horwich, Greater Manchester www.blackedgebrewery.co.uk 01204 692976 BF

KEG SESSION LAGER & PILSNERS

Sponsored by SPAsoft Ltd G GOLD Otter Brewery Tarka Four 4.0% Honiton, Devon www.otterbrewery.com 01404 891285 BF S SILVER The Norfolk Brewhouse DewHopper 4.0% Hindringham, Norfolk www.norfolkbrewhouse.co.uk 01328 878495 BF B BRONZE Rebellion Beer Co. Ltd Lager 4.4% Marlow, Buckinghamshire www.rebellionbeer.co.uk 01628 476594 BF

KEG PREMIUM LAGER & PILSNERS

Sponsored by Keg Logistics UK Ltd G GOLD Wye Valley Brewery 1985 4.5% Stoke Lacy, Herefordshire www.wyevalleybrewery.co.uk 01885 490505 BF S SILVER Woodforde’s Brewery Conquest 4.5% Woodbastwick, Norwich www.woodfordes.co.uk 01603 720353 BF B BRONZE Barngates Brewery Vienna 5.2% Ambleside Cumbria www.barngatesbrewery.co.uk 015394 36575 BF

KEG SPECIALITY LIGHT BEERS

Sponsored by Festival Glass Ltd G GOLD Big Smoke Brew Co Cold Spark 3.6% Surbiton, London www.bigsmokebrew.co.uk 020 8339 9721 S SILVER Stonehouse Brewery Witbier 4.2% Oswestry, Shropshire www.stonehousebrewery.co.uk 01691 676457 BF B BRONZE Tring Brewery Earl Grey Pale Ale 4.5% Tring, Hertfordshire www.tringbrewery.co.uk 01442 890721 BF

KEG SPECIALITY MEDIUM TO DARK BEERS Sponsored by Muntons plc G GOLD Hammerton Brewery London

Crunch 5.4% Islington, London www.hammertonbrewery.co.uk (020) 3302-5880 BF S SILVER Elgood & Sons Ltd Cherry Wheat 3.6% Wisbech, Cambridgeshire www.elgoods-brewery.co.uk 01945 583160 BF B BRONZE Wily Fox Brewery Dark Flagon 5.0% Wigan, Greater Manchester www.wilyfoxbrewery.co.uk 01942 215525 BF

KEG SOURS/SPONTANEOUS

Sponsored by Lallemand UK G GOLD Hawkshead Brewery Solar Sour 3.3% Staveley, Cumbria www.hawksheadbrewery.co.uk 0151 480 8800 BF S SILVER Elgood & Sons Ltd Coolship Mango 5.0% Wisbech, Cambridgeshire www.elgoods-brewery.co.uk 01945 583160 BF B BRONZE Purity Brewing Company Farmhouse Ale 6.0% Great Alne, Warwickshire www.puritybrewing.com 01789 488007 BF

KEG STRONG BEERS 6.5% AND OVER

Sponsored by Napthens G GOLD Orkney Brewery Skullsplitter 8.5% Sandwick, Orkney www.orkneybrewery.co.uk 01667 404777 BF S SILVER Salopian Polygraph 7.4% Shrewsbury, Shropshire www.salopianbrewery.co.uk 01743 248414 BF B BRONZE Signature Brew Anthology 10.0% Leyton, London www.signaturebrew. co.uk 020 7684 4664 BF

Bottle & Can OVERALL CHAMPION OF THE BOTTLE/ CAN BEERS Sponsored by Schoeller Allibert Ltd G GOLD Wibblers Brewery (Farms) Ltd Port infused Imperial Stoat 9% Southminster, Essex www.wibblers.com 01621 772044 BF S SILVER The Sheffield Brewery Company Berlin Black 5.7% Sheffield, South Yorkshire www.sheffieldbrewery.com 01142 727256 BF B BRONZE Sonnet 43 Brew House Miss Scarlets Revolver Toasted Coconut Mocha Porter 6.8% Coxhoe, County Durham www.sonnet43.com 0191 377 3039 BF

BOTTLE/CAN BRITISH DARK BEERS (UP TO 4.4%) Sponsored by Norriq Ltd

G GOLD Wolf Brewery Sirius Dog Star 4.4% Attleborough, Norfolk www.wolfbrewery.com 01953 457775 BF S SILVER Stonehouse Brewery Limited Ballast 4.4% Oswestry, Shropshire www.stonehousebrewery.co.uk 01691 676457 BF B BRONZE Cullercoats Brewery Limited Polly Donkin 4.3% Wallsend, Tyne and Wear www.cullercoatsbrewery.co.uk 07837 637615 BF

BOTTLE/CAN BRITISH DARK BEERS (4.5 TO 6.4%) Sponsored by Cask Brewing Systems Inc

G GOLD The Sheffield Brewery Company Berlin Black 5.7% Sheffield, South Yorkshire www.sheffieldbrewery.com 01142 727256 BF S SILVER Electric Bear Brewing Company Inspector Remorse 4.7% Bath, Somerset electricbearbrewing.com 01225 424088 B BRONZE East London Brewing Company Ltd Quadrant Oatmeal Stout 5.8% Leyton, London www.eastlondonbrewing.com 020 8539 0805 BF

BOTTLE/CAN BRITISH BITTERS (UP TO 4.4%) Sponsored by Napthens

G GOLD Liberation Brewery Liberation Ale 4.0% St Saviour, Jersey www.liberationgroup.com 01934 863963 BF S SILVER Loddon Brewery Night Of The Stag 4.4% Dunsden, Oxfordshire www.loddonbrewery.com 01189 481111 BF B BRONZE Acorn Brewery of Barnsley Ltd Yorkshire Pride 3.7% 01226 270734 www.acorn-brewery.co.uk 01226 270734 BF

BOTTLE/CAN PREMIUM BITTERS (4.5 TO 6.4%) Sponsored by Beatson Clark

G GOLD Wold Top Brewery Wold Gold 4.8% Driffield, East Yorkshire www.woldtopbrewery.co.uk 01723 892222 BF S SILVER Cheddar Ales Ltd Karst 4.9% Cheddar, Somerset www.cheddarales.co.uk 01934 744193 BF B BRONZE Fyne Ales Ltd Highlander 4.8% Cairndow, Argyll www.fyneales.com 01499 600238

BOTTLE/CAN SESSION IPA (UP TO 4.3%)

Sponsored by Rastal GmbH X Co KG G GOLD RedWillow Brewery Ltd Weightless 4.2% Macclesfield, Lancashire www.redwillowbrewery.com 01625 502315 BF S SILVER Gun Dog Ales Jack’s Spaniels 3.8% Daventry, Northamptonshire www.gundogales.co.uk 01327 264095 BF B BRONZE Calvors Brewery Limited Calvors Session IPA 4.2% Ipswich, Suffolk www.calvors.co.uk 01449 711055

BOTTLE/CAN PREMIUM PAS (4.4 TO 5.4%) Sponsored by Core Equipment Ltd G GOLD Zerodegrees Cardiff Downtown Pale Ale 4.6% Cardiff, Glamorgan www.zerodegrees.co.uk 029 2022 9494 S SILVER Brewhouse and Kitchen Ltd Bournemouth Yankee Hack 4.8% Bournemouth, Dorset www.brewhouseandkitchen.com 0207 354 3761 B BRONZE North Brewing Sputnik 5.0% Leeds, West Yorkshire www.northbrewing.com 0113 3453290

BOTTLE/CAN IPA (5.5 TO 6.4%)

Sponsored by Vigo Ltd G GOLD Eight Arch Brewing Co. Corbel 5.5% Wimbourne, Dorset www.8archbrewing.co.uk 01202 889254 S SILVER Wye Valley Brewery Ltd

Glorious IPA 6.0% Stoke Lacy, Herefordshire www.wyevalleybrewery.co.uk 01885 490505 BF B BRONZE Dhillons Brewery Red IPA 6.2% Coventry, West Midlands www.dhillonsbrewery.com 024 76667413 BF

BOTTLE/CAN IMPERIAL IPA (6.5% & OVER) Sponsored by Saxon Packaging Ltd

G GOLD Allendale Brewery Wilderness 6.5% Allendale, Northumberland www.allendalebrewco.co.uk 01434 618686 BF S SILVER Swannay Brewery Muckle 6.6% Birsay, Orkney www.highlandbrewing.com 01856 721700 B BRONZE The Loose Cannon Brewing Company Ltd Double IPA 7.5% Abingdon, Oxfordshire www.lcbeers.co.uk 01235 531141 BF

BOTTLE/CAN SESSION LAGER & PILSNERS

Sponsored by Premier Systems Ltd G GOLD Beer Monkey Brew Co. Evolution Pilsner 4.3% Skipton, North Yorkshire www.beermonkeybrewco.com 01756 701289 BF S SILVER Thornbridge Brewery Lukas 4.2% Bakewell, Derbyshire www.thornbridgebrewery.co.uk 01629 641000 B BRONZE By The Horns Brewing Co. Lager 4.0% Summerstown, London www.bythehorns.co.uk 020 3417 7338 BF

BOTTLE/CAN PREMIUM LAGER & PILSNERS Sponsored by Makro Labelling UK Ltd G GOLD Harbour Brewing Company Pilsner Lager 5.0% Bodmin, Cornwall www.harbourbrewing.co.uk 01208 832131 BF S SILVER Calvors Brewery Limited Calvors Premium Pilsner 5.0% Ipswich, Suffolk www.calvors.co.uk 01449 711055 B BRONZE Hawkshead Brewery Hawkshead Lager 5.0% Staveley, Cumbria www.hawksheadbrewery.co.uk 0151 480 8800 BF

