Inapub magazine march 2017 issue 63

inapub

Issue 63 March 2017 ÂŁ3.95 trade.inapub.co.uk

From the Punjab to the pub

The Desi licensees offering service with a style

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ON AN AVERAGE WEEK 37% OF ADULTS DRINK IN THE ON TRADE - 56% OF THEM DRINK BEER* MAKING SURE YOU HAVE A GREAT RANGE ON OFFER IS VITAL FOR DRIVING FOOTFALL AND INCREASING PROFITS

*Alcovision Dec 2015

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Call us on: 0344 5560109 or visit www.online.heineken.co.uk 16/02/2017 10:58 17:21 21/02/2017 18/05/2016 15:17

ubs have had to broaden their appeal in a whole host of ways in recent years, but is age one of the factors that you have to take into consideration to do this?

In this issue we look at the baby boomer generation and what it is they want from a pub. Is it so much different from everyone else? If you want to make your pub more vibrant and modern without alienating your traditional customer base, hopefully our rundown will give you some ideas .

Cask is something those traditional customers may enjoy but, like many things, if done properly it should appeal to a far wider chunk of the pub-going population. We run our eye over that part of the beer market.

We also visit the burgeoning Desi pub scene in the West Midlands, another that has become an internet sensation and question whether local sourcing is really the right thing for your food offer.

It all shows just how diverse pubs have become and how lucky customers are to have such choice.

Cheers,

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this month The silver pound • The Black country’s Desi pubs

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drink Beer & food matching • The rebirth of RTDs

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eat Most popular food brands • Is local sourcing really so great?

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play A trick shot that went viral• Formula 1 frontman David Croft

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stay Let your rooms on Airbnb

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Editor Matt Eley • matte ina ub o uk Deputy editor Robyn Black • rob nb ina ub o uk

50 back-bar business Social media jargon buster • Next Generation

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Eat writer Bronya Smolen • bron a ina ub o uk

time at the bar Missing person found in pub • Your charity work

Production editor Ben Thrush • ben ina ub o uk

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Cover image: Jagdish Patel Chief executive Barrie Poulter • barrie ina ub o uk Sales & marketing director Matt Roclawski • mattr ina ub o uk

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Visit us online at trade.inapub.co.uk

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Sales manager Leah Gauthier • leah ina ub o uk Subscriptions trade.inapub.co.uk/magazine • subs ri tions ina ub o uk

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Enjoy the delicious flavour of floral and citrus hops and golden malt, subtly combined with orange peel to provide a crisp, refreshing ale.

GO WITH THE FLOW... drinkaware.co.uk for the facts

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Cask: 3.8% ABV Bottle: 4.5% ABV

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this month.

BARSTOOL EXPERT all you need to know about ST PATRICK’S DAY Why are you drinking green beer?

Because it’s St Patrick’s Day, of course!

Is anything I think I know about St Patrick actually true?

Then you should be wearing blue.

What else do you know?

Have you lost your mind? He’s the patron saint of Ireland — you know, the Emerald Isle?

That story about him driving all the snakes out of Ireland.

Yes, but St Patrick’s colour is actually blue.

Not true. And they didn’t have a St Patrick’s Day parade until 1932, either.

The first one was either in Boston in 1737 or New York in 1792, depending on your source.

How on earth did you work that one out?

Paintings show him dressed in blue; the green thing is a more modern invention.

Fine, I’ll order in the WKD Blue on the next round.

Actually, traditionally you wouldn’t have had alcohol on St Pat’s Day at all.

Get away with you.

Honestly, until 1970 pubs in Ireland had to remain closed, as a mark of respect for the religious nature of the day.

Blimey, next you’ll be telling me it’s not even held on March 17.

You’re saying it’s more American than Irish then?

You said that not me. But as St Patrick isn’t even Irish, it doesn’t make much difference.

Seriously?

Quite serious. He was born in Scotland or Wales but he was kidnapped at the tender age of 16 and sent to Ireland as a slave.

