Inapub magazine august 2016 issue 57

inapub

Issue 57 August 2016 ÂŁ3.95 trade.inapub.co.uk

The colour of their money

How a tactical paint job can make your customers stay longer and spend more

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here was a brilliant documentary on TV recently about the opening ceremony at London 2012. It was incredible to see the logistics involved in bringing it all together. Remember the drumming, thousands of volunteers banging buckets in perfect harmony? How do you get so many people with limited musical backgrounds to do that? The lead percussionist explained: ‘If you can say it you can play it.” And he tapped out a rhythm to the words of “play the drum so your mum can see you on TV”.

The simplicity was genius. Something that looked extremely complex had been broken down to its component parts.

This can be applied to pubs. Our lead feature this month looks at how you can use colours most effectively. When you enter pubs you quickly know if you feel comfortable in the environment , sometimes without really knowing why. Breaking it down to elements such as getting the right colours in the right parts of the business will help you attract the people you want .

And of course this month you can also try to get people marching to the beat of another Olympics.

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this month The power of colour•Giving food away

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drink Mix up your mixers • The world’s biggest beers

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eat New talent in the kitchen • Make your gravy great

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play Hospitality for horses• Start a golf society

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back-bar business Next Generation• Digital Marketing Guide

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Editor Matt Eley • Deputy editor Robyn Black •

60 time at the bar Quiz team names• Your work for charity

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Eat writer Bronya Smolen •

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Production editor Ben Thrush •

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Chief executive Barrie Poulter • Sales & marketing director Matt Roclawski •

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Visit us online at trade.inapub.co.uk

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Sales manager Adam Skinner • Subscriptions trade.inapub.co.uk/magazine •

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this month.

BARSTOOL EXPERT The Great British Beer Festival at London’s Olympia Fancy a trip to that there London town this summer?

Absolutely! The Bolshoi are doing Le Corsaire at the Royal Opera House in August, which I’d love to see

That sounds,…um,…not my thing at all. I was thinking more of a few days at the biggest pub in the world.

What, the ones called KnickerMocha-Muffdive or Legspreader with accompanying pic of a buxom blonde?

Yes, those actual ones.

Hmmmm, I’m not sure about that but it is canvassing its 180,000 members on a possible change in focus.

To what?

OK, where’s that, exactly?

The Great British Beer Festival at Olympia on August 9-13 this year.

Nine hundred real ales, ciders, perries and international beers all under one roof.

Isn’t it just middle-aged men munching pies and chugging back pints of eight per cent ABV Sticky Dog Wicket?

There is a bit of that but CAMRA, which runs it, is trying to broaden its appeal.

So there’ll be a delicious range of craft keg beers on offer and some tasty lagers?

Um, no, not quite.

And there’s the rub, what’s the point of a real ale festival when I can get a more diverse range of beers in my local? Indeed, if that’s the case, what’s the point of CAMRA itself any more?

Maybe highlighting the plight of pubs, or other options include ‘becoming a consumer organisation for all beer drinkers, all pub-goers regardless of what they drink, or even all alcohol drinkers, regardless of where they drink it.’

It’ll have to change its name then, though.

Indeed, members are being asked about a name change.

Interesting, so when will we see the results of all this consulting?

Not for a while yet.

Oh, I was hoping for the all-new Sensible Drinking Alliance For All Drinkers Of All Beverages As Long As They Contain Alcohol, Formerly known as CAMRA, to be revealed at the GBBF.

That’s a terrible suggestion for a name.

What, not snappy enough?

I admit it is quite the victim of its own success, so much so that it is currently undergoing a Revitalisation Project.

Excellent! Is it finally going to ban those sexist pump clips?

Worth a punt: Getting a bunch of your regulars together for a trip to one of the world’s greatest beer festivals Don’t bother with: hanging around for the announcement of the Champion Beer of Britain on the afternoon of the first day.

For the first time it’s been given its own dedicated ceremony in the evening.

Pic: Jarle Hannen Knudsen

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IN THE TRADE THIS MONTH Pub closures slow The rate of pub closures is slowing, according to figures from CAMRA. In the last six months, the net number of pubs closing per week has fallen from 27 to 21. The organisation said this was because of community efforts and CAMRA campaigns.

TOP STORIES ON TRADE.INAPUB.CO.UK Ed Davies: Pokémon Go: For pubs or for kids

MRO option becomes law The code of practice governing the relationship between pubcos with more than 500 pubs and licensees has now become law. It means tied licensees now have a Market Rent Only option. New codes of practice for companies with fewer than 500 pubs have been published by the Independent Family Brewers of Britain. Codes have also been published by the Scottish Beer & Pub Association for pubs north of the border.

Veltins readies UK expansion German brewer Veltins plans to increase on-trade exports to the UK by 30-40 per cent in the next five years. The brewery distributes beer via partners including Fuller’s, Robinsons and Purity, all set up by its UK agent Vertical Drinks. To see get a sneak peek inside Veltins brewery, watch our video on trade.inapub.co.uk

Pub closure rate slows How to offer a bottomless brunch Savoured not slammed: The changing face of tequila BT Sport reveals changes for new season

PM on the pull Forget the events of the last month, surely the news that she’s to get her own beer is the most exciting thing to happen to Theresa May recently?

The brew, Come What May, has been specially created by Star Pubs and Bars, brewer Heineken’s pub arm, and will be served in two of its pubs in the constituency where May is MP — The Crown Inn and The Old Swan Uppers in Cookham, Berkshire.

Katie Roberts-Smith, licensee of the latter, said: “Our local MP is now the PM, so of course we’ll be raising a pint. We hope she’ll find time in her busy schedule to pop along and have a drink on the house... perhaps she could test her knowledge with the regulars at our monthly quiz night.”

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35% of people will watch an Olympic event in a pub Greene King Leisure Tracker

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this month.

Pokémon Go is proving to be the gaming hit of the summer but can it bring business into the pub?

VIEW FROM THE BAR Funny old year, 2016, isn’t it?

We’ve voted to leave the EU, the US presidential elections now resemble an episode of South Park, and terrorists are running amok across Europe and the world.

Time for a pint. Definitely.

Pfft. Try and get served.

Pubs, which have faced a litany of problems with the smoking ban, dodgy pubcos, planning rules hitting hard, now have a new challenge. Pokémon Go. Walking into my local on Friday there were not one, not two, but three staff behind the bar. All seemed slightly hyper, working with the zeal of people facing imminent dismissal, or maybe they had been sneaking a few halves in?

No. They were all chasing — hunting? not quite sure — Pokémon creatures. These staff were not teenagers en route to gap year. Some of them had children themselves. Some owned properties.

I have been visiting pubs for the best part of 30 years. I like to think I have done some time in pubs, lots and lots of time. But never have I

witnessed anything as odd as this.

Even delivering beer to Norfolk last week, driving back to Suffolk, I noticed a group of unshaven, dishevelled young men, loitering by the side of the road, often walking into it. A busy, main road. Slowing down considerably for fear of injuring these poor, wretched souls, I looked closer and all were clutching smartphones, looking quite delirious. Pokémon.

My local has now turned itself into a Pokéstop where one can go to find these creatures.

There is no doubt this is a challenging time for the pub industry, but will this be a game-changer, something to lure those punters back in? Or will it be yet another nail in the coffin for our traditional boozer? Time will surely tell, but in the meantime if you are parched, at the bar, puzzled by the scenes around you, you are not alone.

Jack Carroll is the owner of Suffolk artisan brewery HellHound

SECOND OPINION Within two days of launching in America and Australia, Pokémon Go became more active than Twitter and got more engagement than Facebook. It has had a similar reaction over here.

Pokémon appear at random around the world but for a small fee you can set a “lure” in your bar for a period of time that attracts more than usual to your venue. A pizza restaurant in America did this for one weekend, and saw a 30 per cent uplift in sales. Fears that Pokémon hunters would come just for the Pokémon then disappear seem to be unfounded. You can buy these lures and place them in your bar, or if you have one, your garden. For pubs that cater to children, this could be a very smart move.

But is it just a fad, like loom bands or Pokémon the card game? It’s likely to do well over the summer and even if it dies out after that, pubs that move first to set up lures are

likely to see more customers come their way than those that don’t. Are rural pubs focusing on food going to see an increase in demand because of this? Possibly not. But town centre pubs with lots of footfall, and any familyfriendly pubs, should consider it People are spending more time playing Pokémon Go than they are using Facebook, Snapchat or Twitter on their phones. Not by a small measure either — 50 per cent longer playing the game than the next most popular – Facebook. This is why people like me are looking at this seriously as a way to increase the numbers of customers coming through the door.

Ed Davies is Inapub’s digital services manager and a former licensee. Read his blog at trade.inapub.co.uk

What’s your opinion? Email your thoughts to editorial@inapub.co.uk

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Neema Sauce

Move over Levi Roots, a new entrepreneur is in town with another secret sauce to tempt the UK. Rose YomboDjema has created three sauces, all made to a closely guarded Congolese family recipe, which can be used in cooking, as a dip or as an accompaniment. The flavours are: African Scotch Bonnet Chilli, African Scotch Bonnet with Ginger Chilli, and African Green Bullet Chilli Sauce. www.neemafood.com

Prir

Drink yourself beautiful with this new soft drink that claims to combine “hydration with nutrition for your skin, hair and nails”. Containing vitamins B2, B3 and Biotin as well as selenium and zinc, the drink comes in three flavours: Orange & Passionfruit, Apricot & Elderflower, and Blackcurrant. www.myprir.com

Stuff

What’s new in the pub this month

Poptails

Is it a cocktail? Is it a lollipop? Poptails

by Lapp is a new brand created by entrepreneurs Laura Faeh and Cécilia Thomas. Five frozen cocktails on sticks can be served individually wrapped or in a glass.

Gin Fizz, Bellini, Mojito Fraise and Spritz are all between three and eight per cent ABV, while Berry is a non-alcoholic version. www.poptailsbylapp.co.uk

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Road to Rio

A “solid gold” beer to celebrate this summer’s Olympics in Brazil, made with both English as well as southern hemisphere hops to add a bit of tropical flair, according to its brewer the Caledonian Brewery. Described as a soft, fruity ale with a punchy citrus finish, it is available on draught for the duration of the Games (August 5 to 21). www.caledonianbeer.com

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this month.

Very Important Products

Bored of your barware and tired of your tableware? Not to worry, Utopia has a new range of glasses and serving dishes including tiki tumblers, bento boxes, copper mugs and this set of ceramic vessels for cocktails, including a milk bottle to use for hardshakes, milkshakes or afternoon tea service.