BOTTLE/CAN SPECIALITY LIGHT BEERS

Sponsored by Vale Labels Ltd G GOLD Inner Bay Brewery Ltd Pearl 6.0% Inverkeithing, Fife www.innerbay.co.uk 07871 172939 S SILVER Elgood & Sons Ltd Cherry Wheat Beer 3.6% Wisbech, Cambridgeshire www.elgoods-brewery.co.uk 01945 583160 BF B BRONZE Stonehouse Brewery Limited Witbier 4.2% Oswestry, Shropshire www.stonehousebrewery.co.uk 01691 676457 BF

BOTTLE/CAN SPECIALITY MID TO DARK BEERS Sponsored by Rastal GmbH & Co KG

G GOLD Wibblers Brewery (Farms) Ltd Port infused Imperial Stoat 9.0% Southminster, Essex www.wibblers.com 01621 772044 BF S SILVER Hawkshead Brewery Tiramisu Imperial Stout 10% Staveley, Cumbria www.hawksheadbrewery.co.uk 0151 480 8800 BF B BRONZE Thornbridge Brewery Coco Cocoa 5.5% Bakewell, Derbyshire www.thornbridgebrewery.co.uk 01629 641000

BOTTLE/CAN SOURS/SPONTANEOUS

G GOLD Elgood & Sons Ltd Coolship Mango 5.0% Wisbech, Cambridgeshire www.elgoods-brewery.co.uk 01945 583160 BF S SILVER Brew York Goose Willis 5.3% York, North Yorkshire www.brewyork.co.uk 01904 848448 B BRONZE Thornbridge Brewery Tart 6.0% Bakewell, Derbyshire www.thornbridgebrewery.co.uk 01629 641000

BOTTLE/CAN STRONG BEERS 6.5% & OVER

G GOLD Sonnet 43 Brew House Miss Scarlets Revolver Toasted Coconut Mocha Porter 6.8% Coxhoe, County Durham www.sonnet43.com 0191 377 3039 BF S SILVER Fyne Ales Ltd Mills & Hills 9.5% Cairndow, Argyll www.fyneales.com 01499 600238 B BRONZE Moor Beer Company Old Freddy Walker 7.3% Bristol, South West www.moorbeer.co.uk 01179 414 460 BF

18/04/2019 03:26

drink ON THE BAR

Draught fruit cider Strongbow Dark Fruit is celebrating its fifth birthday and in that short time the brand’s owner, Heineken, says the variant has “delivered almost £1bn to the on-trade”. Indeed, 18 million pints of the stuff were poured last year alone.

The popularity of draught fruit cider is now so great that last month cider maker Westons announced it was predicting fruit cider will account for half of all cider sold by 2022 — a revision of its prediction a year earlier that it would take until 2023.

Westons also revealed a new look for its own fruit draught offering — Stowford Press Mixed Berries — a few weeks ago, which, it points out, clocked up £1m-worth of sales in its first six months.

As if that wasn’t enough reason to crack a keg of draught fruit cider, don’t forget it’s May — a month blessed with not one but two bank holidays. And these are occasions where cider performs well.

Last year, the Westons Cider Report shows, for example, two of the four biggest days for cider sales in pubs and bars were the spring and May bank holidays (the other two were the England football team’s quarter- and semi-final matches

in the World Cup, occasions that we sadly can’t rely on this year).

Despite this frankly phenomenal performance from fruity cider on tap, however, Heineken research shows half of all UK pubs still do not stock a flavoured cider on the bar.

That is a massive missed opportunity.

“Every pub stocking a flavoured cider in the UK is selling an additional 100 pints more than in 2011,” says Heineken’s category and trade marketing director, Jerry Shedden, “and 70 per cent of the volume delivered by adding a flavoured cider is incremental to an outlet’s cider sales, which means an additional £340m to the on-trade.”

Who would have thought that was possible five years ago? Happy birthday, Strongbow Dark Fruit.

COMMERCIAL BREAKDOWN FOSTER’s • Brad & Dan Aussie agony uncles Brad and Dan are back in a £6m campaign for the Heineken-owned lager, which includes a new TV ad in which the duo offer advice to “Harry from Abergavenny”.

Badger Beer • Whoever said you can’t buy great taste was lying Brewer Hall & Woodhouse has launched the first outdoor poster campaign for its Badger brand, building on the brand’s relaunch last year to raise awareness of the beer outside its Dorset heartland.

Schweppes 1783 • Biggest Weekend Ever Kicking off last month, the mixer brand’s tour of the UK will see more than 270 days of activity, from masterclasses and tastings to experiential pop-ups at events such as the Goodwood Festival of Speed and the Edinburgh Foodies Festival.

18 MAY 2019

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Martini Fiero

Hailed as the biggest new launch from Martini in years, this new variant has been designed specifically to pair with tonic water, as the popularity of vermouth & tonic continues to gain traction in the UK. It has a zesty, bitter-sweet orange flavour and should be served 50/50 Fiero & tonic, over ice in a balloon glass with an orange garnish. martini.com

Look out for...

Sunmagic Iced Tea

The iced tea market is up 20 per cent year on year, according to juice producer Sunmagic. The company has moved into the market for the first time with this two-strong range: Lush Lemon and Peach Paradise. A blend of fruit juice and black tea, the drinks are low in calories, vegan and free from artificial preservatives, colours and flavourings. sunmagic. co.uk

Hin Gin

Said to be the UK’s first hemp gin, Hin has been created by two Lincolnshirebased entrepreneurs to tap into the growing market for hemp-based drinks. It is vapour distilled in small batches using 12 botanicals, including cardamom, juniper, black pepper, liquorice root and — of course — hemp. sales@hinsupply.com

Spitfire

A bit of spit and polish has been applied to Spitfire ale, as brewer Shepherd Neame unveiled a new logo for the brand at the Spitfire St Lawrence Ground Canterbury, home to Kent County Cricket Club and its T20 side the Kent Spitfires, ahead of a national roll-out this summer. “Spitfire is a genuinely classic British brand and with such an iconic name, the new design encapsulates its spirit perfectly,” said brand manager Will Upfield.

01795 597000

MBJ

This new French sparkler aims to bridge the gap between Prosecco and Champagne. MBJ (which stands for Made By Julie) was created by Bordeaux producer Julie Rispal using a blend of French grapes (mostly Chardonnay) and a “unique bottling process.” mbj@frenchwinesparkling. com

A drink with...

Samantha Thomas, The Five Bells, Rochester, Kent We’re a local wet-led pub in the centre of the village and we’ve just had a big refurb, converting half the pub into a dining area, so we’ve started doing food.

On the drinks side we are looking to introduce a range of local real ales but our big thing at the moment is gin. I’ve always been a big gin enthusiast and got very excited when the gin revolution happened. We started stocking a couple — and now we’ve got more than 40.

We do a gin of the week and have a loyalty card — people record and rate the different gins they’ve had and after 10 get one on the house.

Our best seller at the moment is Hendrick’s Midsummer Solstice, a pink, floral gin, but local gins are popular, particularly Silent Pool and Anno. My favourite is a Welsh gin by Tiny Rebel called Cwtch — nice and citrussy.

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25/04/2019 11:42

On the hotlist...

by ROBYN BLACK

From passionfruit to pink gin; fruit cider to frozen cocktails and extra cold cask to craft soft drinks, we take a look at what punters will be drinking this summer.

Cool cocktails

Sales of cocktails rise in the summer, according to a new Summer Drinks Report from Monin, the flavoured syrup company.

20

The stats show 66 per cent of drinkers choose a cocktail in the warmer months, compared with just two per cent in the winter.

“One of the biggest missed opportunities by pubs in the summer is the chance to change their drinks menus,” says Lee Hyde, beverage innovation manager at Monin.

“Establishments should consider offering a different drink every day to ensure there’s always something new to pique people’s interest and keep them coming back,” he says.

The report suggests that fruity flavours are best placed to promote, as 51 per cent of 18 to 34-year-olds said they would buy a fruity drink. Sharing cocktails too, are something to consider, says Lee. “Younger generations enjoy pitchers, with around a third considering this when buying a summer drink. Sharing drinks are also a great way for pubs to encourage customers to experiment with new flavours and can command a premium.”

Advice from Diageo GB also pushes sharing in the sunnier months: “Nobody wants to be inside queuing for drinks when they could be out in the garden soaking up the rays, so offering sharing options like a jug of Pimm’s is always a great option.

“Anything else that can be offered as a sharer is also likely to be popular, so it’s worth offering simple cocktails as sharing options in the same way – both to meet your customers’ needs but also to ease the pressure on busy bar staff.”

MAY 2019

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Pink gin has dominated the headlines in recent years, with blush coloured drinks garnering attention on platforms such as Instagram

Frozen cocktails are another trend to tap into this year, with Vimto Out of Home pushing its alcoholic Fryst brand into pubs and bars.

“Slush drinks were previously associated with theme parks and leisure venues but are now increasingly in demand for pubs as well,” says Emma Hunt, marketing director at the company.

“They are no longer restricted to children either, and at Vimto Out of Home we’re at the forefront of the frozen cocktail trends with Fryst, our premium iced cocktail brand that is seeing rapid growth.”