Blinkin’ ’eck. You’ll be telling me his name isn’t even Patrick next!

It isn’t.

I should have known. What is it?

You’re right, sometimes it isn’t. For example, it moves it when it falls on Holy Days such as Palm Sunday, as it did in 1940 and 2008.

Confusing. When’s that going to happen next then?

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Maewyn Succat.

Well, that lends weight to the theory of him being born in Wales at least.

Not until 2060.

What’s the craic: Around 7.5 million pints of the Black Stuff are drunk around the world on St Patrick’s Day.

Great stuff, let’s celebrate his birthday on the correct date until then.

Blarney Stone: St Patrick’s Day is

It’s actually the day of his death.

celebrated in more countries than any other national festival.

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IN THE TRADE THIS MONTH BBPA calls for business rate relief Pubs should be given special relief on business rates to ensure they “stay as the beating hearts of their communities” according to Brigid Simmonds. The British Beer & Pub Association chief wrote to The Times pointing out pubs pay 2.8 per cent of UK business rates bill while accounting for only 0.5 per cent of turnover. Many pubs face huge hikes in rates bills from next month.

TOP STORIES ON TRADE.INAPUB.CO.UK 12 seasonal ingredients for February Watch how Carling pours more beer for footy fans

Look out for the new £1 coin A new 12-sided £1 coin has entered circulation this month. The Royal Mint has produced 1.5 billion new bimetallic (made with two metals) pound and it claims it is the “most secure coin in the world.” From March 28 to October 15 the coin will be in co-circulation. After that, businesses will be under no obligation to accept the round pound coin and should not distribute it.

Customers want to book on your website Stats reveal that 63 per cent of customers would rather use your website than a third-party booking app to make a table reservation. A poll of 5,000 Brits by researchers CGA and systems providers Zonal found that 60 per cent would check your website before visiting.

Inapub signs digital deal with Star Star Pubs & Bars has signed a deal that will see Inapub provide its licensees with its industry-leading website and social media support package. Mark Macdonald, national supplier manager at Star Pubs & Bars, said: “We’re delighted to have negotiated a package for Star licensees that offers a flexible, professional and costeffective means to bring their pubs alive online.”

For more on our services visit www.inapub.co.uk

This pub is scrapping its menu for pay what you want Haggis & panko crumb Scotch egg voted best in UK Six trends pubs should know about for 2017

Holly Bush scoops award A landlord has celebrated 20 years at his pub by winning a major honour.

Les Routiers named The Holly Bush in Salt, Staffordshire, “Inn of the Year 2017” for its performance and customer feedback. The guide said the Admiral Taverns pub — one of the oldest in the country — had “consistently demonstrated exceptional levels of service hospitality and quality of food.”

Geoff Holland, who has been landlord there for two decades, said: “We are dedicated to providing high quality, locally sourced and home-made meals in a relaxed friendly environment whilst offering excellent customer service.”

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this month.inapub THE WAY I SEE IT JONNY GARRETT

TWEET ALL ABOUT IT

Give beer the respect it deserves

Here are just a few things we were talking about on Twitter this month…

I recently had pretty much the worse beer I have ever drunk. It was soupy-looking, flat and darker than an IPA should be. It was meaty in flavour and earthy in aroma, with a dull, almost aniseed-like aftertaste. It was a struggle to swallow, and I returned it.

There’s been a lot controversy about beer quality already this year. Even Pete Brown, former editor of the Cask Report, wrote a piece showing concern about the care for real ale in British pubs.

He’s right to worry: when poorly cared for, cask can be undrinkable. But the beer I had wasn’t on cask, it was on keg. Beer quality goes beyond the dispense method.

Freshness is key to both mediums, as are cool cellar temperatures and crystal clean lines. Unless you are nailing all three, you are serving your customers a damaged product. Beer is very delicate — more so than spirits and wine.