01246 858 800

Paddy Irish Whiskey

With Irish whiskey gaining more and more fans, distributor Hi-Spirits is bringing this brand to UK pubs and bars. The world’s fourth-biggest Irish whiskey brand, it is produced by Irish Distillers at the Middleton Distillery in Cork. It has been described as one of the “softest of all Ireland’s whiskeys”, and goes by the name of Paddy. You don’t get much more Irish than that. www.hi-spirits.com

French’s Kansas City Classic BBQ Sauce

Way Better Unbeatable Blues Corn Tortilla Chips

These tortilla chips are made from sprouted seeds, beans and grains and are gluten-free, dairy-free and GM free and also… blue.

The snacks are also available in two other non-blue variants: Spicy Siracha and Sweet Potato. www.funnybones.co.uk

Toto, I’ve got a feeling we’re not in Kansas any more but this sauce will nonetheless bring a taste of middle America to your barbecue this summer. Launched alongside two other all-American variants: French’s Mississippi Sweet & Smoky and Louisiana Hot & Spicy, the sauces come in 396g easysqueeze bottles or 3.78l catering packs.

Empire Bespoke Foods 0208 537 4080

New Season

Apparently the football season is about to start again (did it ever stop?) so Sky has joined forces with Molson Coors to create this limited-edition Premier League-inspired ale. At 4.2 per cent ABV the blonde ale is made with English malt and hops, and is available through the Molson Coors Guest Ale programme.

0845 6001 777

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Painting for profit

by ROBYN BLACK

Research conducted by napkin supplier Tork revealed customers’ reactions to eating in surroundings of various colours

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Is it really possible that painting your dining room blue or your bedrooms orange can have a detrimental effect on your bottom line? Colour psychologists would suggest so.

Blue acts as an appetite suppressant, so you might avoid having it in your dining area, while vibrant orange is stimulating and so overnight guests may not appreciate it in their bedrooms.

It can be even more subtle than that.

Casinos, for example, exploit the idea that time appears to pass more slowly under red light and faster under blue light, to encourage people to spend more time (and therefore money) on site. Colour can even change the way food tastes, as experimental

psychologist Dr Charles Spence proved in an experiment where wine tasters were fooled into believing a white wine was a red one just by dyeing it red.

Still sceptical? SCA, the Swedish hygiene company that owns the Tork brand, recently looked into the issue when developing a re-launch of its napkin range.

“We were interested in the idea of colour therapy and how people react to colour,” explains Jamie Wright, UK communications manager at SCA. “Specifically, we wanted to find out how colour affects customers in pubs, bars and restaurants, so we used a company in Stockholm called the Colour Factory to run an experiment for us.”

Sixteen individuals were chosen to represent as wide a demographic as possible. Brain-wave and heart-rate monitors measured their reactions to spending time and eating in eight different coloured booths. It became very clear that colour had a strong effect.

“I think the most surprising thing was the force of people’s reactions but also that there was more than just a pure emotional response,” Jamie says.

“What we found from crunching all the data — and a specialist company did that for us, it was so complex — were things like orange helps keep you attentive, alert and focused, so it’s perfect for meeting rooms or occasions where you are with friends.”

The findings suggest that licensees could make a significant difference to their business by merely changing the colour of napkins through the day – orange for breakfast, yellow for lunch, black for dinner, for example.

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this month.

Colour codes What the Tork experiment found

Green Relaxing, calm and welcoming.

A good environment for lunch or coffee, with parents and friends.

Orange Fun, modern, welcoming and exciting.

Suitable for breakfast or lunch, with friends and children .

Blue A deeply relaxed state but also unromantic. Works well for breakfast or coffee with parents and children.

Fuller’s uses bright colours in its suburban community pubs, while its Ale & Pie pubs in the heart of London go for a more traditional red, green and pruple palate

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Orange helps keep you attentive, alert and focused, so it’s perfect for meeting rooms

See the light

Taking this a step further means you need to think very carefully about what your choice of colours on walls, furniture and furnishings says about your pub.

London pub company Fuller Smith & Turner, for example, cleverly uses colour to differentiate between its different styles of pubs, as development manager Andrew Durn explains.

“In one of our Ale & Pie pubs, which are in the heart of the city, we’ll use more traditional colours such as red, green and purple. On the other hand our community pubs in the suburbs tend to be much brighter, so burnt yellows and blues — all still from the same heritage palate though, as we are a traditional pub company and we want to reflect that.”

Think about the quality of light too.

Fuller’s uses old-fashioned light bulbs to give its venues a warm welcoming feel. And remember that light levels differ. “We’d never be as prescriptive as saying use these same colours in every building. You can’t do that

Yellow Fun, welcoming and exciting Suitable for breakfast or coffee, with friends and children.

Red Strongly associated with romance, excitement and fun. Suitable for evening drinks and dinner with friends, as well as date nights.

White Luxurious and modern, but scored low on aroused emotions such as fun and excitement. Best for business, breakfast or lunch with colleagues.

Black Luxurious, modern and sophisticated, but at the same time a bit unwelcoming and boring. Suitable for dinner or drinks with friends, or a date.

Brown Relaxing and traditional. Suitable for breakfast or coffee, with parents or colleagues.

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At the start of the decorating process, walk around, think what you’ll be using each space for and let that inform your choices — bright colours in the bar area for example, calmer colours in the dining areas 12

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because light completely changes colours. If you walk into some branded chains — Bill’s is a good example of this — in some venues the brand colours look amazing — whereas in others they simply don’t work.”

Be bold

As well as differentiating between styles of pubs, colour can also be employed to differentiate between the different areas, or zones, of your pub — whatever you do, don’t fall into the trap of painting your whole pub the same colour, says Ben Westwood, senior designer at pub design company Concorde BGW. “At the start of the decorating process walk around and think about what you’ll be using each space for and let that inform your choices — bright, vibrant colours in the bar area, for example (which is more highenergy) and calmer, more tranquil colours in dining areas.”

Think about your demographic too, he advises. Millennials are likely to want something different from the over-50s.

“From that process you should get your direction and theme and don’t be afraid to experiment,” Ben adds. “People are always afraid of colour and so too often go for offwhite or grey, but if you go the extra mile it can really work in your favour.”

If you are still nervous, then some areas are better to experiment in than others. The

bar tends to be more transient for example, so better to go bold there than in the snug or eating zones where people spend more time.

Licensee Alastair Scott owns several pubs including The Square & Compass in Weeton, North Yorkshire, and The George Inn in Bristol. He says that for him, just as for Ben, choosing colours comes somewhere in the middle of the design process (after deciding what areas will be used for what and before you decide on the finishing touches).

“At that point I start by deciding if I want that area to be light or dark, warm or cold, formal or casual, muted or bright, and I use what’s already there to inform that.

“So, for example, if the existing fittings are chrome or pewter then I’ll want to warm those up with hot colours — yellow, pink, reds — but if they are brass or copper, which seem to be coming back in vogue, then I might decide to use cooler blues, greys and greens.

“Customers might never explicitly notice what you’ve done but they will understand what it is you are trying to convey and they’ll react to that.”

So yes, it is entirely possible that painting your dining room blue or your bedrooms orange can have a detrimental effect on your bottom line — but choose your colour wisely and instead it might have a more positive effect.

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PROMOTIONAL FEATURE RISING STAR

An ale of their own

Celebrity chef Colin McGurran, the focus of our Rising Star series in partnership with HEINEKEN, runs the Hope & Anchor pub in South Ferriby, North Lincolnshire, as well as a fine dining restaurant. Over the years he has learnt the importance of choosing suppliers that can help you offer something extra special to your customers.

Charity begins at home

When Colin and his team started to look around for a way to make the pub’s ale offer stand out from the competition, they talked to HEINEKEN. “We had a charity ale on some months ago that raised funds for Flood Relief, a cause close to the hearts of those living this area, and it did really well,” Colin explains.

“At the same time we had been looking for a while at a way to have our very own unique ale that would engage our regulars, and so the conversation with HEINEKEN began.”

Standing out from the crowd

The resulting beer is an amber ale, which will be branded Hope & Anchor Bitter, and sold on tap at the pub for the next year. Colin explains that amber ale is a popular style and something his customers have asked for before, so it was a great opportunity for them.

HEINEKEN has given Colin the first keg for free and will be supporting him and the team with further training to help boost beer sales as the year progresses.

“The team are really enthusiastic about our new house beer and there are lots of exciting plans to promote it in the pipeline,” he says.

“This business is all about offering something unique and a little bit special to our customers and this new ale helps us achieve exactly that.”

HEINEKEN’s category and trade marketing director, Andrew Turner says…

“Helping customers get their range right is a key focus for us, as well as identifying and working with customers to close any gaps in order to grow their business. We advised Colin to take an amber ale, because he was missing a product within his cask and craft range. By helping Colin maximise the breadth of his offering, we are ensuring that he has the right mix of premium and value products on the bar to attract and excite a wide range of customers.”

Please go to www.online.heineken.co.uk or contact your HEINEKEN Sales Manager for more information

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FAMOUS FOR

A FREE DINNER Bronya Smolen visits a pub where they give their meals away

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This is free for everyone, so those who really need it can eat without any stigma, and that’s the most important thing

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When Storm Desmond paid an unwelcome visit earlier this year, it inspired one pub to completely change its outlook.

The Robert Gillow in Lancaster was hailed as a local hero after feeding and sheltering those who had been victim to the floods.

More than six months later, the pub still serves only free food, available to everyone.

“It all started with the storm,” explains licensee Mark Cutter, who set up the scheme. “People were struggling to get home because of floods, they couldn’t get over the river, so I said to the police to send them here. Then the power went out for three days.”

“We used candles and foil blankets, but when the power came back on our freezer had defrosted, so we decided to cook everything in it and give it away. That’s when we realised people always needed meals, regardless of the floods.”

By teaming up with an organisation called Fareshare, which saves good food destined for waste, the pub can intercept food from supermarkets that would have been binned.

Mark has been a publican since 2011. He runs three sites around the area and is soon to put his name to another two, but that’s not all.

He is a trained lawyer and social scientist, a wine merchant and a consultant researcher and freelance lecturer in his spare time. If you can believe he has any.

He’s a self-confessed workaholic, but says his business aims are to make

the world better today than it was yesterday.

“We don’t know what ingredients we will get until it arrives. My guys get the deliveries, figure out what to make, and if we have anything excess we send it off to other community projects and schools. We hand it out to anyone who needs it.”

The pub offers food from midday until midnight daily.

“It starts with pastries and breakfast and there is always hot food and mains,” he explains.

“I had a big joint of beef so we did a free roast dinner last Sunday. We’ve also done salmon with samphire and new potatoes and vegetable curries.”

A Michelin star is not Mark’s goal. Instead he wants to banish stigma around poverty, and reduce food waste.

“This is free for everyone, so those who really need it can eat without any stigma, and that’s the most important thing.

“There might be someone who is down to their last five-pound note, but they can enjoy a meal with everyone else.

Open to all comers

“We get a lot of homeless people who come and have some food and a soft drink, and they send us thank you notes. They can be sat alongside business people who are drinking Champagne, and it just all blends together, there are no boundaries between customers.