Gin’s the thing

Talking of gin, the spirit remains so popular that we feel it justifies its own section here. Seasonal twists on the humble G&T can take it to a new level this summer, James Mowbray-Pratt, Fever-Tree channels manager for restaurants & bars, says.

Suggestions include a Cucumber Cooler G&T (using the brand’s Refreshingly Light Cucumber Tonic); and the Mediterranean G&T (made with its Mediterranean Tonic).

Pink gin, has of course, dominated the headlines in recent years, with blush coloured drinks garnering attention on platforms such as Instagram. It makes

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25/04/2019 13:54

Late last year, Diageo launched Gordon’s Ultra Low Alcohol Gin and Tonic

“

Consumers are frequently looking for drinks that are more premium and exciting whilst out and about

sense, then, for Swedish cider firm Kopparberg to get in on the action this summer with its own pink gin launch. “Pink gin continues to drive spirits growth,” explains Kopparberg’s Rosie Fryer. “As global trends evolve and consumers search for new and interesting experiences, we have an opportunity to deliver our delicious, natural flavours in new and developing categories, which is why this summer Kopparberg introduces its premium gin to the market in Strawberry & Lime flavour.”

It follows, of course, Diageo’s launch of Gordon’s Premium Pink Distilled Gin back in 2017 and, late last year, Diageo further extended the brand with Gordon’s Ultra Low Alcohol Gin and Tonic, more of which in our Low and No feature on pages 28-29.

Softs for Summer

With growing interest in lowand no-alcohol choices, soft

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drinks – always a crucial part of the summer offer – will be even more important to pubs in 2019.

The trend seems to be for more sophisticated offerings in this area, as Amy Burgess, senior trade communications manager at CocaCola European Partners (CCEP) points out.

“Consumers are frequently looking for drinks that are more premium and exciting whilst out and about. Adult soft drinks like Appletiser are a great way for operators to tap into this trend and maximise their soft drinks sales by appealing to customers looking for a premium, alcohol free option.”

The company also added to this part of its portfolio with the launch of Honest Lemonade back in March. Consisting of two flavours (Pink and Original) the brand trades on its organic, natural credentials and targets pub-goers. “The brand is designed to help licensees

trade.inapub.co.uk 25/04/2019 13:54

ARE YOU STOCKING THE UK’ S BESTSELLING FRUIT CIDER BRAND THIS SUMMER?

Source: IRI, Value sales, Fruit Cider, 52 weeks to 24/03/19

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18/04/2019 19:56

“

Take care in the delivery of the drinks.

Serve it in the right glass, with the right garnishes, it’ll help consumers stay for one more

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enhance their soft drinks options,” Amy says.

Low sugar is also increasingly important in this sector, a trend accelerated by the introduction of the Soft Drinks Levy (sugar tax) last year.

Britvic reports it has seen “significant uplift” in people switching from full sugar to low- and no-added sugar drinks since the levy was implemented and says the value of low-calorie drinks in the UK on-trade has increased by 20 per cent.

“Ninety per cent of our innovation in the past year has been on low and no added sugar products,” says the company’s out of home commercial director, Rachel Phillips.

That includes the company’s latest launch – three new sugar-free flavours for Tango.

“With our data showing that younger people are the fastest growing agegroup buying low and no sugar fruit carbonates, the more diverse flavours and modern pack design will help bring a new generation to the brand,” Rachel explains.

Britvic has also recently expanded its Aqua Libra flavoured water range with a new Cucumber, Mint & Lime variant, again tapping into low sugar and also the “water plus” segment currently worth £77m, according to CGA. Low-sugar and low-calorie are also key words for the Franklin & Sons Infused Soda range, which

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PROMOTIONAL FEATURE

5 years and already unmissable brand owner Global Brands launched back in October.

The three flavours are suitably exotic (Fragrant Guava & Persian Lime with Root Ginger; Exotic Pineapple & Aromatic Cardamom with Cracked Cubeb Pepper, and Succulent Pomegranate & Floral Hibiscus with Delicate Rose) and are again designed for a more sophisticated palate.

In all of this sophistication though, it still pays to look after your classic post-mix options – CGA shows that colas still have half the on-trade soft drink market by volume.

Vimto Out of Home, which supplies Coca-Cola post-mix products in the UK as well as their own V-Range brand, points out the importance of the category to pubs: “Take care in the delivery of the drinks,” says marketing director Emma Hunt. “Serve it in the right glass, with the right garnishes, it’ll help consumers stay there for one more.”

Cider’s dark side

Cider may no longer be the seasonal drink it once was but it still booms when the mercury rises, and cidermaker Westons is warning licensees to be prepared this year for key demand periods such as bank holidays and the Cricket World Cup. The biggest story in cider in recent times has been draught fruit cider, so much so that Westons used the occasion of its annual Cider Report this year to revise its predictions for fruit cider growth.

“In last year’s report we predicted that fruit cider would account for half of ciders sold by 2023,” says Matthew Langley, insight and innovation manager at Westons.

“But with fruit already accounting for 40 per cent of volumes – up from 36 per cent last year – we estimate that this is now likely to happen a year earlier than our original prediction, by 2022.”

It counts its own offering in this area, Stowford Press Mixed Berries, as a “phenomenal success” after clocking up £1m-worth of sales in its first six months. It is hoped a recently unveiled new look for the brand, including 3D pump clips, will help boost sales even further this summer.

Heineken, which jump started the

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by Jerry Shedden Category & Marketing Director at HEINEKEN UK Since we launched Strongbow Dark Fruit in 2014, it has led the growth of the flavoured cider category, catapulting into second spot behind only its big brother, Strongbow Original.

Five years on, the trailblazing flavoured cider’s dominance shows no signs of slowing down.

It’s fair to say that the draught cider market has seen unbelievable growth, with an extra 20 million pints poured in 2018 alone – 18 million of those being Strongbow’s purple pint [1].

Thanks to an unrivalled, loyal consumer fanbase spanning all ages, the brand has become somewhat of a “cultural phenomenon” and now accounts for one in four pints of cider poured in all UK pubs and bars [2].

We know that 45% of 18 to 24-year-olds are choosing the Dark Fruit when available, so stocking Strongbow Dark Fruit is a great way for operators to appeal to this key audience, meaning more money through the tills for you operators.

Strongbow Dark Fruit has delivered almost £1bn to the UK on trade in only five short years. If it continues on this trajectory, we expect this figure to double to £2bn by 2024.

Simply put, Strongbow Dark Fruit is a must stock!

Contact your Heineken Sales Rep, or The Customer Hub on 0345 878 707, for install and POS kit support [1] and [2] CGA Strategy 52 w/e 29th Dec 2018

25/04/2019 13:55

draught fruit cider sector with the launch of Strongbow Dark Fruit five years ago, is also predicting a good year for the drink. Jerry Shedden, category and trade marketing director at the company, points out that the latest CGA figures show that demand is growing, with 195m pints of fruit cider now drunk in the on-trade.

“Licensees should remember that even in the most premium outlets, flavoured draught cider can deliver great value,” he says.

Fruit is still a significant player in the bottled cider category, of course, and in this sector the flavours are getting more and more exotic.

“In particular within the premium flavoured

cider category, exotic flavours are growing at a faster rate than berry ones, with 20 per cent annual value growth,” Jerry says. “Old Mout is leading this trajectory with a 62 per cent share of the segment and strong value share growth of 34 per cent.”

Diageo is also trading in this sector with its Smirnoff Cider range, which comprises such flavours as Passionfruit & Lime, but has also stretched its Pimm’s brand into this category with Pimm’s Cider Cup that trades more on its traditional, English cues.

Likewise, for those such as Thatchers, it’s more traditional flavours that are proving a success.

“The launch of the Thatchers Rosé Cider in 500ml bottles brings the opportunity for apple innovation in the back fridge, says Rob Sandall, on-trade sales director.

“Rosé continues to demonstrate Thatchers total commitment to quality apple cider and cidermaking expertise. As with all our ciders, apple choice is hugely important to us, so we’ve selected red dessert apples, including Pink Lady, Fuji and Gala for their sweetness, aroma and quality.”

Whatever you choose to stock, Swedish cider Kopparberg, is keen to highlight that fruit cider should gain increased fridge space in the summer. “Bottles and/or cans are crucial for the higher energy, evening occasions to offer a more convenient format,” says the company’s Rosie Fryer.

Cold beer

While no and low beers are likely to be the success story in beer this summer, licensees should not forget their standard lager ranges during this period when people will be looking for sessionable, refreshing drinks.

As Liam Newton, vice president of marketing at Carlsberg UK said at the relaunch of its flagship brand, now Carlsberg Danish Pilsner: “Some of the most popular and recognisable beers such as this one, will continue to represent the biggest segment in UK beer in five years’ time and therefore remains crucial to the health of the beer category overall.”

Over in cask beer of course, there’ll be a plethora of seasonal launches from brewers

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big and small which will keep your hand pulls relevant to summer drinkers. On a larger scale, however, the news from last year’s Cask Report that two-thirds of cask drinkers would prefer their beer to be served cooler than the recommended 11-13°C, has prompted the launch of several extra cold cask brands.

The latest is Altitude from Wainwright, which was launched last month as part of the brand’s sponsorship of the Boat Race, a chilled pale ale that is served at 4°C (more info on p9).

This goes somewhat colder than Molson Coors’ trial of Doom Bar Extra Chilled and Robinsons Brewery’s launch of Chilled Dizzy, a colder version of Dizzy Blonde, which are served at 8°C and it will be interesting to see what general drinkers make of the innovation – beyond the predictable outcry from real ale purists.