Its flavour relies wholly on volatiles like hop oils that easily diminish when not treated right.

I find it bizarre that we check to see whether a wine is corked, but don’t check the beers we serve when the chance of them being tainted is so much higher.

Whether you’re serving a beer sommelier or a Foster’s fan, the difference between them having a good pint, and even a good night, in your pub could be how you care for the beer. So we need to give it the respect we give to all our other products.

“20 years as a landlord and a big trophy win—it’s a good time for The Holly Bush Inn” Very well deserved accolade! #proud #Staffordshire @Admiral_Taverns Interesting figures. More people going dry, led by young adults, but ultimately all groups coming up short @inapub @EDGENEWBURY Super article inc video by @BronyaWrites @inapub on the #Scotcheggchallenge Numero uno! @beerskythinking Good to speak to @MatthewEley @inapub about #pubswithrooms & the #staycation market in the light of #Brexit @ditchlingbull @inapub plates over slates for sure!! @Ringwoodrailway So what’s a pub? Love these quotes from @inapub about what a pub means to various pub trade supremos. #FridayFeeling @DartmoorBrewery

Jonny Garrett is an award-winning beer writer and founder of the Craft Beer Channel. Find more of his work at youtube. com/thecraftbeerchannel or trade.inapub.co.uk

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Months of study it took to discover people are more likely to notice an alcohol awareness poster in a “plain, simple room” than in the busy visual environment of a pub. Alcohol Research funded the project.

Find us online every month at trade.inapub.co.uk @inapub

Inapub

@inapub

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Xpresssnap napkins

Tork tableware has launched its Xpressnap napkin range in vibrant orange, energetic lime green, sophisticated black and traditional brown — along with a study into how certain colours make customers feel. We’re not saying you try out mind control on your customers… but by purchasing a certain colour napkin you could be doing just that.

Move over, Derren Brown. www.tork.co.uk

Marmalade of Manchester Gin

Manchester distillery Zymurgorium is celebrating its local roots by teaming up with the city’s family marmalade producer Duerr’s. The result is a 40 per cent drink full of citrus flavours and an orange blossom that will appeal to gin (or marmalade) fanatics. www.zymurgorium.com

Stuff

What’s new in the pub this month

Scioche

First there was the cronut, then the cruffin… now behold the Scioche. Speciality Breads has launched the world’s first scone-brioche hybrid. Available in original and lemon & poppyseed flavour, the Scioches are 140g and come in boxes of 20. They will be rolled out in April. info@specialitybreads.co.uk

København Collection

From hygge to Lego, Denmark is having its moment in the UK, which has not gone unnoticed by Carlsberg. The Danish brewer has unveiled the “København Collection,” a range of limited-edition packaging for its flagship lager. The move is part of its £15m investment to connect the brand with millennial drinkers. www.carlsbergwedelivermore.co.uk

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this month.

Shuffleboard

Find space for a shuffleboard in your pub and you are guaranteed a crowd of happy and beautiful women. Fact. Well, maybe not, but it is growing in popularity and was a huge draw at trade show Pub17 this year. The game, a bit like a table-top version of curling, is played on 12ft or 22ft long siliconcovered tables. www.europeanshuffleboard.com

Roe & Coe

New look Carling

A more modern looking Carling will appear from next month, as brewer Molson Coors looks to “energise” the brand. The new design will appear across the entire range, including Carling cider, and ahead of further launches under the brand that are said to be in the pipeline. www.molsoncoorsdirect.com

With Irish whiskey sales booming around the globe — up 300 per cent in 10 years — Diageo has entered the category with a new brand. Roe & Coe is pitched as an entry-level premium product. Made from Irish malt and grain whiskies and aged in Bourbon casks, it is said to have notes of creamy vanilla, fruit and soft spice.