It is all about social inclusion.”

Not only

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this month.

Get involved Think your pub could benefit your own community in the same way?

How to source food Find community groups, contact Fareshare or local businesses, and use your own pantry.

How to finance it Use profits from the bar, ask paying customers to donate via a “suspended” coffee or meal, have a collection tin.

Why try it Combat social exclusion, reduce food waste, remove stigma about food poverty.

are the locals feeling the benefit, but the pub has seen an increase in turnover by around 20 per cent.

Mark even says that before they offered a free menu, the kitchen actually always lost money.

Despite efforts to help others, Mark is also a victim of the floods himself.

His other site, the Juke Joint, was submerged in two-and-a-half metres of water thanks to the storm and is still unusable.

But his free food scheme has meant he could transfer staff to the Robert Gillow pub and even employs more chefs to help.

“There are extra customers in the pub now, but the interesting thing is it’s a real positive to create social improvement.

People can come in here, get food and go home, and this means they are not wandering around town causing problems, it has created a feeling of community.”

Customers who can afford food can give back to the scheme by buying a “suspended soft drink”. This means people can pre-pay at the bar for a hot or cold drink for someone who needs.

Is Mark is the Mother Teresa of Lancaster? Or Superman in disguise? Possibly, but he summarises his efforts in one clear statement: “In the time of politically enforced austerity, businesses need to step forward and fill in the gaps of their community.”

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The Rob Lancasteerrt Gillow, Focus: A m us offers free ic pub, which food to he lp those in n eed Employee s: 15 acros s three sites Type: Hyd es Online: w Brewery ww. pubfoodla ncaster.co .uk

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drink Earlier this summer I went to Athens to address a conference of European spirits producers. There were a number of interesting speakers, not least UK journalist and author Tony Edwards, who discussed the “increasing illiberalism and mendacity” of UK drinking guidelines (his book, The Good News About Booze, is worth checking out).

Also on stage was drinks specialist Joel Harrison, who provided insights into the world of the fickle Millennial generation — and he’ll be doing the same for the pub trade at our Next Generation event in Manchester on September 13 (for more details turn to page 52-53). For my part, I was tasked with looking at how the on-trade was changing within Europe.

What is clear is that, regardless of Brexit, what we are seeing in the UK is happening elsewhere too. All over Europe people are drinking less alcohol; there’s a shift to a do-it-yourself culture and to “swavoury” (sweet and savoury) flavours: gin and tonic garnished with rosemary, basil or black pepper, for example.

with ROBYN BLACK

The Danish concept of Hygge (“hoo-ga), which roughly translates as “cosiness”, is also making itself felt, with the onset of smaller venues, beaten-up furniture and granny-chic décor. Equally there’s a common trend for niche appeal, with venues specialising in one area — Mezcal or Irish whiskey, for example — as well as a much-delayed shift to adopt technological advances to improve customer experiences around things like queuing and paying.

Overarching all this is the way the on-trade scene is changing as alcohol shifts from being the main driver of a night out to just one part of an “experience”. Those experiences can be as simple as a cocktail in a teapot, to the more onerous such as organising a beer festival, to those that require a bit of investment like creating a secret garden — but what is clear is the on-trade today is less a provider of alcohol, more a provider of experiences.

And that’s just as true in Hartlepool as it is in Hückelhoven or Hacqueville.

The on-trade scene is changing as alcohol shifts from being the main driver of a night out to just one part of an ‘experience’

COMMERCIAL BREAKDOWN • This summer customers buying Orangina in selected pubs and bars will get the chance to win a range of “shaken-up” experiences, such as hot air balloon or zip wire rides, while bar staff will be incentivised to sell perfectly served • Orangina A new £1.5m TV campaign for this cider was filmed drinks with the entirely at the Westons Cider Mill and orchards in chance to win a Herefordshire and follows the story of the cider from trip to Valencia. apple blossom to glass.

• The brand is searching for 20 people with “unique, compelling, aspirational human stories” as part of a new campaign, in partnership with The Guardian and The Discovery Channel.

18 AUGUST 2016

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drink.

Siphon-Evolution cocktail foams

Gin, vodka and sangria “cocktail foams” are now available to help give pub drinks a gastronomic twist.

Developed by Albert Adrià, the chef behind trend-setting elBulli restaurant, the foams are five per cent ABV and are stable, so drinks will not go flat en route to drinkers. www.fbpremiumbrands.com

Larios Gin

The Spanish love their gin — Spain is the largest European market for the spirit — and one of their favourites is this 150-year-old Spanish brand. Three of the gins are now available here: Larios Dry, Larios 12 (which has 12 botanicals) and a pink version, Larios Rosé. www.catalystbrands.co.uk

Chris Chatfield, The Cricketers, Cobham, Surrey

Look out for...

Wychwood Gratis

Oxfordshire brewery and maker of Hobgoblin Ale Wychwood has created its first gluten-free beer. Gratis is a 4.2 per cent golden ale with a soft floral aroma and a “firm and distinct” aftertaste. Senior brand manager Jo Wyke said: “We saw a gap in the market for a gluten-free beer that offered the same taste and flavour as all regular beers.” www.wychwood.co.uk

Ceriux Rubia

This one-of-a-kind Spanish craft ale has become known as “the beer with a touch of wine”. Brewed

by Cervesera Artesana, based in the Rioja region of Spain, the 5.4 per cent ABV beer has concentrated grape musts from the winery next door added to it during the brewing process. www.morgenrot.co.uk

On the bar

Peychaud’s Aperitivo Tapping into the trend for lighter, lower-ABV mixed drinks, this new offering from one of America’s oldest cocktail brands is a complex balance of bitter orange, grapefruit sherbet, caramelised cherries and herbal flavours. It is best served over ice or as part of a predinner cocktail. www.hi-spirits.com

“We re-opened in April, having completely refurbished and restored the pub to make the most of its 17th-century roots.

Since then it’s been really busy and I’m particularly proud of the way the locals have embraced their new pub and are coming in regularly now.

That was an important part of our strategy — we didn’t just want to be a destination dining pub, so we introduced things like the bar snack menu.

Our Scotch egg, which is made with butcher’s sausage meat and a Burford Brown egg, is very popular, as is the Welsh rarebit.

We’ve taken a similar approach to the drinks list — it’s pints and glasses of wine for the most part, to encourage people to just pop in for a drink. We’ve also gone quite big on gin and this summer we’ll be making the most of our lovely garden by serving lots of Pimm’s.”

trade.inapub.co.uk p18-19 drink intro.indd 19

26/07/2016 19:05

Live football this August on Friday, Saturday, Sunday & Monday!

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MAN UTD v SOUTHAMPTON Fri 19 Aug 8.00pm

STOKE CITY v MAN CITY Sat 20 Aug 12.30pm

SUNDERLAND v MIDDLESBROUGH Sun 21 Aug 1.30pm

WEST HAM v BOURNEMOUTH Sun 21 Aug 4.00pm

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20/07/2016 19:54 17:25 26/07/2016

drink.

Become a mix master

by ROBYN BLACK

The rise of premium gin has left the usual ontrade mixers looking a little lacklustre and old-fashioned. Move over cheap lime squash and say hello to new artisan waters and premium fruity syrups.

If tonic makes up two-thirds of your G&T, then make sure you choose the right tonic, or so the argument goes.

It’s a case that’s won favour with many, particularly as premium gin has become more popular. This has resulted in a healthy

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market for premium tonics, such as Fever Tree and Fentimans. But can it translate into the wider world of mixed drinks, or is posh tonic as far as it goes?

Producers have certainly been persuaded the shift is wider, with CGA stats showing premium mixers up 139 per cent in volume and 157 per cent in value (MAT to end December 15). As a result, we have already experienced a slew of launches aimed squarely at this market in the past 12 months.

These include: Lucozade Ribena Suntory’s launch of Orangina into the UK on-trade in its trademark “bulby bottle” back in June 2015; Global brand’s Franklin & Sons range; Cucumber water brand Qcumber, which created a sparkling mixer variant and, most recently, a new look for Schweppes unveiled by Coca-Cola European Partners (CCEP).

However, such activity has not often, thus far, been reflected in the choice of mixers available in most pubs. As Graham Carr-Smith, founder of Qcumber,

AUGUST 2016

21

26/07/2016 19:32

“

Inertia is the key obstacle facing the category. If outlets stock what they’ve always stocked, then customers cannot experience new brands or new flavours

22 AUGUST 2016

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says: “Inertia is the key obstacle facing the category. If outlets stock what they’ve always stocked, then customers can’t experience new brands or new flavours. The status quo might be fine, or it might lead to some customers seeking out different drinks in different pubs.”

One of the areas that best exemplifies this “inertia” is cordials. For so long, a solitary bottle of cheap lime squash has been a staple of the back-bar, used, in the main, for lager & lime or the ubiquitous vodka, lime & soda. But the time is fast approaching where this simply won’t suffice.

“In the eyes of pub-goers out to treat themselves, it isn’t good enough,” explains Amanda Grabham, marketing director for soft drinks at SHS Group, owner of the Bottlegreen brand. “If you are splashing out on a premium vodka, why wouldn’t you also want a premium cordial to put in it?”

Cordial relations

Along with lime and elderflower – the two flavours spearheading the cordial revival – Amanda highlights how well some of the more complex variants in the Bottlegreen range are doing, such as Ginger & Lemongrass or Pomegranate & Elderflower.

“Part of the success of these flavours is down to their versatility,” she explains. “By adding just a dash to a simple two-ingredient drink, you suddenly have a delicious and more complex drink instead.”

Britvic reports increasing levels of interest in its Teisseire Syrups range for similar reasons, according to out-of-home marketing manager Russell Kirkham.

“Suggested serves, such as our Strawberry Gin Blush [gin, tonic and 12.5ml of Teisseire Strawberry, garnished with basil], are proving hugely popular and we’re seeing licensees gain success through the idea of seasonal drinks as well, which can easily be created with appropriate syrups.”

This kind of creativity is important for today’s pub offer because, as Russell puts it: “As someone who has always worked in the on-trade, in one form or another, I’m startled by how much drinkers are looking for something new when they are on a night out these days.”

Rising spirits

This is backed up by CGA research, cited

by Global Brands, which shows that 41 per cent of soft drink fans are looking for more unusual flavours.

Such findings resulted in the launch of four tonics under its “craft soft drinks brand” Franklin & Sons earlier this year, as well as, more recently, a move into artisan water, aimed at the growing whisky market.

“Franklin & Sons Artesian Water pairs perfectly with premium whiskies, as it opens up the spirit, giving prominent and delicate flavours a chance to shine,” explains marketing director Simon Green.

Such a move is no surprise, given the close relationship between spirits and mixer trends. So, if the gin boom has given us posh tonic, the rise of dark spirits, such as Bourbon suggests there will soon be a surge in premium ginger beer and cola offerings.