Should they prove popular, it could well be that the drink of the summer is cold cask.

Scoff if you like but it’s no sillier than cider over ice, and look how that turned out.

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Sauce for the sober

by ROBYN BLACK

Low- and no-alcohol drinks are showing impressive growth in pubs and bars across the land. So, which ones to choose for your pub? Here’s our pick of some of the biggest and best.

Heineken 0.0 - on draught!

Heineken UK

Fifteen per cent of people would be more likely to visit pubs if a broader range of nonalcoholic options were available, points out Heineken UK. No surprise then, that since its launch in March 2017 the non-alcoholic version of its flagship beer has become the fastest-growing brand in the alcohol-free sector, generating 70 per cent of the volume growth in low- and no- sales (CGA). The bods at Heineken believe they can further boost the category by serving alcohol-free beer on draught and are thus now rolling out Heineken 0.0 on fancy new countertop draught beer dispense system,Blade.

Gordon’s Ultra-Low Alcohol Gin & Tonic Diageo GB

The Wine and Spirit Trade Association’s (WSTA) latest market report (published in September) showed that in the year to 16 June 2018 us Brits bought more than 60 million bottles of gin. At the same time, we know that many people are cutting down on their alcohol intake, so what better time to launch an “ultra-low” gin & tonic? This one, at just 0.5 per cent ABV, hit the on-trade in December, comes in hint of lime and hint of grapefruit flavours, and has a mere 68 calories.

Kopparberg Strawberry & Lime Alcohol-Free Kopparberg UK

In fact, the Swedish cidermaker does not just make this alcohol-free version of its best-selling cider but all four of its most

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loved variants in zero-alcohol versions: Kopparberg Mixed Fruit, Blueberry & Lime, and Pear. The company says sales of the range are growing rapidly, around 23 per cent year on year. No surprise really, when Kopparberg UK points out that two-thirds of 16 to 24-year-olds claim alcohol is not an important part of their social life.

Fluère

Cellar Trends

Named after the Latin word for flow, this nonalcoholic spirit is said to deliver that same pleasant afterbite as alcohol. It is made with the essential oils of juniper, lavender, coriander and lemon peel and is distilled using the same techniques used to create posh perfumes. It was launched last month and this year’s £150,000 marketing push for the new brand will include sampling 10,000 people at food events in the summer and a push in pubs and bars ahead of Sober October.

Old Mout Alcohol Free Berries & Cherries Heineken UK

There are now several alcohol-free ciders on the market to choose from. This one contains the same ingredients as the four per cent ABV version. Drinks like this command a higher retail price than soft drinks, brand owner Heineken says, which “makes them a great way of unlocking additional category value”.

Krombacher Non-Alcoholic Weizen Krombacher UK/Morgenrot

Not content just with the runaway success of its Low Alcohol Pils in the UK,

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the German brewer has released this 0.5 per cent ABV wheat beer. Interestingly, back in Germany non-alcoholic wheat beer is often drunk by marathon runners and triathletes for its recovery properties. In fact, the bods at Krombacher tell us, research from the Department of Preventative and Rehabilitative Sports Medicine of the Technische Universität München highlighted that the consumption of non-alcoholic wheat beer has a positive effect on athletes’ health. Was there ever more reason to go out for a run?

Sheppy’s Low Alcohol Classic Cider Sheppy’s

Launched last summer, this cider has been designed to have the same flavour profile as Sheppy’s traditional ciders and is made with a selection of traditional and dessert cider apples to the same method as the core range. Master of cider David Sheppy says he spent a long time perfecting the recipe to ensure it stayed, “true to our traditional craft cider roots” and reports that the team there were thrilled with the final result.

Michelob Ultra

Budweiser Brewing Group

Designed to “tap into the moderation nation” say the peeps behind this 3.5 per cent ABV lager, which comes in at just 79 calories per can. The premium light beer segment posted an increase in sales of nearly 50 per cent year on year, according to Nielsen. Bud Light, from the same stable and the same ABV, also plays in this part of the market, while Budweiser Prohibition, an alcoholfree version of the self-styled King of Beers, caters for those wanting even less booze.

Hardys Alcohol Free Chardonnay Accolade Wines/Matthew Clark

Hardy’s was founded in 1853 but the brand is keeping bang up to date with these modern times with this new non-alcoholic wine.

It is made using the exact same grapes that go into Hardys Chardonnay but is then dealcoholised to create “an easy-drinking wine that is juicy, refreshing and full of flavour, with tropical and citrus notes.” Who knows what they would have made of that 166 years ago.

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25/04/2019 21:54

eat HOT TOPIC... WHAT’S IN A NAME? Regular readers of these pages will be aware of the various burger options available to the discerning vegan in 2019. Tempted by a beetroot burger or a meatless bleeding burger? Well, enjoy it while you can – a proposal going through the European Parliament is bidding to make it illegal to sell non-meat products under meat-based names.

So out would go Quorn sausages, cauliflower steaks and veggie burgers.

And in would come…? “Veggie discs” has “emerged” as an alternative nomenclature, media outlets were reporting (though it remains unclear from whence that suggestion emerged – one suspects the more sarcastic reaches of the internet).

Who cares what the EU says, you might protest. We’ll be shot of their meddling within a few months, won’t we?

At time of writing, we wouldn’t want to bet on anything, particularly the future of EU food labelling regulations and their potential relationship to UK laws.

If we’re looking for something to unify the UK at this moment in our national conversation, surely one thing

70%

of Brits eat breakfast at least five times a week.

But eight per cent of men never eat breakfast.

Figures from the AA, which is adding a Breakfast of the Year award to its B&B Awards

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we can all agree on is that veggie discs sound absolutely revolting. No publican with half a brain cell is ever going to be inking “veggie disc” on their menu. The name has the whiff of the Euromyths of straight bananas and “high-fat emulsified offal tubes” introduced to the national consciousness by the journalist incarnation of Boris Johnson and a joke on Yes, Minister, respectively.

Even if, in these times of real-life political selfparody, we’re not quite sure whether to laugh.

The serious point the story does raise, is how we name the dishes on our menus, and the effect that has on customer perception.

With plant-based cuisine taking off in a big way, perhaps it’s time to offer your vegetarian and vegan diners something more enticing than a meatless mock-up of a chunk of flesh? What name would you give a veggie dish you were proud to serve, that didn’t breaks any laws but didn’t sound like it was thought up by a comedy Eurocrat?

In these times of changing tastes and rapidly shifting vocabularies, the opportunity is there to offer a dish that sounds even better than a burger.

In season in May

kippers lettuce

apricot peas

crab mackerel

www.bbcgoodfood.com

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BREXIT BURGER

Dave Lewis, operations director, Urban Art Bars The Red Lion, Hockley, Birmingham

The Brexit burger was launched on the Red Lion’s menu nearly three years ago following the Brexit referendum in June 2016.

Created with Italian pastrami, Swiss cheese and Dijon mustard, with the beef burger topped with sauerkraut, this European-inspired meaty feast has proved far more popular than Theresa May’s deal and is the pub’s second bestselling burger.

The burger costs £13.95 and customers have voted “yes” to the beefy beauty, with thousands sold since launch. An average 40 burgers have been sold each week, with sales spikes occurring when any big news in Brexit happens (which of late has been a lot!).

Dave came up with the idea to feature a Brexit burger on the menu, and with input from chefs at The Red Lion they came up with this tasty recipe, which has generated a great reaction from customers on social media and good media coverage. He says: “It is the most expensive burger on the

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menu as it features premium ingredients such as pastrami.

The burger is a bit of fun and we have been promoting it with a jokey tone.

“How Brexit has been playing out has given us new angles to promote it, such as ‘featuring ingredients from Europe. Enjoy it while it lasts’ and ‘if you are bored of Brexit news or don’t understand the news, then have a Brexit burger, which isn’t as complicated as Brexit itself’.”

If and when Brexit finally happens, Dave and the pub’s team are planning on creating a new version. He says: “We will continue to have some fun.”

Other fun themed burgers The Red Lion has featured include: a horse burger which was launched following the horse meat scandal in 2013, with the positioning of customers knowing this burger was definitely horse meat; the Royal Wedding Megan Markle Sparkle Burger, featuring a silver pickle; a World Cup burger; and a Trump Tower burger.

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grill

A view to a

by JO BRUCE

Barbecue buffets at The Lamb and Flag in Leeds. The pub hosts about 25 each summer, catering for up to 100 guests at a time

BBQ Week (27 May to 2 June 2019) is the ideal time to launch the al fresco season at your pub.

But with a wide variety of dietary preferences now demanded by customers, your barbecues this summer need to be imaginative.

“Cook your own” barbecue

Licensee Clive Redfern of The Turf Inn in Exeter, Devon, has been offering “Cook Your Own” barbecues at the pub for the past 28 years. He has hosted around 200 barbecues. They run from the beginning of June to the middle of September, on the pub’s two decks, which feature professional Australian gas barbecues.

A £50 deposit is taken for barbecue bookings and customers pre-order their food from a range of menu packages. Extras such as salads are offered at £3 per person or £25 for a large sharing bowl.

Clive says: “We light the barbecues and get all the food, aprons and recyclable plates laid out and make it all look really nice. There is lots of preparation involved, so we don’t tend to do more than two or three bookings a day. People love it.”

us ensure we reflect the great quality of our food offer across our barbecue food too.