020 8978 6000

Funkin Skinny

For any calorie counting customer who wants a Mojito, Funkin could have your answer. The cocktail brand is launching Funkin Skinny Mojito and Funkin Skinny Sex on the Beach mixers – both under 100 calories. www.funkinPRO.co.uk

Butcombe

It might feature a dinosaur but it’s a thoroughly modern makeover for Butcombe. The Somerset-based brewery has launched the new design across all its beers as part of ambitious growth plans to become, “one of the nation’s most popular brewers.” See page 23 for a chance to win a keg from its craft range www.butcombe.com

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Silver service

why you need to keep the baby boomers happy

by MATT ELEY

Millennials. They’re all we hear about these days.

With their superfood salads and social media obsessions they’ve helped force many pubs to reconsider what they’ve been doing for years.

It’s enough to make the silver fox clutching a pint shake his head and wonder what the hell is happening to pubs. But with the over-50s holding more than 80 per cent of the UK’s wealth you can’t afford to let them feel left behind.

And how do you appeal to the next generation of customers without alienating those who have been with you since long before food became street or beer became craft? Here’s why the older generation should never be overlooked.

Victoria MacDonald of The Cellar House notes that baby boomers come through her pub’s doors at all times of day

So who are the baby boomers?

Baby boomers, silver surfers or whatever phrase you choose to use. We are talking about the generation born after the Second

World War, who are now aged somewhere between 50 and 70.

Commonly perceived as the lucky heirs to an era when Britons had “never had it so good”, they make up a big chunk of the population. By 2033 a quarter of people in the UK will be aged over 65. Pair that with the fact that life expectancy for men and women aged 65 is stretching beyond 20 years (Office for National Statistics) and you can quickly see why businesses need to treat them with respect.

Where are they?

Well, everywhere, obviously, but the further you get out from the major cities the more you will find and the more likely it is they will be vital to your business.

Victoria MacDonald, award-winning licensee at the Cellar House in Norfolk, explains: “The average age in Norfolk is a lot different from metropolitan areas and here

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“Did you hear that table over there sighing about having to get up for work tomorrow? Shall we have another drink?”

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They like quality, being looked after and you knowing their names - Victoria MacDonald, The Cellar House

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in Cringleford is no exception. It is important for us to cater for the baby boomers as much as anybody else, especially as they come through the door at all times of day.”

Do they go still go out?

Hell yeah, as no baby boomer said, ever.

These are the original party people and they show no signs of stopping. They might not spend quite as much on a night out as Generation X (those in their thirties and forties) but according to night-time operator The Deltic Group’s latest Night Index they spend more of their leisure money at the pub than at bars, clubs or the cinema.

Deltic Group chief Peter Marks says: “Our core market is 18 to 21-year-olds.

However, operators should not overlook the importance of baby boomers with their high spending power.”

That’s backed up by research by CGA Strategy. Its quarterly BrandTrack survey of 5,000 people shows two in three baby boomers are “actively engaged in the on-trade”.Of those there’s a bias towards men — a 70/30 split. Baby boomers are also slightly more likely than the rest of the population to prefer independent pubs.

So they’ve got cash then?

Too ruddy right they do. The over-50s hold more than 80 per cent of the UK’s wealth and half of them are confident of leaving behind £500,000 in inheritance, according to The Centre for Policy on Ageing.

But while they’ve got it, you’ll have to put some effort in to get a share.

The Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers (ALMR) Future Shock Report shows that the over-55s account for just one in four eating and drinking out occasions.

However, according to CGA 24 per cent of baby boomers go out for a drink at least once a week.

It’s also well worth remembering that they place emphasis on good service and highquality products.

ALMR chief Kate Nicholls explains: “The Future Shock Report shows over-55s value food quality and hygiene, so food-led pubs and restaurants have an opportunity to provide quality and cultivate an older customer base.”