Likewise, as hints of a recovery for the vodka category emerge, premium sodas (such as the one mentioned above) and unusual lemonades – rose and raspberry versions for example – should gain traction.

trade.inapub.co.uk 26/07/2016 19:32

MAX THE TASTE

Pepsi is currently the No.1 dispensed cola brand in the UK in Total on premise in both value and volume vs. Coke on draught1 In blind taste tests 66% of consumers preferred the taste of Pepsi Max vs. Diet Coke2

BRV331501_16

Pepsi Max has a combination of citrus, caramel and vanilla taste cues which compliment alcoholic serves by extracting not only the taste of the alcohol but also the taste of the acidic garnish found with a cola serve.

Source: 1CGA Total On premise Value and Volume sales 52we 31.10.2015.

2 MMR quant blind taste test August 2015 (n=200 Nat Rep Sample.

Pepsi, Pepsi MAX and the Pepsi Globe are trademarks of PepsiCo Inc.

ad page2.indd 23

26/07/2016 19:55

Bored of G&T? Here are 5 easy alternatives Gin & fizz 25ml gin Dash of Bottlegreen Elderflower Cordial Prosecco Put gin and cordial in a Champagne glass and topup with chilled Prosecco.

G&P 25ml gin Purdey’s or Purdey’s Edge Pour gin over cubed ice and top with either of the Purdey’s variants.

Gina Cocktail 25ml vodka 25ml Chambord Orangina Pour vodka and Chambord over cubed ice and top

with Orangina. Garnish with orange peel.

Sloe gin & tonic 25ml sloe gin Franklin & Sons Sicilian Lemon Tonic Pour sloe gin over ice and top with tonic, finishing with a twist of lemon peel.

Pink Lady 50ml vodka 1 tablespoon honey 1 tablespoon lemon juice 30ml Apple & Pomegranate Appletiser Shake first three ingredients over ice, strain into a glass and garnish with pomegranate seeds.

Teetotal tipples

Other producers are concentrating more on the rise of non-drinkers, or those looking for healthier alternatives.

Lucozade Ribena Suntory launched Orangina Light, a lower-calorie version of the classic French orange drink, exclusively into pubs and bars in its glass bulby bottle this year. It is positioned as both as a mixer and cocktail ingredient, as well as a soft drink in its own right.

In this latter market, the company believes presentation will help give it the edge over the competition.

“Mintel research shows that 42 per cent of people would be more likely to order a soft drink that was presented attractively,” says Roxana Parvizi, senior brand manager for Orangina.“With its nostalgic packaging and ‘shake and serve’ ritual, it offers the ideal trade-up for modern drinkers.”

Coca-Cola European Partners, meanwhile, is taking a similar approach for its Appletiser brand, signing singer Sophie

24

AUGUST 2016

p21-22-24 mixers.indd 24

Ellis-Bextor as the face of the brand and Richard Woods, aka The Cocktail Guy, to develop recipes, as Appletiser celebrates its 50th year.

“Richard is working with us throughout this year as the ‘Appletiser alchemist’ to develop a number of original cocktails and non-alcoholic drinks,” explains trade communications manager Amy Burgess.

The company’s classic Schweppes brand has also been given a facelift and its biggest new campaign in 20 years. Tellingly, the activity will revolve around not just its tonic variants, but the entire range, with drinks such as Vodka & Schweppes Orange Juice, Whisky & Schweppes Canada Dry Ginger Ale and Tequila, Grapefruit & Schweppes Sparkling Juice Drinks, all getting the nod.

For CCEP, and its rivals in the mixer market, then, the point is clear: if the mixer is two-thirds of your drink, whatever spirit you choose, make sure you choose the right mixer.

trade.inapub.co.uk 26/07/2016 19:32

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poretti advt.indd 25 1 ad page2.indd

19/07/2016 26/07/2016 13:35 19:56

The world’s biggest beer brands

you’ve probably never heard of Cuba • Pal a Cristal Not much is known about this one, which has historically dominated the Cuban beer market. It is brewed on the east side of the island, where it is said the best-quality water can be found and it (perhaps as a result) has won several beer awards around the world.

Available via Matthew Clark, JBE Imports and Pierhead Drinks

Portugal • Super Bock This beer has won a record 28 medals in the drinks competition Monde Selection de la Qualité, proving the Portuguese know as much about good beer as good wine. Super Bock Original is a lager, but quite a hefty one at 5.6 per cent ABV. Available from Brookfield Drinks and Interbev Brands

Trinidad & Tobago • Carib You might know this one, as it’s relatively widely available in the UK and is known for its relationship with the West Indies cricket team. If you wanted a more unusual Caribbean beer you could go for Kubuli from Dominica; Kalik from the Bahamas or Piton from St Lucia — but they’d be more difficult to get hold of.

Available via Beers of Europe

Argentina • uil es With somewhere around a 50 per cent share of the beer market in its home country, this is the perfect brew to go with the classic Argentine meal of beef, beef and more beef.

Kenya • usker ager We all know Diageo brews Guinness but it also produces Kenya’s best-selling beer, Tusker, via its ownership of East African Breweries Limited.

First brewed in 1922, it is made from 100 per cent African ingredients. It is named after the company’s founder, George Hurst, who was killed while elephant hunting.

Available from KATO Enterprises.

Available in the UK from (among others) Beers of Europe, Morgenrot and Majestic Wine

26 AUGUST 2016

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drink.

Iceland • Viking For 74 years full-strength beer was banned in Iceland. Fortunately, on March 1, 1989, this was overturned and Beer Day has been celebrated ever since with a glass of the nation’s best-selling lager, Viking.

Available in the UK via Love Drinks and Matthew Clark

Sweden • Pripps Blå This is Sweden’s best-selling beer and has become so synonymous with Swedish summers that brewer Carlsberg claims the phrase “a real Pripps Blå summer” has come to mean a season full of sun, sea and friendship.

It’s a Pilsner-type lager and is available in not one, not two, but six different alcohol strengths (2.2, 2.8, 3.5, 5.0, 5.2 and 7.2 per cent ABV).

Not available in the UK

Saudi Arabia • Moussy A beer in one of the world’s most famous dry countries? Fear not, this is a strictly “non-alcoholic malt beverage”. Brand owner Carlsberg’s “original Swiss recipe” is a blend of “the best barley and the purest water from the Alps.” Variants include Lemon Mint, Peach and Apple.

Not available in the UK

Catalonia • Moritz

China • Snow Beer

Famous for being the only beer in the world with a label entirely in Catalan, this lager is a rival to the better known Estrella Damm, also brewed in Barcelona. Moritz was revived in 2004 by relatives of brewery founder Louis Moritz Trautmann, who established the brand in 1856.

Not just China’s biggest beer, this is the world’s top-selling beer.

Brewed under a joint venture between SAB Miller and China Resources Enterprise, enough Snow was sold in 2012 alone to fill 12 Olympic-sized swimming pools every day. For a year.

Available in the UK from Interbev Brands.

Not available in the UK

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AUGUST 2016

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26/07/2016 19:41

eat For me, so far, this summer has been a summer for the youngsters.

I’ve spoken to some of our young #NextGeneration licensees, I’ve witnessed rallies of young people campaigning against Brexit and I’ve watched countless young chefs win awards, take on new challenges, and generally demonstrate passion and skill in the industry.

Being a 23-year-old myself, I have to admire the determination and talent your trainee chefs have shown. I’ve worked in hospitality before, and know working long hours while everyone else parties on a bank holiday is tough.

But these people have drive and a love for what they are

Investing in the menu Star Pubs & Bars is set to invest more than £250,000 in food support for its licensees in the next year.

Star has also negotiated special pricing deals with four national food suppliers and created a back-bar food support guide for pubs with no kitchen.

This guide encourages licensees to start offering more gourmet back-bar snacks from olive and crisp boards to cheese boards and ploughman’s.

with BRONYA SMOLEN doing. And it seems that the people they work with are keeping the passion alive.

I guess a kitchen needs camaraderie for it to be successful, and for that to happen your staff need to be happy.

All too often I hear about unhappy employees, trying their best but reaping no reward or praise.

If you have a trainee chef with potential, I’m sure you know how valuable that is, so give them some love! Whether it is a reward meal out, or a simple pat on the back.

There have been some great initiatives to encourage young chefs in the trade (see pages 30-31), let’s show them they are worth every penny.

5

August food festivals to inspire your menu

Clitheroe Food Festival 2016 August 13, free The Nottingham Food And Drink Festival August 13-14, £8 The North Leeds Food Festival August 19-21, £2-£7 Great British Food Festival, Wiltshire August 20-21, £3.50 - £40 Cannon Hall Farm Food Festival, Barnsley August 25-29, free

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26/07/2016 19:46

BRAISED OXTAIL, TRUFFLE MASH, QUAIL EGG YOLK, SMOKED CHEESE WITH PICKLED APPLES Anton Piotrowki, The Treby Arms Plympton, South Devon

Braised oxtail

Smoked cheddar and pickled apples “The smoked cheddar comes from just outside Devon, and the barbecue nature of the cheese enriches the dish. The apples give it some acidity. We pickle them ourselves here by taking Granny Smiths and using white and red wine vinegar and some merlot.”

“It’s locally sourced. We breed our own Devon red ruby cattle for the pub, and when we take it to the abattoir we take the oxtail first. It’s chopped down, roasted, vacuum-packed and put into a water bath to slowly cook for 48 hours. Then we finish it with local beer Jail Ale and red wine.”

Truffle mash “The truffles are English summer truffles.

They’re local and in season at the moment, and have a nice intense perfume for the mash – it’s a great combination.”

p28-29 eat intro.indd 29

26/07/2016 19:46

Tomorrow’s toques

by BRONYA SMOLEN

When Chris Coleman told Wales to ‘dare to dream’ he was on to something. The advice applies not just to the young Welsh football team, but to everyone, including the young chefs in today’s pub trade.

Ben Rushworth was shortlisted for his work in front of house

The kitchen is becoming the heart of more pubs, but in such a trying environment, how can you help trainees move up the ranks and be great?

At just 25, Gordon Stott is landlord and head chef at The Sun Inn in Basingstoke, Hampshire.

As well as being a young chef himself, the licensee has hosted his own Masterchef competition to encourage other young

talent. Through a link-up with the local college, three keen finalists were tasked with cooking a main course each for a restaurant of 30 people.

“We wanted to help students get involved in catering and boost their confidence,” says Gordon. “I think it’s important for young students to get involved in pub kitchens, as it brings new light, ideas and a general passion to the kitchen.”

“Yes, it’s a difficult industry, there are long hours and weekend work, but if they have the passion they should be going for it.”

Gordon believes experience is what makes a trainee chef great and he likes to involve them in every aspect of the kitchen.