“Great communication with customers prior to the event is key so you give them exactly what you are looking for and manage expectations. Try to be flexible with your offer, but stick to your guns and don’t compromise on quality.”

The Lamb and Flag, operated by Leeds Brewery in the city of the same name, also offers barbecue buffets.

The pub hosted around 25 last summer, catering for up to 100 people for anything from birthday and engagement parties to business meetings.

The pub offers two buffet menus, with options priced at £12.95 and £14.95.

Dishes include mini burgers, mini hot dogs, mac & cheese balls, ribs and vegetable kebabs.

Pre-booked barbecue buffets

Weekend grilling

James Linder, licensee of The Eagle in Norwich, runs a successful “Book a BBQ” concept offering pre-booked parties for 20 to 150 people.

James says: “The barbecues open the pub up to a whole new audience. We do a £12-per-head set menu.

“We had a barbecue booking every night last July. It is great incremental business.

Only doing pre-bookings removes the risk of wastage and weather issues and helps

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Barbecues also run every Friday and Saturday night at the Lamb and Flag on good summer evenings, with around 50 held last summer, including private barbecue parties. Menu options included cheese burgers, foot-long hot dogs, chicken kebabs and lamb koftas.

The World Cup proved big barbecue business for the venue, with around 100 covers served at key games.

The pub’s manager Tom Lancaster is

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eat.

Make your barbie stand out Herb ice-cubes Using more herbs and spices is a simple way to bring a new dimension to barbecue dishes. As barbecue expert Ben Bartlett, author of new book Essential BBQ Herbs and Spices, says: “The use of spices will change the way you cook and barbecue forever.”

He suggests making herb and spice ice cubes to help add depth of flavour to sauces and glazes for barbecue meat, poultry, fish and vegetables.

He adds: “Make smoked ice cubes by cold-smoking the herbs on the barbecue to add an extra flavour dimension.”

Products such as Quorn’s “Ultimate Burger” offer a variety of ways to cater to the veggie market

Global food Add some on-trend global flavours to dishes from South East Asian recipes offered by Karimix UK, including its satay marinade from Indonesia or, for an Oriental twist, its teriyaki sesame sauce.

Uncle Ben’s Katsu Curry sauce is recommended for giving a Japanese twist to chargrilled chicken burgers.

With Caribbean food still popular, a calypso-style barbecue is sure to attract attention. Create West Indian-style chicken with Funnybones Foodservice’s Jamaican jerk marinade or Cajun blackened seasoning. Serve with Jamaican-style vegetables such as fried ripe plantain or rice and peas.

Karimix’s satay marinade can give your barbecue an Asian flavour

“

Our barbecue buffet parties open up the pub to a whole new audience trade.inapub.co.uk

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hoping to replicate this success during the Glastonbury festival, when the pub will be screening coverage and during the UEFA European Championships next year.

Tom says: “For a barbecue to be successful, make sure you sell the area and that it looks good. We have nice trellises, signs and quality tables. Also ensure your chef looks smart.”

Vegan and veggie options As the uptake of vegetarian, flexitarian and vegan diets continues to grow, it is important to ensure you offer interesting options on your barbecue menu too.

Ideal for vegetarians, Eurilait has launched BBQ cheese steaks and cheese sausages in a new Al Fresco range, which also includes hot eating cheeses to cook on the barbecue, ideal for sharing with crusty bread or crudités and presented in barbecue ready foil trays.

Quorn is introducing an “Ultimate Burger”’ from June, which offers a non-soy, thick-cut quarter-pounder that is made succulent with the juice of beets.

MAY 2019

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Neighbourhood nosh

by MICHELLE PERRETT

“Locally sourced” is a phrase that pub-goers love to see on menus, but does it have to mean growing your own carrots or complicated agreements with myriad suppliers?

For Mike Keen, licensee at The Boot at Freston, Suffolk, it is most certainly the former. He has his own kitchen garden on site, growing vegetables including asparagus, Jerusalem artichokes, kale and garlic, as well as two herb gardens.

The pub also has beehives, ducks and chickens for eggs, plus three sheep and a turkey.

This is supplemented with ingredients from a range of local suppliers, including potatoes from a farmer seven miles away, leaf products from Woodbridge nine miles away, pork from Blytheburgh and Southwold and beef from Copdock, a village four miles from the pub.

“It just makes sense. It is wrong that you have acres and acres of plastic sheeting in Spain and you are importing salad that has been flown and then goes on the road to us,” Mike says. “The whole logistics thing is crazy. If you want to buy English brown shrimp, it has to come from Spain. The whole harvest goes to Spain and it has to come on a lorry back to England.

There are so many instances like that

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and it is ridiculous.”

He argues that sourcing locally adds value for pub customers, supports local producers as well as reducing food miles.

“You have to put a bit of effort in to source local. Sometimes, unfortunately, it does cost a bit more because you are not buying it mass produced,” he says. “It is almost all from small, local producers and they haven’t got the benefits of scale. But the taste is way better than any of the mass-produced food.”

Spark your creativity

Buying in season shouldn’t be too demanding, Mike argues, as having a chef who can be creative with the menu means you can then charge a premium.

“A lot of chefs in a lot of places get into a rut of putting the same dishes on the menu,” he warns.

Licensee Robin Hunter of the award-winning Saracen’s Head in Shirley, Derbyshire, agrees that sourcing locally and using items in season should not present too much of a challenge to a good operator.

“Seasonality just tests the gumption of the chef really. If something isn’t in season we can’t use it, so we use what is in season,” he says. “The benefit of buying locally is you generally know where it comes from, how it has been bred, grown or raised.”

The pub recently opened a farm shop and deli after receiving a grant from Pub is The Hub, which offers local produce and even ready meals, which are versions of meals cooked in the pub. While the majority of its products are sourced from within five miles of the pub, he supports the idea that provenance is crucial and says he knows where “more or less” everything is sourced from, even if it is from further afield. Buying

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HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF LOCAL PRODUCE USE MENUS AND SPECIALS BOARDS to tell the story of the food you serve, such as the name of the boat which landed the fish, or the farm where the meat for the sausages came from USE MENU DESCRIPTIONS such as ‘catch of the day’ and ‘served with fresh seasonal veg’ to keep dishes flexible and make the most of availability from suppliers

Robin Hunter of the Saracen’s Head opened a farm shop with a grant from Pub is the Hub

local can cost more, he concedes, but he argues it is worth it because the produce is “of a much higher standard”.

“

Focusing on a few key ingredients, rather than an entire menu, can be the key

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Local heroes

Of course, for many pubs, locally sourcing on this scale might not be practical. In which case, focusing on a few key ingredients rather than an entire menu can be the key..“Local doesn’t have to mean ‘hyper-local’, as long as the provenance is clear, says Laurence Tottingham, development chef at Oliver Kay Produce, part of the Bidfresh group.

“Buccleuch Beef from Campbell Brothers of Scotland, or fresh fish landed in Brixham, are great examples of British products which will work on menus everywhere.”

And, while meat and fish are often the “hero products” on local menus, highlighting local sourcing for vegetables can

FEATURE SOUPS, PIES AND CRUMBLES on menus to get the best value from fresh meat, fish, fruit and veg, such as fish pie made with the trimmings from fillets

also have strong appeal, he says.

“As we move into summer, saying where seasonal veg such as asparagus and broccoli, and fruit such as fresh strawberries, are sourced from will add to consumers’ appreciation, as will a cheeseboard featuring speciality and regional cheeses.

“Using fresh produce when it’s at its best in terms of quality and availability can often also be the best value option as well. The important thing is to work closely with suppliers to stay on top of the produce that’s available, which can change from week to week and day-to-day. Planning menus around the seasons needn’t be an expensive option.”

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play HIGHLIGHT OF THE MONTH

National Walking Month pubs to get involved with: Local Community History Month gives you a chance to show how your business has been a long-term player in the local community, while Vegetarian Week (May 13) and BBQ Week (May 27) let your kitchen team show how they can cater for everyone’s dietary needs.

From astronomers to zither players, pubs host clubs for everyone. Over the next few months we’ll be celebrating some of the best.

Many freehouses are great forums for discussion about a range of topics but the Halfway House has taken things a little further.

Once a week its discussion group takes over the function room upstairs to put the world to rights, covering topics such as press freedom, ethics and democracy.

t pub clu ea

bs

DISCUSSION GROUP• HALFWAY HOUSE POLBATHIC, CORNWALL

gr

Just looking at these pages shows you how packed with sporting action May will be. Customers can get fit themselves by taking part in National Walking Month and you can do your bit by offering walkers a place to start or finish.

In fact, there are loads of special events this month for

Licensee Jessica Stanton (pictured) says: “We let them use the room for free and I don’t mind if of they only have a pint each, it’s new B ri t a i n people through the door. They often have a drink afterwards anyway.

“Some of the subjects are really interesting and I’d like to sit in but I’m usually too busy,” Jessica adds.

The pub was also the initial meeting place for Cornwall’s Extinction Rebellion group, the non-violent activist group that campaigns and fights against climate breakdown.

Jessica says “The South East Cornwall group started out here but they got bigger and bigger and outgrew the room. They still come, though, and now there is a Polbathic branch.”

The pub also has two book clubs and a drawing club, meaning the function room is usually busy.

Jessica adds: “It’s great on those mid-week nights to get people into the pub.”

Does your pub host a club with a difference that has helped grow your business? Let us know by emailing editorial@inapub.co.uk

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play.