Victoria at The Cellar House agrees: “They are less likely to go for the house wines and will choose the New Zealand Sauvignon or a Rioja. They like quality, being looked after

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Age ain’t nothing but a number — punters from different generations mingle at Laines Pub Company’s Ladywell Tavern in London’s Battersea

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Our aim is to provide an offering that is inviting, indulging and hopefully inspiring, such that it leaves our customers — whatever their age — wanting to return - Gavin George, Laines Pub Company

and you knowing their names.”

Other things Victoria has done to keep her older customers happy include removing TV screens and ensuring there is plenty of play equipment — not for them, but for the grandchildren who will often be in tow.

Is food a factor?

As it is for most customers, food is now a serious consideration for the older generation when they go out.

Mintel’s Lifestyles of the Over-55s report indicates that 45 per cent of people aged between 55 and 64 like to eat out at new pubs and restaurants. The same percentage like to try new dishes. This indicates it is not just younger customers driving changes on pub menus. However, after the age of 65 customers are generally less adventurous with their food choices.

Only 18 per cent of those aged over 55 said they didn’t worry about how healthy their diet was, indicating that millennials are far from being the only ones looking at calorific content and the like.

So do pubs need to make radical changes?

Let’s get one thing straight — each generational group is as diverse as the next.

So while your millennials are not all health freaks, the baby-boomers are not all oldtimers averse to change.

Put it this way — 88 per cent of them use the internet, so we are not talking about old men propping up the bar who are unwilling

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to adapt to the world around them.

“Being a baby boomer doesn’t mean you are old-fashioned, and they will try new things,” adds Victoria.

Martin Harley, boss of growing multiple operator London Village Inns, adds that it is important to keep an open mind.

“When we open a new place we are thinking about the 30-something professionals,” he says. “However, we have guys who have been drinking in our pubs for 30 years and the place is home from home for them.

Often the older generation are happy with change, but only if they feel included and still welcome. The best pubs are all inclusive and have all ages and social types.”

So is it not really about age then?

Well, yes and no. Age is a factor but perhaps not the most important one. Gavin George, chief of pubco Laines which has sites in London and Brighton, says it is more about the attitude of customers you want to appeal to. “Our customers are minded to engage with an offering that is authentic, experiential, immediate, original and personal to them,” he says.

“That’s what we consider when we create a space and develop the offering. Our aim is to provide an out-of-home offering that is inviting, indulging and hopefully inspiring, such that it leaves our customers — whatever their age — wanting to return.”

And if you can pull that off you should have a pub where the generations will happily mix.

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FAMOUS FOR

EAST MEETING WEST Robyn Black on the modern British blend of the Black Country’s Desi pubs

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There’s competition between us, of course, but also a sense of community and we all help each other out

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Back in the 1950s and ’60s Asian immigrants weren’t even allowed to drink in most pubs, but now a key few are saving ailing pubs with a winning mix of pakoras and pints.

This explosion of so-called Desi pubs (“Desi” being a Hindi slang term for “of South Asia”) is making headlines, and a recent arts project, by The Black Country Creative (which included the creation of the world’s first Punjabi pub signs) celebrates their contribution to communities in the West Midlands.

There are an estimated 50 successful Asian-run pubs in the Black Country currently, all serving traditional Punjabi-style food and British beers to an ethnically mixed group of customers who come from far and wide.

One such Punjabi publican is Amrik Singh Saini (pictured, on horseback), who runs three pubs: two Desi venues — the Four Ways, Rowley Regis, and the Royal Oak, West Bromwich, as well as the more “traditional”, The Thorns in Brierley Hill, Dudley.

At the family-friendly Four Ways, the food has gained an almost cult following locally and the pub easily serves between 80 and 100 meals every Friday and Saturday night.

“We bought the pub back in 2010 when it had already been closed for some years and it had a bad reputation,” says Amrik.

“It was very run-down and we completely refurbished it, which was a huge investment.

“Then we opened and had to work hard at the beginning to convince people we

were going to be a family-friendly, community pub for everyone.”