“I let everyone in the kitchen suggest ideas and put a dish on the menu themselves. I encourage them to be creative.

A pub is different from a restaurant, it is slightly more relaxed so it’s nice to be able to do that.”

Sustainable & retainable

Meanwhile, Hector Ross, chief operating officer of multiple operator Bel & the Dragon, says the key to keeping young chefs is to offer them something more.

The business has seven country-style inns dotted around the home counties,

The view from front of house Trainee manager Ben Rushworth, 22, works at awardwinning Enterprise pub The Parkers Arms in Lancashire’s Ribble Valley. He was recently shortlisted for the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts Service Award “I started part-time in the kitchen but then found my feet in front of house,” he says.

“I think I got so far in the awards because my employees invest in me as a person. Both bosses are so involved with the business and I am constantly learning from them.

They’ve helped me get on training courses and helped with the competition.

“For young people, the key to getting them into the industry is keeping them interested. People don’t realise there’s so much you can do in a pub.

“It’s a different challenge every day and no day is boring.

I could have done an office job but here there is always something, whether it be an odd customer request or a huge table celebrating.”

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26/07/2016 19:48

From left: Toque D’or University of Derby team members Rosie Maguire, Mirko Notturno and Karla Webber-Aucutt

“

All the oldschool chefs learned by working under someone, and they are there to help on the good days and the bad days

and prides itself on creating a changing seasonal menu.

“We want to educate our employees and retain them,” he says. “For example, our head chef Mike is going fishing in Cornwall on Sunday to see where our fish is sourced, and he can then picture the produce coming up the road.”

But with a large kitchen garden on site, the chefs don’t have to travel as far as Cornwall to find fresh produce.

“If they are able to pick the produce and smell it and muck around with it, then they understand it. And it might mean they don’t go and work for someone else 10 miles down the road, because we do more with them.”

Town-centre boozer or country pub in a small village, relocation for young chefs can be tricky, but Hector has a work-around.

“We accommodate our new chefs on site to start with,” he explains. “Each site has five-plus employee rooms. Then, when they have found their feet and passed probation, we will help them find a place to live.”

Motivation from the master

But what do the trainees themselves think?

24-year-old Karla Webber-Aucutt was a finalist in Nestle’s Toque D’Or competition 2016. She works at The Cock Pub & Kitchen in Whaley Bridge, Derbyshire, while studying at the University of Derby.

“A good head chef is key when it comes to learning and motivation,” she says. “It depends on how busy your pub is, but it really matters how much people care and put time into our careers.”

“All the old-school chefs learned to cook by working under someone, and they are there to help on good days and bad days, they push you through it.”

It’s no secret that working in a kitchen means anti-social hours and hard work, and sometimes this is a challenge, especially for young chefs.

“Your team is there to keep you going,” explains Kara.

“But the industry is changing, you can now have a life and work as a chef. You need to find what suits you.”

Watch more about Bel & the Dragon’s kitchen garden at trade.inapub.co.uk

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26/07/2016 19:48

G B C t

Th N ye ev th

Roasts – not just for Sundays

A K sa al co m

British Roast Dinner Week is back.

And it’s bigger and better than ever.

W e

Fire up the ovens, British Roast Dinner Week is back from 26 September to 2 October 2016.

This time, it’s bigger and better than ever.

The campaign stems from research commissioned by Unilever Food Solutions which shows that almost

Now in its fifth year, the campaign sponsored

by KNORR® and supported by COLMAN’S®, is a proven opportunity for pubs to increase their sales. That’s why we’re calling on Britain’s pubs to serve the UK’s favourite pub meal1 every day of the week and light a fire under their sales.

half of consumers want to see a roast on the menu every day of the week.

25% even said they would choose a roast over any other dish on the menu2.

B

F h

Taking part in British Roast Dinner Week can increase sales.

Just take a look at how these pubs increased their sales and profits:

10%

increase in profits

45% more covers

£360

increase in wet profits

The White Bull, Alston Allegra Eating Out Panel, May 2014 OnePoll survey, August 2014, commissioned by Unilever Food Solutions

1 2

100%

1 o

increase in roast sales

The Endeavour, Chelmsford

D

Each regional winner will receive £2,500 of PR support with the exception of the national winner, who will receive £10,000 of PR

*

GB bona fide catering establishments and employees 18+. Entry is limited to one entry per establishment. 2 ways of entry: 1) visit www.britishroastdinnerweek.co.uk and complete the entry form between 00:00am BST 31 March 2016 and 23.59pm BST 20 September 2016. 2) public nomination by completing the consumer nomination form at voteforyourlocal.co.uk between 00:00am BST 1 September 2016 and 23.59pm BST 20 September 2016. Nominations will be validated with the establishment in question, which will have the final decision whether or not it wants to be entered.

Validation may involve providing additional information on their roast dinners. Prizes: ‘Best British Roast Dinner’ title and £10,000 worth of public relations support, and a trophy. Five Regional Winners will receive £2,500 worth of PR support. See www.britishroastdinnerweek.co.uk for full terms.

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26/07/2016 22:24 25/07/2016 13:43

CP13

e

d. s

6 13:43

Get involved in the Best British Roast Dinner Competition for your chance to win £10,000 PR support.

This year, the competition is bigger and better than ever.

Not only will the competition crown an overall winner, this year the panel will announce regional winners – giving even more pubs the opportunity to become famous for their roasts.

And it gets better. Just for entering, pubs will get a free KNORR Gravy Granules for Meat Dishes 25L and a free sample of Colman’s Sage & Onion Stuffing Mix. Plus, they’ll also get a new improved British Roast Dinner Week POS kit containing bunting, tent cards, beer mats and stickers.

Winners will be announced at the end of British Roast Dinner Week.

British Roast Dinner Week 2016 26 September to 2 October Serve a roast every day of the week and bring in the bookings!

Being a winner brings in the bookings.

Former winners of the Best British Roast Dinner competition have seen huge spikes following the competition.

“Winning Best British Roast Dinner has done wonders for increase in roast sales since us. Before we were winning shortlisted, we averaged about 170 covers on a Sunday. We now have over 270 covers Sunday after Sunday.”

60%

£10,000 PR SUPPORT for the title winner

£2,500

PR SUPPORT

for each regional winner* for: South England, North England, Midlands, Wales, Scotland

Dan Cramp, General Manager of The Larwood and Voce

COMPETITION NOW OPEN To enter, just fill in a short entry form explaining what makes your roast special at www.britishroastdinnerweek.co.uk before 20 September 2016.

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26/07/2016 22:24 25/07/2016 13:43

Don’t miss the gravy boat

by BRONYA SMOLEN

5

Gravy variations to try

Onion gravy Cider gravy Redcurrant & mint gravy Lentil gravy Spicy chipotle gravy

34

p34-35 gravy.indd 34

With British Roast Dinner Week fast approaching, we begin our foray into the big question — what makes a perfect roast?

Of course, no roast would be complete without a good lashing of gravy. And, just like Oliver Twist, “please can I have some more?” was the big request from customers, according to all the licensees we spoke to.

Chris Brown, channel trade marketing manager at Unilever Food Solutions, says: “When it comes to serving a top-notch roast, there’s one element you simply have to get right — the gravy.

“We Brits love our gravy, and from what you serve to the way you serve it, there are lots of ways to make yours special. Try adding apple and cider for pork gravy, red wine and thyme for beef, and garlic for lamb.”

One publican passionate about gravy is Brian Rey of The Ship Inn in Aldborough, North Yorkshire, who helped launch the Real Gravy campaign with celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay. In 2006 his pub at the time was featured on Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares, helping the pub make a name for itself for the best gravy in the North. “We send out an extra gravy boat with each roast as every time people time ask for more,” says Brian. On a Sunday morning we make mini Yorkshire puddings and put them on the bar with jugs of gravy – it is very popular.

“When we make our gravy we start the night before from scratch, with caramelised veg, beef stock and tomato purée. We roast off the bones for the stock, and get an amazing result. It does take up space and time, but it is worth it.”

One benefit of making gravy from scratch is the ability to customise it, as Andrew Pern explains. As chef and director of the awardwinning Michelin starred gastropub The Star Inn in Harome, North Yorkshire, he creates gravy with a custom-brewed beer. The beer, named Two Chefs, is made up the road at The Great Yorkshire Brewery in Cropton, and is a collaboration with James MacKenzie of The Pipe & Glass Inn in South Dalton. Andrew says: “It is a light ale with lemon, thyme and honey, and it creates almost a jus-gravy which we serve with roast sirloin and other roasts. We are a 14thcentury inn, so it fits with our surroundings, and we love it because it’s our own beer. It makes a great sales pitch.”

While some pubs use wines as a gravy base, Andrews says a British ale is more appropriate for their pub. “We’re English so we’re proud of using beer. We sometimes use stronger ales depending on the dish, for example a venison can benefit from a deeper hoppy flavour.

“The gravy made with our Two Chefs beer is very individual. Plus it means people order a pint of it to go with the meal to partner it with their dish. It’s a great upsell.”

AUGUST 2016 27/07/2016 10:46

Keeping the juices flowing: Leroy Allen of the Larwood & Voce, current holder of the Britain’s Best Roast Dinner title

British Roast Dinner Week 2016

Our gravy Leroy Allen

British Roast Dinner Week, sponsored by Colman’s Mustard, encourages pubs to serve a roast every day to reap the returns.

Last year The White Bull in Alston saw a 45 per cent uplift in covers and a 10 per cent rise in profits, while The Duke of Wellington in East Horsley saw drink sales up by 20 per cent.

Chris Brown, channel trade marketing manager at Unilever Food Solutions, says: “The winner will take the title of Best British Roast Dinner 2016 and receive £10,000 of PR to help make them famous for their roast.

“And this year the panel will also announce regional winners — giving even more pubs the opportunity to become famous for their roasts.”

To enter, head to www.britishroastdinnerweek.co.uk and submit your form by 20 September 2016.

The Larwood & Voce, Nottingham, was named home of the Best British Roast Dinner 2015. Now, it says it is fully booked months in advance for Sunday roasts, and does around 250-270 covers every Sunday.

Executive chef Leroy Allen says: “It is perfect comfort food to have a good roast with plenty of gravy. We roast chicken bones to make a stock and then reduce it down.

“Then we roast the meats on a trivet, add the meat juices to the stock and deglaze with wine. Then we ‘pass’ this and reduce it down further to thicken and intensify the flavour. Finally, we season with redcurrant jelly, Maldon sea salt, black pepper and aged sherry vinegar. Customers always ask for another jug, so we make sure there’s plenty in reserve.”

September 26 – October 2

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The Larwood & Voce, Nottingham

27/07/2016 10:46

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Promoter: Carlsberg UK Limited, 140 Bridge Street, Northampton, NN1 1PZ.