Pic: Mitch Gunn/Shutterstock.com

Cricket World Cup

England’s limited overs side will be attempting to translate their number one world ranking into World Cup-winning status in a tournament that goes on deep into July.

May 30—July 14, Sky Sports Pic: Getty

Heineken Champions Cup

Saturday May 11, BT Sport

Also happening this month FA Cup Final

Manchester City’s hopes of winning an unprecedented quadruple are gone, but they can claim a double (perhaps a treble?) in the showpiece finale at Wembley. Watford stand in their way.

May 18, 5pm BT Sport, BBC 1

EFL Play-offs

The bank holiday weekend will see Wembley packed for three consecutive days as hopefuls from League Two, League One, and the Championship look to go up a division in the best possible way.

May 25-27, Sky Sports

On the last day of what has been a thrilling Premier League campaign, Liverpool host Wolves while Man City head to the Sussex coast to face Brighton in games that could decide the title.

Sunday May 12, 3pm, Sky Sports

Bank holidays

Glorious May brings two Bank Holidays and an extra opportunity for busy trading days. May the sun shine down on your beer garden.

May 6 and 27

Pic: Getty

The Champions League semis are at the start of the month and the final is on the first day of June. Impress your customers with these Euro footy facts…

Neither Real Madrid or Atletico will feature in this year’s final but the city of Madrid will, with the final taking place at the latter’s new 68,000 capacity Wanda Metropolitano.

Europe’s premier rugby union competition concludes with the final at Newcastle’s St James’ Park. The Challenge Cup Final takes place in the same location the day before.

Premier League

Did you know?

Champions League

Tottenham’s victory over Manchester City made them the seventh English side to reach the semi-finals, following in the footsteps of Man Utd, Man City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and Leeds.

The final will again be played on a Saturday.

It was moved from its traditional mid-week slot in 2010 to make it a more family-friendly affair.

Beer can be consumed in stadiums for Champions League matches, as long as national rules allow this. Uefa dropped its in-stadium ban at the start of the season.

With eight Champions League hat-tricks each nobody can match the feats of Ronaldo and Messi. Who’s the best, though? Well, that’s a debate for the pub.

Champions League final, Saturday June 1, BT Sport

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25/04/2019 22:58

Over to you,

by MATT ELEY

Fara Williams and Rachel Brown-Finnis looking forward to the BT Sport Pub Cup at The Gun in London’s Hackney. The England legends will be managing the two teams in the final

Lionesses

We all know that a successful national team in a summer sporting tournament can only be positive news for the UK pub trade. And this summer hopes are pinned on the England Women’s football team.

Over the last few years women’s football has experienced growth like never before in this country.

The Women’s Super League has entered a full-time professional era, backed with a new multimillion-pound sponsorship deal with Barclays, broadcasters are giving the game more coverage and players are becoming heroes to the next generation of footballers.

Much of the success stems from the last World Cup, in Canada in 2015, where the Lionesses exceeded expectations by

finishing the tournament in third place.

With Phil Neville having led them to triumph in the She Believes Cup in March and third place in the FIFA world rankings there are high hopes that they could go one or even two steps further in France.

What’s more, England kick off the campaign against Scotland in a game where rivalry and passion will be running high.

Michelle Payne, licensee at freehouse the Ingate Inn in Beccles, Suffolk, is looking forward to the tournament.

She says: “We sponsor Beccles Town Ladies FC and we expect they will come in to watch the tournament. But it isn’t about women watching women’s football, it is about everyone enjoying great sport.

“The World Cup last summer was crazy and you don’t often see that. The women’s game has been growing but it still has a long way to go. We will be showing it and pushing it hard through our social media channels to let people know that it’s going on.”

Just like in the men’s game, success for England could give the business a big boost.

“We need England to be successful. If they can go a little bit further than the men that would be fantastic,” adds Michelle.

The trade has been throwing its support behind the sport too. Sports pub finder app MatchPint recently organised a briefing with Budweiser to help pubs make the most of the competition.

On International Women’s Day this year

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play.

FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP, FRANCE 2019: KEY DATES FRIDAY, JUNE 7 - OPENING DAY France v Korea

8pm

SUNDAY, JUNE 9 England v Scotland

5pm

FRIDAY, JUNE 14 Japan v Scotland England v Argentina

2pm 8pm

WEDNESDAY JUNE 19 Japan v England Scotland v Argentina

8pm 8pm

SATURDAY JUNE 22 – TUESDAY, JUNE 25 Round of 16

England are one of the favourites for this summer’s World Cup

the beer giant announced it was entering into a partnership to become an official partner of the England Women’s football team.

More than a game

“

It isn’t about women watching women’s football, it’s about everyone watching great sport

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Paula Lindenberg, president for AB InBev UK & Ireland, said: “We believe that football is more than just a game – it’s a huge part of our culture, and one of the best ways to bring people together, which is why Budweiser and football share a natural affinity. We couldn’t be more excited to take this bond to the next level, by supporting the incredibly skilful Lionesses at this point in their journey.

“We believe that our values match the Lionesses’ perfectly. We champion passion and ambition – qualities that the England Women’s team display every time they step on the pitch.”

Meanwhile BT Sport this year added a women’s tournament to its annual grassroots football tournament, The Pub Cup. England’s most capped player Fara Williams and former Lionesses keeper Rachel Brown-Finnis will be managing teams in the tournament.

Speaking at a Pub Cup launch event Fara Williams said: “We are one of the fastestgrowing sports and women’s football is on the up. When the World Cup and European

THURSDAY JUNE 27 – SUNDAY, JUNE 29 Quarter-finals TUESDAY, JULY 2 Semi-final 1

8pm

WEDNESDAY, JULY 3 Semi-final 2

8pm

SATURDAY, JULY 6 Third place playoff

4pm

SUNDAY, JULY 7 WORLD CUP FINAL

4pm

All games live on BBC

Championship comes along, the games are televised and we get more interest.

“It’s about sustaining that after the tournament and maintaining that interest.”

Rachel Brown-Finnis adds: “The success of the England’s women’s team has been a catalyst to the growth of the game and that has been well followed by broadcasters and now we go into the summer as one of the favourites. Success always brings interest.

It has been on an upward journey so far but the next thing is winning something.”

Dare to dream…

MAY 2019

39

25/04/2019 23:16

Get a shuffle on

by MATT ELEY

Table sports have taken a huge hit ever since the food revolution pushed pubs to find more space for diners. But is a new import, Shuffleboard, about to buck the trend? Hundreds of tables have been installed across the country, but is this a guaranteed way of bringing in a younger crowd or a fad that will soon slide away into the distance?

We got our game face on to to find out more.

What is it?

It’s a game played with pucks on a long table (you can get tables from 12ft up to 22ft long).

You can play in two teams or singles. Players take it in turns to slide their pucks into the scoring zones at the opposite end of the table. The side with the best-scoring puck or pucks picks up the points. First to 15 wins.

Where is it?

Liam McKeown of The Hercules” “It’s a quick game to learn but it’s harder than it looks”

Tables are emerging all over the country but you’ll mainly find them in sports bars and major cities. Supplier Shufl is expecting to install its 100th table in the UK this month.

We visited Fuller’s latest opening, The Hercules in London’s Lambeth, to have a go on one of its recent installations.

The table is upstairs at the two-storey venue, fitting in perfectly with the funky artwork, neon lighting and informal dining tables.

Hercules general manager Liam McKeown says: “It’s a quick game to learn but it’s harder than it looks which keeps it interesting. We talked a lot about an activity and what would fit the vibe and space. Shuffleboard was the natural choice,” he adds.

Who’s playing?

All sorts have been trying it out at The Hercules, which attracts a mixed crowd

of residents, workers and tourists.

It also appeals to a younger crowd so it could be a way of encouraging those drinkshy millennials into the pub.

How do you make money?

There’s no slot for a pound coin on a shuffleboard table. Instead, you hire it out.

The Hercules charges £25 for an hour or £15 for 30 minutes. Liam says: “It seems expensive but per person it isn’t much, and the table does take some maintaining.”

The Dockyard in Manchester, meanwhile, has introduced free shuffleboard on Mondays to drive people in on quieter days.

Both businesses are supplied by Shufl, which specialises in premium tables. As well as providing the table and cleaning kit, they also train staff on the rules of the game and how to maintain the table. Shufl says the game increases both customer spend and dwell time, generating an average of around £4,000 a month in gameplay revenue alone.

Couldn’t you make more with dining tables?

Maybe, maybe not. For really busy periods such as Sunday lunch, the table can be covered with a top and used for dining anyway.

More to the point, it taps into the growing

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“

Shuffleboard can be a team game and it allows for a collaborative approach that fits with the social element of the pub

desire for customers to enjoy an activity.

“It fits with what we are going for. It looks stylish and people do want something to do when they go out. Shuffleboard can also be a team game and it allows for more of a collaborative approach that fits with the social element of the pub,” says Liam.

He adds: “We have a lot of tables in the building. It’s about having something a bit different. It makes the room look great with the décor and the neon. It has a great atmosphere and the game fits with it.”

Dafydd Evans, Shufl chief executive, adds: “Shufl satisfies the demands of the experience-driven younger generations, who want active, memory-making socialising, which involves less alcohol consumption and prioritises quality over quantity.”

Is it a fad?

Time will tell, but it looks like shuffleboard is far from its peak. Liam says: “I think it is about to have its big moment.”