To that end Amrik has thrown himself into the local community and the pub sponsors local football and pool teams; provides food for the annual fête, and every two weeks the chefs cook meals for 250 homeless people, which Amrik then ferries to Wolverhampton where he serves them up himself.

He even operates a free bar for three hours on Christmas Day for locals and diners coming for a festive lunch with a twist.

“I make sure I look after my regulars,” he explains. “It’s a vital part of running a successful pub. You have to give something to get something back.”

The approach has paid off and the pub is now a destination for regulars who want a pint or two, locals who bring their families, plus lovers of classic Indian food from further afield.

The food is an integral part of the business plan, and the pub currently operates with a 60/40 dry/wet split.

“Our vision here is to make more authentic Indian food than perhaps some of the competition and also food that is presented a notch above the rest,” Amrik explains.

Current favourites include Lamb Punjabi and Special Fourways Chicken Curry, but with tastes changing the team are making some tweaks to the menu. “We are looking to add some more fish dishes, such as sea bass and salmon, and a few healthier choices as well.”

Aside from the curries, football also brings in the crowds, mostly West Bromwich Albion

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The Four Ways, Rowley Regis The food reigns supreme at this family-friendly pub that is the heart of its community.

Prince of Wales, West Bromwich Packed full of Punjabi artefacts and bottles of Indian spirits this pub has also become known for its Bhangra music nights.

The Grove, Handsworth An old Victorian boozer transformed into a thriving “no frills” value-for-money venue serving well-reviewed curries and beer.

The Red Lion, Smethwick Along with its “Punjabi pub sign” landlord Surjit Purewal also received a stained glass window for the pub from the Black Country Creative project, depicting the story of the community.

The Red Cow, Smethwick This pub was set to close in 2010 but is now a thriving mix of Indian food and traditional British pub vibes.

and Aston Villa fans, and Amrik shows some boxing matches too, which he says can bring in up to 200 people a fight.

A fully equipped children’s adventure playground (“Paw Ways”), which was put in two years ago — featuring fibre glass dinosaurs and dragons in amongst the usual climbing frames and slides — also keeps the tills ringing through school holidays and the summer.

Being part of the boom in Desi pubs is important to Amrik, who is a member of the West Midlands Pub Association, a group of 35 pubs in the area. The group have regular meetings, a Pubwatch scheme and are looking at forming a buying club to give them more clout with suppliers as well as creating a Desi Pub Crawl in association with the local tourist board.

“There’s competition between us, of course, but also a sense of community and we all help each other out.”

It’s great tale of the power of pubs.

Pic: Jagdish Patel

Desi pubs Location: The Black Country Number : Around 50 Food: Tandoori fish, chicken curry, samosas Drinks: Real ale, lager, wine, Indian beer Entertainment: Pool, football, Bhangra nights

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drink From wild potato chicha (a South American beer) in 13,000 BC to pepper berry wine in 600 AD, to alcopops in the 1990s, alcohol in one form or another has permeated human life through the ages. And, far from being a luxury product, archaeologists and scientists now believe it has, in fact, been essential to the development of civilisation. Indeed, it was the very reason we came down from the trees in the first place — rotting (and therefore fermenting) fruit on the forest floor was easier to digest.

It’s an idea explained in depth in the always excellent National Geographic last month, which looked at “Our 9,000-year love affair with alcohol”. I urge you all to hunt down a copy right this minute and spend a diverting 15 minutes with the feature, before raising a glass of something alcoholic to its writer, Andrew Curry.

The reason I bring it up on these pages is that when Curry writes “alcoholic beverages… were invented independently many different times, likely on every continent save

with ROBYN BLACK

Antarctica”, or when he says “beer, wine and other fermented beverages were, at least until the rise of modern sanitation, often healthier to drink than water”, or “as if to prove the desire for alcohol knows no bounds, the nomads of central Asia make up for the lack of fruit and grain on their steppes by fermenting horse milk”, he has distilled an incoherent (and ill-researched and badly developed) theory of my own: that alcohol is an integral part of civilisation, not, as some would have it, a dangerous drug that threatens society.