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15/07/2016 10:53 11:07 27/07/2016

9

by HUGH THOMAS

unusual bar snacks Punters may like familiarity, but introducing something new, strange or exotic to the table every now and then can provide an interesting route to a trend they haven’t explored before. Want some inspiration?

You got it.

1

Give me some skin: done right, potato skins are close to the perfect pub snack Pic: veganLazySmurf/Flickr

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AUGUST 2016

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Potato skins

Whether baked or deep fried (or preferably both), the potato skin could well be the pub industry’s answer to the vol-au-vent.

Fill them with mac ‘n’ cheese, chorizo & cheddar, ham & ricotta or pretty much anything that involves cheese. Got a local cheese maker?

Then you’re laughing.

When done right, a crispy, generously filled potato skin is the ultimate accompaniment to a pint and the football.

2

Snails

3

Ceviche

There’s a reason the snails we eat in restaurants resemble lumps of flavourless, tough meat — it’s because they mostly come out of tins. A surprise to some, but Britain has a healthy production of fresh escargots, from the likes of Helen Howard’s farm near Canterbury or the Walker family in Dorset. David Walker frequently supplies pre-cooked and pre-buttered snails to pubs, so all chefs have to do is stick them under the grill for a few minutes.

Preparing any meat raw requires a degree of skill and ceviche is no exception.

If you’re interested in not giving customers dodgy tummies, freshly caught fish (preferably of a sustainable grade) is key here — so not just any old trout off the shelf. What’s more, to ensure you get the correct tangy bite and hit of chilli synonymous with good ceviche, slice the fish and prepare the dish moments before it goes out to service.

4

Avruga caviar

Here’s something you don’t often see on pub menus.

Don’t be put off by the name, though — while caviar would be an unrealistic proposition for most licensees, Avruga, one of caviar’s cheaper substitutes, is usually around one-sixth of the price of the real deal. Sometimes customers want to sample a touch of class (or at least the idea of it), and caviar

trade.inapub.co.uk 27/07/2016 10:49

eat.

“

Puppy love: try spicing up hush puppies with a guest ale and dipping sauce

While caviar is a way to provide it: try Avruga served with would be an poached oysters, toasted blini with crème fraiche or as a fish salad dressing. unrealistic Hush puppies proposition for 5 You’re more likely to find these numbers on other side of the Atlantic and most licensees, they do taste a bit like America. Essentially a savoury doughnut, the hush puppy can be Avruga caviar is spiced up a little by introducing a guest ale into the recipe. They generally require some usually around kind of dipping sauce to go with — perhaps a chilli jam or a herb and garlic mayo. one-sixth of sorbet 6 Tomato the price of Sorbets are more commonly seen towards the bottom of the menu, but when the real deal summer sets in, a refreshing (both in terms of taste and originality) adaptation into a first course can be just what the punters are after. Dust off that old ice cream maker, source some sweet tomatoes, such as cherry tomatoes from the vine, and you may end up with a real crowd-pleaser.

7

Spring rolls

As easy as they are to find off the shelf, spring rolls are surprisingly simple to prep yourself. And, like the potato skins, there’s a lot you can do with them.

Inexpensive cuts, like lamb neck or ox tail, provide great fillings, while spring rolls are

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Pic: Jeremy Keith/Flickr

easily adapted to suit vegetarians too — surplus veg and grains such as mushrooms, cabbage, noodles, rice, chilli and spring onions work wonders.

8

Croquetas

9

Bone-in marrow

Where the French have croquettes, the Spanish make croquetas — their version using a béchamel sauce instead of, typically, a potato filling. The result is a far more indulgent dish. Got ham from yesterday’s roast lying around? Or just some leftover mash? Maybe there’s some mixed veg otherwise going to waste?

Whatever your ingredients, combine the leftovers, some béchamel and breadcrumbs and you’ve already got the makings for a potentially knock-out dish.

What’s that? A rich and buttery offal, roasted, begging to be scooped from the bone, and best complemented by a slice or two of toasted sourdough? Kicking off a meal rarely gets better than this.

Taking notes from the finest, Fergus Henderson’s St John serves bone marrow with a parsley, caper and shallot salad — and it’s legendary. What’s more, your local butcher is likely to be happy to part with his marrow bones (not his personal ones, of course) for a small fee.

AUGUST 2016

39

27/07/2016 10:49

L HS

More live Premier League football on BT Sport than ever before.

And at a better kick-off time of 5:30pm*. *Based on 531 pubs with Sky rating six slots/content types.

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RHS

To get ready for busier Saturday nights call BT Sport on 0800 678 1061

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MEANS BUSINESS

27/07/2016 11:14

play with MATT ELEY My mum surprised me recently when she said: “I remember when your sister was born because your dad was at the pub dwile flonking.” I thought there may have been a more memorable part to this day than dwile flonking but it had obviously stuck in mum’s mind.

It was no surprise dad was in the pub on the day his first born was due to arrive: that is him and those were the times.

But dwile flonking? I’m not even that clear on the rules of this dance/game thing, so why the hell was dad doing it and why did mum remember it? I suppose giving birth can do strange things to you, as can a few pints of whatever it was he was drinking in the early 1970s.

It also shows how wacky things can make a lasting impression on people. I recall being at a pub as a child and seeing

strange men with bells on their socks prancing around banging wood together to create a scene. I’m not saying that influenced my career path but the image has stayed with me.

And now we are in the silly season of August there is probably no better time to put on something weird and wonderful at your pub. Did you know, for example, that events taking place around the UK this month include The World Bog Snorkelling Championships, Scarecrow Festivals and International Left Handers Day? Now these may be irrelevant to most of you but things like this take place throughout the year and one could be perfect for your pub. It might even turn a normal bank holiday into a memorable event that gets recalled as a detail of something more significant.

BT SPORT OFFERS PUBS A NEW LINE-UP... AND A (PRICE) LOCK-IN Broadcaster BT Sport has revealed details of new products, a two-year price guarantee and an 8.9 per cent rise in the fee it charges pubs.

The increase will come into effect on September 1.

However, pubs can lock in the new price in a two-year price freeze and content guarantee.

BT Sport said prices for pubs will be around 60 per cent less expensive than broadcast rival Sky, which recently announced a 10 per cent hike in commercial subscription rates.

The price increases follow the last round of Premier League bidding rights, which saw the two

42 AUGUST 2016

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broadcasters pay a combined £5.1bn. Since its launch three years ago BT Sport has also acquired exclusive rights to the Champions League and Europa League football.

BT Sport is also offering free WiFi to commercial premises and has also joined forces with digital music library I Like Music to develop a music streaming service for pubs: Bar Beats. It features 70 playlists, tens of thousands of songs and can be scheduled to play at different times of day using a laptop, tablet or smartphone.

It is being offered free for 12 months to customers who take the two-year price freeze.

trade.inapub.co.uk 27/07/2016 14:14

The Olympics

With the Games taking place in Rio not everything will work for your pub audience but much will — check trade.inapub. co.uk for listings.

Friday, August 5 — Sunday August 21, BBC

International Left Handers Day

If you’ve read the column on the left you were doubtless desperate to know the date of this one. You’re welcome.

Saturday, August 13

Pic: lazyllama/Shutterstock.com

Happening this month Hull City v Leicester City

It’s back and the stars who flopped at the European Championships will no doubt show us how they can be world beaters in the colours of their clubs. The action starts with the champions travelling to Hull for a lunchtime kick-off.

Saturday, August 13, 12.30pm, Sky

World Breastfeeding Week

Show mums you care about inclusivity by marking this week. You could get some customers for life.

Monday, August 1 — Sunday, August 7

World Photo Day

Manchester City v Sunderland

A chance to snap your locals, host an exhibition or even run a competition on your social media channels.

Make a day of it by switching over to BT Sport for the second game of the day. How will Pep Guardiola’s City get on against perennial survivors Sunderland?

Friday, August 19

Saturday, August 13, 5.30pm, BT Sport

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Let me entertain you Nick Deverell-Smith, The Churchill Arms, Paxford, Gloucestershire With more than 15 years’ experience working in some of the best kitchens in the country, it is no surprise Nick has made food the star of the show at his pub.

He took it on 18 months ago and quickly established a healthy destination dining trade.

However, he was keen to see the pub thrive midweek as well as at weekends, so he introduced a range of events.

The Wednesday Club has pulled in locals for a special treat on a day that can be quiet. For £30 a head they get something different every month; events have included a Champagne dinner with the pub’s supplier from France, a shellfish dinner and, this month, a garden party featuring live music and a barbecue.

Nick says: “You’ve really got to push out to people what you do. We use social media and put up notices around the pub.”

Nick also demonstrates his pie-making skills every other week and the pub is establishing itself as the place to start the weekend with half-price champagne and prosecco available with canapes for a couple of hours on Fizz Fridays.

27/07/2016 14:14

Horses for courses

by MATT ELEY

I feel a bit disappointed when I pull up at The Brewery Inn. This has nothing to do with the pub. With the sound of laughter drifting towards me, I’m looking forward to stepping inside. But really, I shouldn’t have come in my car. I should have ridden into town on a horse and tied him up before going for a pint.

If that sounds more like something from the American West you should take a closer look at how freeholder Fiona Hotchkiss has attracted the horse-loving community to her pub. She explains: “It’s a very horsey area. I’ve got horses and half of the staff have horses. A couple of the local bridleway groups started coming down here, so we installed a stronger fence and put tie rings on so they could stop and have a drink.”

There are now about a dozen tie-rings and it isn’t uncommon to see as many horses resting there while their riders pop over the road to the pub.

However, the idea that really took off was the mounting block and accompanying water for the horses that Fiona puts out by the front of the 150-year-old building.

“We put the mounting block out because a lot of people wanted to stop but some of the older people said they would struggle to get back on their horse if they got off,” she continues. “It went absolutely crazy the minute we put it onto Facebook with the amount of people commenting and sharing.”

It has resulted in an impressive selection

The Brewery Inn Coalport, Shropshire

Staff: Four full time, plus one apprentice

Online: www.breweryinn.co.uk Style: Community freehouse Popular drink: Somersby Strawberry & Rhubarb cider Popular meals: Ham off the bone, egg & chips or lasagne, chips & salad

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“

It wasn’t done to make money but we have had groups of 10 people tie the horses up for an hour and come in for a meal - licensee Fiona Hotchkiss

of local and national press cuttings as well as extra trade.

Not that Fiona was thinking about the till when she introduced the block. “We are not fussed if they come in for a drink or not,” she says. “We are quite happy for them to stop, let the horses have a drink and pop in to use the loo if they want.

“We did it because we are part of that community. It wasn’t done to make money but we have had groups of 10 people tie up the horses for an hour and come in for a meal and a drink. It’s nice to see people use it regularly and the kids love it when the horses are here.”

She is proud that it has brought people together, especially as many had not previously met. The pub has even become a base for horse-related equipment sales.

“It was like a car boot sale inside full of saddles and other bits,” she adds.