Dafydd adds: “Shuffleboards in Oslo and Stockholm are booked throughout the week with some venues housing more than 10 tables. The game has been established there for a decade now, so it’s proven itself as a concept with longevity.”

For now, the Hercules table is used by those who hire it out, but Liam is looking to start a league in the pub and may expand this to other Shufl sites in the future.

Dafydd says: “Our pub partners find holding tournaments helps develop a player community. They also use them to encourage people to come to the pub during quieter times by offering prizes for the winners such as bar tabs.”

How did Inapub get on in its first game?

It’s the taking part that counts.

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stay 11

(Back) packing ’em in

by MICHELLE PERRETT

Room to enjoy yourself: the social side of staying in a hostel works well with the traditional pub offer for players like Beds & Bars (above) and PubLove (below)

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Letting out a few B&B rooms is an obvious way to expand what a pub has to offer — but what about diversifying into the booming youth hostel sector?

Offering hostel rooms can be a complicated business and one that requires the right location, offer, licensee and staff.

Gone are the days when you could just set up a load of bunk beds and wait for the bookings — the current generation of backpackers are much more demanding than that. And while backpackers can bring an energy to the business, you may not be keen on having rafts of young guests descending on the premises at all hours.

One of the big players in this sector is Beds & Bars, which has 19 venues across Europe including London, Cardiff, Newquay, Bath and Edinburgh. Its core market is 18- to 35-year-old backpackers.

Not so spartan

Sites offer a range of different-sized dorms, as well as some private rooms, with prices starting from as little as £12 for a bed in the off-peak season.

While hostels offer great value for money, Ben Kelly, group head of marketing at Beds & Bars, says traveller expectations have grown, with free Wi-Fi and continental breakfast, as well as security and privacy, becoming increasingly important.

“There are a lot of solo travellers out there who want to know their belongings are safe,” Ben says.

The operator has introduced privacy curtains, key cards and lockers, as well as capsule beds in dorm rooms, to cater for

these requirements.

Having the hostels on site with a pub and bar offer works well for the businesses. As well as providing a social environment, it gives an opportunity to upsell on food and drink items, which residents receive at 25 per cent discount.

“The reason our bars work so well is because of our social element, as backpackers want to meet each other,” he says.

“Our pubs are traditional and they are attractive to backpackers as they come and want to see what a pub feels like.”

It’s a similar story to the success of one of the newer players in the market, PubLove.

PubLove signed a deal with Ei Managed Investments to open hostel pubs in sites across London. The accommodation now contributes 40 per cent of sales at its five venues, which have between 65 and 80 beds a site. It is about to open its sixth site in London Bridge and has three more sites set to open by the end of the year.

Mark Gibbons, head of accommodation at PubLove, says one important part of the jigsaw is location. “You want easy transport so the backpackers can literally just get off the Tube or at a bus station and have a fiveor 10-minute walk, if that,” he says.

The more the merrier

“First of all they are looking for cheap accommodation because they are here to explore the city. The other thing with

trade.inapub.co.uk 26/04/2019 00:35

Backpacker expectation has grown, with wifi, privacy and security top concerns

“

Hospitality is demanding and if pubs are looking to move into hostels they need to be open 24 hours

the hostel experience is meeting new people. It is that social thing and that is why people don’t mind sharing with 10 other people in a room.”

Since opening its first site — the Green Man in Paddington — Mark says PubLove has had to adapt its services, adding reading lights, USB charging points and wet rooms to accommodate customer demands.

“I think the up and coming market is the Asian market,” he says. “They have a really strong economy and they have got money to burn. They stay longer. The average in the industry is about 2.5 to three days — with the Asian market it is probably four or five.”

The Walrus Bar and Hostel at London Bridge is already witnessing this trend, attracting a large number of customers from all over the world, including South Korea.

According to Alexander Vicens, hostel manager at the 68-bed venue, the pub element, even though it does not have a commercial kitchen, is a major attraction.

It charges £20 to £30 a night with a basic breakfast offer of toast, cereals and fruit, which is also a big selling point.

He says it is crucial to have the right staff on board who can work in both the bar and the accommodation business.

“The main thing is that staff should be involved in both businesses and be able to work behind the bar, and at the same time offer an experience to the guests,” he says.

“Hospitality is quite demanding and if pubs are looking to move into hostels they need to be open 24 hours.”

Ben from Beds & Bars agrees, saying running a hostel is not for everyone. “You have to have the right team in place. You want a mixture of long-termers and backpackers and the systems to run a hostel such as check-in and yield management,” he says.

“Don’t get into running a hostel if you don’t like travelling. We are all travellers and we love it.”

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back-bar business

9

by ROBYN BLACK

Plants for your pub garden Adding a few plants to borders, baskets and pots can transform your outdoor space, but which plants work best in a hard-working pub garden?

We asked some green-fingered publicans and gardening experts for their choice of pub plants.

1

Geraniums

One of the most popular plants for flower beds, geraniums come in a wide variety of shades, shapes and sizes and are relatively simple to take care of.

Tracey Leaver creates such head-turning floral displays at her pub, The Chequers Inn in Laddingford, Kent, that they have become a local attraction. She uses them in her hanging baskets and pots as they can tolerate quite dry conditions.

“In the summer, soil can dry out quite quickly. We water our tubs by hand, which can be time-consuming, so we don’t want plants that need watering a lot,” Tracey says.

In fact, if it’s not baking hot, geraniums may only need watering weekly and are a good choice for shadier gardens and corners. They will also provide scent — anything from citrus notes to a rose-like smell, depending on the variety.

2

Lavender

If it’s scent you are looking to add to your garden, you can’t go wrong with lavender. Its fragrance, which is known to reduce stress and lift moods, is accompanied by foliage that runs from green

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to silvery grey and flowers that don’t come in just the more well-known purple but also pink or white.

It’s also a hardy plant and very droughtresistant once established. Use in borders and troughs to add colour and interest, as well as scent.

3

Conifers

4

Herbs

Chris Driver is the licensee of The Derry in Long Newton, winner of the Best Garden category in this year’s Star Pubs & Bars Awards.

“We spent £60,000 turning our outdoor area into a family-friendly area and sports hub,” he says. New facilities include an outdoor bar, pizza oven, kids’ play area and three shed-style pods, artificial grass and, of course, plants.

“We really prioritised easy maintenance on the planting and conifers are hardy evergreens that don’t need too much care,” he says. “They provide year-round greenery and then in the summer we add in hanging baskets, which give some colour.”

Chris has also planted herbs in his award-winning garden, which

trade.inapub.co.uk 26/04/2019 00:58

“

Daffodils are such a cheery sight after the darkness of winter and lots of people stop to have their photo taken with them

get used in the pub’s meals and drinks.

Rosemary, thyme and bay have grown the most successfully, been the most versatile to use and have provided a nice talking point for punters, he says.

“I invested £2,500 in plants for the garden in total and I got a lot more for my money by approaching a local nursery and garden centre,” he says. “We struck a deal whereby we advertise where we got our plants from via signs in the garden in exchange for a discount, and that has worked out really well for both businesses.”

5

Daffodils

These flowers will provide a cheerful display early in the year.

At The Chequers Inn, Tracey plants around 1,500 daffodil bulbs in the autumn and the subsequent display in early spring can cause quite a stir. “They are such a cheery sight after the darkness of winter and lots of people stop to have their photo taken with them,” she says.

6

Tulips

Tracey mixes in her daffs with tulips, pansies and primulas to create a “bold, bright and beautiful” display.

Tulips are very popular and come in a variety of colours but the flowers don’t last long — a few weeks at best.

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7

Pansies

8

Primulas

9

Honeysuckle

Pansies, on the other hand, will last longer and can also provide a little autumn colour once the rest of the summer blooms have faded. They are also very easy to grow — so much so, that the Royal Horticultural Society recommends them for children.

Primulas are also spring flowers and are similarly easy to grow.

They come in a variety of colours, will keep flowering for weeks and return in subsequent years — they even crosspollinate and multiply, so you should get your money’s worth.

Climbing plants are great for pub gardens as they take up very little space and can be trained up walls, arches and fences to create a beautiful backdrop.

PHS Greenleaf, the planting and landscape specialist, recommends choosing a scented one such as honeysuckle or jasmine that will add fragrance to your beer garden too. With its cream, trumpet-shaped flowers, honeysuckle can be grown in either sun or partial shade and can reach up to six metres in height. It also gives off a powerful, sweet scent which is popular with many.

MAY 2019 45 26/04/2019 00:58

time at the bar

PLATE OR SLATE? Where the nation’s pub people stand on the really big questions Ben Bullman,

Plate or slate?

George IV, Chiswick, London

Please no slates… or spades… or scales…

I’ve still not figured out why some people seem opposed to humble crockery. For me there’s nothing wrong with a plate, so I’d take it any day.

Ben began his career as a student barman at the award-winning Royal Pier in Aberystwyth, before taking the helm at The Boatman in Kingstonupon-Thames. Now at the George IV, he runs one of the Fuller’s estate’s flagship sites, which is known in the area for its community involvement.

Cocktails or cask ale?

More of a tricky one for me. I guess I’d go cask ale these days, despite starting out in cocktail bars. A pub seems to need to be many things to all people but cocktails should always be done right and that’s not always the easiest thing in our working environment.

Table service or order at the bar?