It was also done in memory of her father

Roger, who died last year. He ran several pubs in the area and took on the freehouse at The Brewery Inn more than 30 years ago.

He was also a horse lover who encouraged Fiona’s interest.

Open all hours

Fiona has lived at the pub her entire life and is keen to continue the work of her parents (her mum died when she was 12) by making the pub the beating heart of the community. As well as horse riders, the pub is a popular stop-off for walkers and cyclists who use the Silkin Way that runs through the county. Fiona opens for breakfast so that fishermen can get a bite for themselves away from the river.

“We open at 9am where most people open at 12,” she says. “We get a lot in early for breakfast. A lot of fishermen will go out at 5am or 6am then come in at 9am for a bacon butty and their day ticket.”

Food is a big driver of trade and the generous portions that are taken to the tables around me would be enough to satisfy the appetite of someone who was hungry enough to eat… well, a horse.

The noticeboard on the wall packed with local events tells you this is a pub that serves its community. As does the library of second-hand books that have helped raise hundreds for a local hospice.

More money is raised through regular traditional games and clairvoyant nights.

Next on the list for Fiona is the continuation of a refurbishment project.

Like many successful contemporary pubs, The Brewery Inn has stuck to its traditions while always being on the lookout for new ideas.

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18

by MATT ELEY

sure shots How hard can it be to get a bunch of people to play golf before heading back to the pub? If you’re not careful, running a golf society can present as many problems as a round on a howling links course. Here’s a quick 18 to help you avoid the hazards.

1. Do your research

So a few people in the pub play golf and maybe you’ve been out with some for a round or two, but is that enough for a society? Make sure you have a solid core of people — between 12 and 20 — who will turn up and pay up three or four times a year.

2. Get your dates in the diary

4. Manage the handicaps

There are various online systems that allow you to maintain handicaps in your own society. You can even implement your own rules such as cutting the handicaps of people who win or score more than 38 points. Pub golf societies should be fun, which means keeping an eye out for bandits (cheats playing off a dodgy handicap).

5. Choose your format

Most golfers will expect to play fourballs using the Stableford scoring system with two scores from each team counting per hole. If none of that makes sense see point three and find someone who knows how this works.

6. Pick your pairs

Make it clear from the offset if people can pick who they play with or if they will be placed in random fourballs. The latter is more social and can help prevent dodgy team scores.

7. Hand out scorecards

Finding dates that work for all will be impossible, so book in ones that are convenient for most and stick to them. Then let everyone know as clearly and quickly as you can.

Avoid dates of major events.

Make sure there is someone on hand at the golf club to greet players on arrival and hand them their scorecards and tee-off times. The rules of the day should be made clear at this point or in a short briefing shortly before play.

3. Form a committee

8. Make some bacon sandwiches

It might not be as exciting as the thought of

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chipping in from off the green, but you need people doing jobs to make your society run smoothly. Appoint a treasurer, captain and a handicap secretary. This should avoid arguments and you being left with every job.

This is essential. Players will be on the

27/07/2016 15:33

play. course for up to five hours, so they need something to eat (and drink) before and after the round.

9. Cover your costs

Charge an annual membership fee to cover admin and make people feel part of something slightly exclusive. Also think about how much you will have to charge per event. £40 a day should cover the round at a club with food and a little left over for prizes.

10. Collect the fees

Make clear when the deadline is for people to pay. There’s a lot to organise, so you won’t want to be chasing people after they have played.

11. How long is a piece of string?

You can quickly raise funds for a local cause with simple extras such as a putting competition on the practice green, charging for Mulligans (ask your captain) or by getting players to buy and blindly select randomly cut pieces of string from a bag. They can use the string to move the ball that length once during the round.

12. Give prizes

Top team, individual, longest drive and closest to the pin are standard, while the “longest walk” can be a fun one too. A trophy, some booze and balls from a golf shop should cover things. A short, funny presentation with some highlights of the day is better than detailed analysis of everyone’s efforts.

13. Make some cash

You’re not going to make money from the event itself, so try to get people back to the pub afterwards. You could put on more food or, if you are playing a course a long way from your base, arrange a coach drop-off at the pub.

14. Look for a sponsor

Don’t expect to get a McIlroy Nike deal but there could well be a local businessman at the bar who will stump up for balls if he can get a logo on them. Others may sponsor holes, which you can use to fund prizes, boost the charity pot or save in the kitty for a special event or golf tour.

15. Move it around

Keep it fresh by playing different courses every time. If people want to play the same course they will more likely take a golf club membership.

16. Allow guests

Allowing guests is one way of ensuring you hit your numbers — because people will invariably drop out at short notice — just make sure the policy is clear. A guest is also a potential society member.

17. Stick the golf on the box

You could try to get people back to the pub to watch some golf. The Ryder Cup is one golf fans will not want to miss and will be on Sky from September 30 to October 2.

18. Don’t win

Your customers will never forgive you.

With thanks to Matt Feeney at The Green Man, in Willington, Derbyshire and iSpyGolf (www.ispygolf.com)

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back-bar business

Join the in Manchester Next Generation is sponsored by

Supported by

It’s back and this time Inapub is taking Next Generation to Manchester.

Entrepreneurial licensees and managers from around the country will meet up at JW Lees’ award-winning Rain Bar on September 13 to hear from a range of top speakers.

Starting at 10.30am, the day is designed to help new licensees and managers learn from the best to help them progress with their careers. There will also be plenty of time to catch up with fellow licensees and shoot the breeze about life in the trade.

Here’s the line-up.

Joel Harrison: Capturing the millennial market Social science: learn how to make the most of social media with The Firbank’s Simon Delaney

One of the biggest issues facing pubs is attracting the Next Generation of customers, especially when drinking rates are declining.

Drinks expert Joel Harrison will be on hand to help licensees appeal to the hearts and minds of that challenging demographic.

As well as appearances on TV shows such as Sunday Brunch, he has written for publications such as The Daily Telegraph and Whisky Magazine. Joel is also the co-author of Distilled — Fortnum & Mason’s Drinks Book of the Year 2015.

In the spirit: Joel Harrison will be on hand to offer ideas to attract the next generation of drinkers

His aim is to enliven the world of distilled spirits to new drinkers and as part of that he will help licensees think about how they can bring people into their pubs.

Driving footfall from Facebook

So you’ve got a Facebook site and you’ve started to post, but how do you turn likes and comments into people in the pub and money in the till? Our panel of experts will help you increase interaction and profits. They are:

•

Simon Delaney, The Firbank, Newall Green, Manchester Simon has been at the helm of his pub for 21 years and has continued to grow and evolve the business. In the last few years he has developed his social media strategy and now has five star ratings, thousands of Facebook likes and even more check-ins. Find out how he grows the business with offers, incentives and competitions.

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“

The Next Generation is designed to help new licensees and managers learn from the best to help them progress with their careers

•

Business of the Year. It has grown profits Ed Davies, Inapub by more than 30 per cent in each of the Ed is our very own in-house expert last three years. when it comes to Facebook and digital marketing. Previously a licensee, he Keith Marsden now travels the country helping other The 2015 BII Licensee of the Year is a licensees get to grips with the challenges passionate and pioneering publican. of Facebook, Twitter and beyond.

He has transformed The Prince of Wales in Moseley, Mark Daniels, Wadworth Birmingham, into one of the Mark has been digging most renowned pubs in around the inner workthe country, empowering ings of the internet since staff along the way. Since 1995, was the licensee winning the award he has of The Tharp Arms, taken on three further Cambridgeshire, for Next Generation hits pubs, with a microbrewery eight years and was Rain Bar, Manchester coming soon.

Inapub’s digital guru until earlier this year. Today, as Alastair Scott Wadworth’s digital marketing The former Mitchells & Butlers manager, Mark is responsible for the executive now has two exceptional fooddevelopment of online platforms, social led pubs of his own and is a qualified media and technology for the brewery, its beer sommelier. He also runs businesses managed houses and business partners. that help pubs improve labour management and operational efficiency.

•

•

Tuesday Sep 13

•

Retaining and retraining: Taking staff on your journey

Your pub can only be as good as the people you employ but how can you inspire them to share your vision, see the pub trade as a career and stick with you? Our panel will provide the answers:

• Passion: 2015 BII Licensee of the Year Keith Marsden knows a thing or two about staff empowerment

William Lees-Jones As managing director of JW Lees, William employs more than 1,150 people at the brewery and at the company’s pubs and hotels. He has been in charge of the family business for more than a decade, during which time it has been named Manchester Evening News

And there’s more…

As well as our expert speakers, our sponsors Diageo, Heineken and Sky will also be on hand to provide tips and advice to licensees.

Diageo will focus on gin and the evergrowing popularity of the spirit. It will also provide attendees with classic cocktail recipes and a practical guide on how to make them.

Meanwhile, Heineken will host not-to-bemissed sessions on the perfect serve and beer quality.

Be part of the Next Generation Next Generation is designed to bring rising stars of the pub trade together to make contacts and learn from some of the industry’s finest. If you would like to join and attend the Manchester event, get in touch. We will be holding one further event this year with details to follow. Register your interest and secure your place by emailing nextgen@inapub.co.uk

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back-bar business

9

quick wins for your pub’s Facebook Page

The Call to Action button directs people to your preferred method of contact – be that by phone, email or an online booking system

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With 24 million Britons logging in every day, having a Facebook presence for your business is vital for connecting with customers. To make the most of the world’s most powerful massmarket social media channel, take a look at our top tips to ensure that your Page is working as hard as it should be.

1

Get set up as a Page

2

Check Page Info

3

Verify your Page

4

Create a Page username

Profiles are for people, Pages are for businesses. Having a Page for your business has several advantages, including the ability to: advertise and ‘boost’ your posts, delegate Page roles to staff, and view Insights about your Page’s activity (and those of your competitors). If you have “Friends” on your pub’s Facebook Profile, you need to convert it to a Page. Find out how at facebook.com/pages/create/migrate

Your Page includes a lot of important information about your business, so you need to make sure it is accurate and up to date. When signed in as the Page Admin on a desktop, click About on the navigation bar next to your Profile pic. By clicking on Page Info on the left-hand side, you can update your exact location, contact info, opening hours, parking info and website URL.

This lets Facebook know that you are the business owner, adds a blue tick to your Page and moves your page to the top of Facebook search results. It also lets Facebook users know that your Page is the real McCoy. All you need to do to verify your page, is go to Settings on a desktop, then Page verification (third option down), click Edit and Verify this page and follow the instructions. You’ll need access to your business landline to do this. Facebook will call you with a 4-digit PIN to enter to prove that you are the business owner. Once you’re done, you should get your blue tick immediately.

Giving your Page a unique username

trade.inapub.co.uk 27/07/2016 11:57

“

Your Page contains a lot of information about your business, so you need to make sure it is accurate and up to date

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(e.g. @theinnaccessible) makes it easier for people to find you and send you messages.

It also allows you to create a custom Facebook URL (e.g. facebook.com/ theinnaccessible), which is easier to remember and looks more professional on posters and marketing material. You can set this up in the Page Info section, where it says Username — see point 2.

5

Set up a Call To Action

6

Hide offensive language

The Call To Action (CTA) button appears next to your Page name and Profile pic on mobile and desktop platforms, so it’s a prime piece of real estate. The button allows you to direct people to your preferred method of contact. The options available include: Book Now, Call Now, Contact Us or Send Message. The button can link to a specific page of your website, or let people call you directly via your Facebook Page on their mobile phone. If you don’t have a Call To Action set up already, click on where it says Add a button on the right of your Profile pic.

You can edit it at any time.

These two options in desktop General Settings allow you to automatically hide comments and posts on your Page that include offensive language. Page Moderation allows you to hide comments containing custom language that Facebook might not realise is offensive e.g. local slang or nicknames. You can add specific terms manually. Profanity filter hides comments

that include the most commonly reported offensive words.

7

Set up Instant Replies

8

Delegate Page roles

9

Use insights

Like an out-of-office for your email, Instant Replies allow you to send personalised replies to people messaging your Facebook Page to let them know that you have received their message and will get back to them as soon as you can.

Like the pub phone, you cannot attend to your pub’s Facebook Page 24/7, so it’s a good idea to allow staff access to it.

As the business owner, you should retain Admin rights, but the roles of Editor and Moderator are useful to give to staff who you want to be able to post, answer messages, reply to comments and generally keep an eye on the Page. On the left-hand side of the Settings page, you’ll find Page Roles, where you can manage who has access to your page.

Behind the Insights tab on your Page is a treasure trove of information about the people who like your Page, their Facebook habits, stats on your posts and interesting information about your competitors’ Pages. Overlook this free information about your customers at your peril, but be warned… it’s highly addictive.

Happy Facebooking!

AUGUST 2016

53

27/07/2016 11:57

time at the bar The licensees at a Dorset pub have pledged to walk one million steps for Diabetes UK. Geraldine and John Baker, landlords of The Ropemakers in Bridport, will walk just under 1,000 miles between them from July till the end of September.

Geraldine said: “It will make us a bit fitter whilst raising money for such a good cause. We wish to thank anybody who donates sponsorship towards our efforts.”

They will walk an average of 10,000 steps a day for three months.

They chose the charity after Geraldine was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes.

To sponsor the pair head to www.justgiving.com/ fundraising/Ropemakers4

THE COLLECTION TIN What pubs around the country are doing to help good causes

BBC DJs hosted a special pub quiz for Children in Need at an Enterprise pub in Hampshire. The Queen Inn in Dummer welcomed Ken Bruce and Lyn Bowles, who did

their famous Popmaster competition for locals. The publicans won the visit in a Radio 2 competition last November.

The night raised more than £1,400 for Children in Need.

Food manufacturer Pidy is looking for people to take part in its charity bike ride from Northampton to Belgium. Around 40 cyclists will ride 300 miles to Ypres, for local homeless charity The Hope Centre. The ride takes place from 8 to 12 September. For more information visit www.pidyuk.com Around 450 street footballers are being re-kitted after Stonegate pubs teamed up with a local charity. for the homeless.

Sixteen venues around South Wales are asking for donations of new or used football shirts, of any size, from any club.

The kits will go to players who are part of the charity because of their background of homelessness or social exclusion. The teams play football to promote health, social skills and life opportunities.

Barry Smith, Stonegate area manager, said: “We wanted to maximise the community links of our pubs to support Street Football Wales and with the huge buzz around the Euros, thought what a great link.”

Pic: Archant

The BII Summer Event raised nearly £8,000 for the Support Our Paras charity. A total of £7,881.33 was collected for the cause, which helps the welfare of serving soldiers, and families and those affected by recent operations in the Parachute regiment.

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

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trade.inapub.co.uk 27/07/2016 12:06

TOP

10

QUIZ TEAM NAMES

Legendary sides putting pen to paper in Britain’s pubs 1. Ken Dodd’s Dad’s Dog’s Dead Everyone loves a tongue twister don’t they? And if this doesn’t cause the quavering quizmaster to quail, then teams can try: Seal Cub Clubbing Club or Pete Postlethwaite’s Preposterous Posthumous Pizza Party, *evil laugh*.

2. I’m Aung San Suu Kyi, Get Me Out of Here This remains our all-time favourite team name but it has (fortunately) somewhat dated. Teams wanting something a bit more 2016 could go for Gloria LeicesterFan, Emergency Brexit or, If I Lose This Quiz by a Narrow Margin Can I Just Do It Again?

3. I Wish This Microphone Was a Penis Let’s group this selection of team monikers under the heading “humiliating the quiz master.”

Other examples include I’m a Dickhead, I’ve got a Tiny Dick and it Hurts When I Wee, and I Lost My Virginity at the Age Of…

4. The Landlord asked me to announce there’ll be free drinks all night.

Ah, that old classic.

See also: Spanish in-Quiz-Mission and The Bodies Are Under the M – which really only works at score time.

5. I thought this was speed dating?

For teams playing it for laughs this is guaranteed a guffaw of

appreciation. Quizzy McQuizFace is another option or, for a bit of audience participation, The Judean People’s Front (all together now: “Splitters!”).

6. Trivia Newton John Probably the best known of the slebinfluenced names but there are arguably better ones, including Quiztopher Quiztofferson, Quiz Team Aguilera, Red Hot Trivia Peppers, Agatha Quizteam and…um… Michael Barrymore’s Swim Team.

7. Universally Challenged Along with Quizzee Rascals, Cunning Linguists and Benjamin Quizraeli, this team name is guaranteed to have appeared at every pub quiz across the land ever. Fact.

8. Quizpicable Me Film names are a popular source of inspiration. Other favourites include Sink the Quizmark, The Quizzard of Oz, and Les Quizerables (OK that last one’s more of a novel-slash-musical but you know what we mean).

9. Game of Phones This isn’t the only popular team name based on the global obsession that is Game of Thrones, either. We’ve had several reports of teams calling themselves Hodor and then answering simply “Hodor” to every question. One for the GoT enthusiasts only, perhaps?

10. Norfolk and Chance Best said out loud (or not, depending on how many children are around), other options comprise Suffolk and Hope and Fact Hunt, for those of us who enjoy a bit of profanity.

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27/07/2016 12:19

time at the bar

PLATE OR SLATE? Where the nation’s publicans stand on the really big questions Matt Todd

The Wonston Arms Winchester, Hampshire In his first pub venture, at a place dubbed “the best little pub in Hampshire” Matt has successfully re-connected locals with a friendly offer that includes excursions from the pub such as deep-sea fishing trips.

Plate or slate?

Live sport or big screen-ban?

Plate: warm ones are always available from the ’70s hostess warming trolley we use for pop-up food events — Fish and Chip Van Tuesday and Curry Night on a Friday.

Customers sort themselves out.

Live sport, but not in the main bar room.

That’s where the chat and banter prevail.

Dyson Airblade or hand towels?

I dream of having an Airblade...

Wellies or heels?

Wellies — perfect footwear for a walk up the village lane to the pub for a pint. I’ve got girlie customers who walk up in their wellies for a quick drink, before they slip on the heels when the cab arrives to take them out into town for Saturday night. Wellies are picked up the next day, along with a cheeky Sunday swift one.

Cash or Apple Pay? Cash is king, but the big fruit is paying for the round more and more in my little pub.

Dress up or dress down?

Dress down, we are pretty casual folk down this way. But the villagers scrub up well when needed.

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On the tab or no credit here?

On the tab — paid off by the end of the month. It’s a really important service offered to my locals who I see every week. If you use the pub a lot you can have a tab.

Family-friendly or keep the kids at home?

Family friendly, but I am not a crèche. Kids must be looked after by parents. It’s really good to see the whole family coming out together and to see the kids learning to behave in public, being respectful to the elder folk in the pub and not running riot.

Dogs allowed or the only animals are on the menu?

Dogs and children should be kept on a lead at all times in the pub. Seriously, we love dogs and a trip to the pub is good for dog socialising too. I’ve seen some dogs really improve their behaviour over the last year.

It’s important to keep the Pooch Pit Stop drink station fully stocked at all times.

trade.inapub.co.uk 27/07/2016 12:28

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22/06/2016 13:38

time at the bar

HAIR OF THE DOG Tales of the unexpected from the wonderful world of pubs Can you tell what it is? mped. When Inapub well and truly stu This is a teaser that got re, we shi rop Sh , Inn in Coalport we visited The Brewery assumed this was an old-fashioned speaker attached to the wall.

It was pointed out to us that the purpose of this go object is to have things t jec pro to in it rather than t tha l Wil lf. itse anything nse trigger any kind of respo from our readers? it If you can work out what at w kno us is let editorial@inapub.co.uk.

The winner can have a round of whatever seems most appropriate.

Just smile Training staff to be the best they can be has become part of the plan for more and more pubs.

But for some customers nothing will beat a smile and some friendly chat.

A poll by money saving site Voucherbox. co.uk found that 23 per cent of people will tip if their waiter or waitress has a nice smile. In fact 20 per cent will dig deep in their pockets to find a little extra if they find that person attractive. A flirty manner (16 per cent) and nice eyes (11 per cent) also attracted tips.

There are tip turn-offs too, with 36 per cent keeping their money in their pockets if staff have dirty nails and 40 per cent failing to forgive body odour.

So if you can get staff to wash and smile you’re on to a decent start.

58 AUGUST 2016

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King of the cockerels When we got a tip about the Prince of Wales being involved in a sport involving cockerels at a pub we got a little excited. Was this a scoop we could break before the nationals? “Future King in cock fighting scandal.”

As you are reading about it on the diary page, obviously not. HRH Charlie was being a good sport by taking part in a game of cockerel racing at The New Inn in Llanddewi Brefi in Ceredigion as part of his excellent work supporting Pub is the Hub. In case you were wondering the game involves reeling a wooden cockerel in from behind on a piece of string.

Just because, OK.

Well-heeled winn ers So it turns out th at Theresa May is not the only le thing about shoe ader with a s.

This is the chairm an of the BII no less in a pair of red stilettos. Anth bright ony Pender, right , is actually mar achievement with king an his day job at Yu mmy Pubs, the six company he runs -strong with fellow fetishi st Tim Foster (le recently won the ft). They Best Boutique St ay at the Muddy Awards for its la Stiletto keside pub The Wiremill in Lingfield, Surrey.

And what better way to celebrate than by posing in a pair of shoes they have both pr obably wanted to wear for a long time anyway?

Hats, or should that be heels, off to you both.

trade.inapub.co.uk 27/07/2016 12:33

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inapub 27/07/2016 13:04