Both will always have their place I feel. We operate “assisted” bar service at lunch to give our guests some flexibility, with full table service in the dining room. Bar service is the order of the day at the front of the pub though and I think guests these days don’t mind that. People want engagement and to feel welcome, so as long as that’s there I’m easy.

our household… though I see a few strolling down the high road. Skinny jeans it is.

Wear what you like or uniforms for the staff?

I like my team to show a bit of personality behind the bar. I give general guidelines but beyond that it’s up to them. It helps give a pub a feeling of independence… even if it’s not! I think guests and your locals like to see a bit of who your team are.

Dogs allowed or the only animals are on the menu?

I’ve always been dog-friendly in every site I’ve ran and it won’t change. Most of the time they’re more well behaved than the guests they come with! I vicariously own all my locals’ dogs until I can get my own.

Wellies or heels?

While my wellies may look out of place in Chiswick, they have to win out. One day I’ll have my country pub complete with spaniels in tow.

Karaoke or pub quiz?

Has to be a pub quiz for me. We have a cracker run by our quiz master Adam and a great set of regular teams. I think it’s a brilliant and classic pub event that can add a lot to your business if embraced properly and with some perseverance to help it grow.

Mustard cords or skinny jeans?

Ha! My girlfriend wouldn’t let me out in mustard cords…the north/south divide in

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26/04/2019 01:02

Introducing the pub trade’s first DIGITAL online guide to digital marketing Only

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Order your digital marketing guide today 0800 160 1986 • www.inapub.co.uk • sales@inapub.co.uk

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inapub 23/04/2018 13:23

23/04/2018 13:20

Staff at The Sun in Ulverston, Westmorland, jumped at the chance to raise funds for charity with a Grand National Day. Race screenings, special offers on food, a donkey derby in the garden and free bets for customers at Betfred over the road were all part of the fun. The day raised around £300 for BLISS, which funds research into premature births and neonatal illnesses. General manager Sam Scott (pictured, second left), said: “The place was really busy. We ran three sweepstakes, so there were nine winners in total. It was a lovely family day.”

THE COLLECTION TIN What pubs around the country are doing to help good causes The White Horse in Silverstone, Northamptonshire, held a music night and auction for mental health charity Mind. The event was in memory of former landlord Les Adams, who took his own life five years ago. The Licensed Trade Charity offers advice on mental health issues - www.licensedtradecharity.org.uk

A ladies’ darts night at The George & Dragon in Flint, Wales, raised just under £450 for charity North Wales Superkids.

Gillian Duffy, who played on the winning team, organised the event in memory of her mother Jean Harrison, who died several years ago after having worked as a foster carer.

Sophie, a former street dog, was one of the dogs walking in The Wheelwright’s Arms’ charity dog walk to raise funds for Battersea Dogs’ Home. Katy and Daryl Cooper, licensees at the pub in Hurst, Berkshire, rescued Sophie from Cyprus.

The Froth n Elbow in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, held a night of pool, karaoke and more to help local grandmother Clare McGarvey raise more than £1,200 for Cancer Research. Clare, 42, has watched three family members battle the disease.

A charity is appealing to publicans to get involved in a fun awareness initiative to help drive blood stem cell donor registrations. The Team Margot Foundation, co-founded by industry entrepreneur Yaser Martini is asking operators to help spread the message through “Pinkspiration Week” which is taking place from Tuesday, July 23 to Tuesday, July 30. Ideas for activities include a pink drinks list, pinkinspired dishes or teams wearing pink.

Yaser is pictured towing the Team Margot Atlantic Rowers’ boat, which will be rowed 3,000 miles across the Atlantic by a team of four dads to promote the cause. The rowers are sponsored by cidermaker Orchard Pig. For more information on the Team Margot Atlantic Rowers and ideas on how to get involved in ‘Pinkspiration’ Week visit www.WeRowYouRegister.org

Are you raising funds for a great cause? Let us know at editorial@inapub.co.uk

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PUB GARDENS 10

TOP

It’s time to embrace the outdoors. Here are some pubs that do 1

3

1. The Fleece Inn

Bretforton, Worcestershire This 15th-century village pub falls firmly into the “quintessentially English” category.

Owned by the National Trust, the pub garden features its very own orchard, making it the perfect place to sip a thirst-quenching cider.

2. The Sun Inn

Romsley, Worcestershire One to take the kids to so they can enjoy the huge play area. Much of the garden equipment is made from recycled materials, so you can sip a drink and feel good about yourself as well.

5

3. Haden Cross Inn

Cradley Heath, West Midlands Not blessed with a beach or much in the way of external space? The Haden Cross’s new outdoor eating area shows how you can maximise what you’ve got.

4. The Castle 7

Edgehill, Warwickshire Look out from the garden across the civil war battlefield to some of the most stunning views in the Cotswolds. Or you can enjoy a film in the garden cinema whilst marvelling at the fact that this pub used to be an actual castle.

7. The Fox Goes Free

Goodwood, West Sussex Regularly talked about as one of the best in Britain, the spacious garden has wild herbs, secluded seating and overlooks National Trust site Levin Down. And it has a brilliant name too.

8. The Fishes

North Hinksey, Oxfordshire Arguably the pub that really put Peach Pub Company on the map. The stunning garden has its own menu, is ideal for events and, get this, even has a tipi you can hire out.

9. The Pomfret Arms

Northampton Billed as one of Northampton’s best-kept secrets but with dramatic lighting, handmade tables, bicycle plant stands, live music events and its very own brewery. We think the cat might be out of the bag.

10. Prince of Wales

Moseley, Birmingham This pub garden is more of a playground for adults. The fully covered area is heated all year round and you’ll even get staff who will bring shots to your table. Add in a tiki bar, street food and the “shed du vin” and you’re in for a good night.

9

5. The Buck Inn 8

10

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Thornton Watlass, North Yorkshire Check out that lawn at The Buck Inn. It’s hard to imagine it’s ever had booze, food and fags anywhere near it, which is a testament to the owners Vicki and Tony Jowett (and Vicki’s green-fingered parents) who have transformed the space.

6. The Fisherman’s Cot

Tiverton, Devon Sit outside and enjoy the same view of the River Exe and the Bickleigh Bridge that is believed to have inspired Paul Simon to write Bridge Over Troubled Water. He stayed at the pub in 1960.

26/04/2019 01:17

time at the bar

HAIR OF THE DOG Tales of the unexpected from the wonderful world of pubs A thief in the knight made an rse Inn in Minety, Wiltshire, The Vale of the White Ho seen at the n ofte re safe return of a figu emotional appeal for the was a familght kni ck bla the , chess set bar. Part of the pub’s giant t month. las g partner, but went missin iar sight in the pub with its ire rsh ste uce told the Wilts & Glo A spokesman for the pub ing us it’s tell bar the at sat n ght has bee Standard: “Our black kni we a few eks. r that’s been missing for worried about its partne to play in the ple on the terrace for peo We usually have a board the board, but ke ma to bs rnate patio sla summer, we jet wash alte missing it’s not going obviously with our knight r. If anybody knows to work so well this summe er black knight oth our of of the whereabouts Vale in Minety. You then please return it to the high five if it returns, may be rewarded with a or not.” ht have been Speculation the knight mig ad, The Castle or taken by The Queen’s He ded. oun unf The Bishop is entirely

God bigger than pubs shocker In news that would have cheered the members of a Victorian temperance society, the National Church Trust announced that there are now more churches in the UK than pubs.

With the UK having lost nearly a quarter of its pubs in the past decade, there are now reckoned to be around 39,000 left.

Churches, too, might not be getting the love they used to, but with around 40,300 of them still being used for worship, they can now claim to be weathering the storm of modern life better than pubs.

Those who prefer a watering hole to the water of life might argue that many of these churches are little-used buildings, with far more people visiting pubs than churches.

It’s not a competition though. Spiritual sustenance comes in many forms, and these two pillars of the community are still represented in their tens of thousands.

Can I see some ID please?

Long gone are the days when an enterprising 16-year-old could get served simply by giving a falsified date of birth and putting on a deep voice.

In these times of Challenge 25, the industry is doing far better at weeding out the underage drinkers.

Coco’s in St Helens, Merseyside, has taken it up a notch, however. “SORRY OVER 35s ONLY ALLOWED IN THIS BAR” reads a sign that has gone up in the window. Owner Mandy Stanley insists she is prioritising the safety and happiness of her customers.

“Most of my customers are 50 and over,” she told the St Helen’s Star. That is shown in the opening times I have and the entertainment I put on. A lot of people come in to laugh at my customers enjoying themselves and I won’t have it.”

Sounds like a fine idea to us. Now we just need to find a pub where we won’t get wound up by those upstart 38-year-olds…

Fork filchers Where have all th e soup spoons gone? A new su 17 million Brits — rvey suggests nearly a quarter of the populatio stolen tableware n– have from pubs, bars and restaurants, cost to the indust at a total ry of £186m.

A third of Brits ha ve at least one or cups tucked aw two stolen glasse ay at home, while s or a whopping thre people admit th e million at every item of cr oc kery, glassware cutlery in their ho and me is stolen.

The people of Sh effield emerged as the worst offe with 17 per cent nders, admitting to pock eting something once a week. M more than ore than a third of 18- to 24-year ted to having sto -olds admitlen tableware, wh ile the over-54s pilfer condimen preferred to ts. “Giving your customers an un experience is a forgettable double-edged sw ord – sometimes they clearly want , to take a bit of th at experience home with them,” said David Di Gioa cchino, marketin campaign manag g er at supplier Ni sbets, which commissioned th e survey.

50 MAY 2019

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