Clearly there are issues, for a few, with alcohol abuse and this needs to be addressed and those suffering treated with kindness and compassion. To the neo-prohibitionists, however, who want alcohol taxed ever higher, priced out of reach, regulated to within an inch of its life or, indeed, banned entirely, I say no. Because, as Curry rather more beautifully puts it: “Alcohol… has been a prime mover of human culture from the beginning, fuelling the development of arts, language and religion.”

Far from being a luxury product, archaeologists and scientists now believe alcohol has been essential to the development of civilisation

COMMERCIAL BREAKDOWN PERONI • The Taste Led by Peroni Nastro Azzurro’s “Master of Taste,” Simone Caporale, the Italian brewery has released a film designed to promote and celebrate the craftsmanship and quality behind the brand.

MUD HOUSE WINES • Clear as mud New Zealand wine brand Mud House Wines has signed up Welsh rugby player George North to boost its #ClearAsMud campaign, which promotes its role as the official wine of the British & Irish Lions.

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GREY GOOSE • Film Awards Season Five new cocktails have been created as part of a campaign linking posh vodka Grey Goose with the film industry. The drinks were served at a number of “star-studded celebrations” this awards season, said the company.

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drink.

Greene King gluten-free beers

Gluten-free versions of Old Speckled Hen and Greene King IPA are now available. The beers are made as normal, using the same ingredients, and the gluten is removed through “an innovation in the brewing process”. Almost 33 per cent of Brits have bought or eaten free-from foods in the past six months, according to Mintel. www.greeneking.co.uk

Black + White Coffee

We drink 2.2 billion cups of coffee a year out of home in the UK, according to Bidfood, which is launching a new coffee brand: Black + White Coffee Co. There are seven different coffees in the range currently, including a Fairtrade and a single-estate option, as well as a choice between dark and medium roasts. www.bidvest.co.uk

Mike Tebbs, The Fleece Inn, Mossley, Lancashire

Look out for...

Sekforde Bespoke Botanical mixers

Developed specifically to be mixed with whisky and rum, these two new mixers are both low in calories, at fewer than 40 calories per 200ml bottle, and low in sugar, around half the sugar compared with a conventional mixer. Sekforde for Rum is made with aromatic lime & green herbs, while Sekforde for Whisky includes orange & a hint of rosemary. www.sekfordedrinks.com

Lurvill’s Delight

Originally popular in Wales between 1896 and 1906, until a shortage of dock leaves brought production to a close, this “craft-style botanical soda” has been revived. It is again being made in the Rhondda valley from Welsh spring water, nettle, dock and juniper berry extract. It’s gently sparkling, free from artificial ingredients, has no added sugar and comes in at a mere 66 calories per 330ml bottle. www.lurvillsdelight.com

On the bar

Cisk

Brewed in Malta since 1929, Cisk lager is now available in the UK. It is described as having a “rich hop aroma” and “pleasant bitterness”, which makes it a great thirst quencher and a refreshing summer beer (should we ever see any summer, that is). enquiries@ morgenrot.co.uk

In our six years running the pub we have served just shy of 600 different real ales.

We have 12 cask ales on at any one time, including two house beers — Green Mill Gold and Tatton Ale — and we rotate the rest. We have two German pilsners on for the lager drinkers and two keg beers, one of which is a guest. We started that in the middle of last year and it’s been a huge success for us.

If you want a pint of John Smith’s or whatever then there are three other pubs in the area for you.

We’re about serving products you can’t get anywhere else.

We use social media a lot, putting new beers on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. I then link to local CAMRA branches and beer fan websites such as Ale Trail and Real Ale For All, and that helps bring in people.

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22/02/2017 11:04

Killer combos

by ROBYN BLACK

The surge of interest in beer styles has led to a new appreciation of the drink’s qualities. This has gone hand-in-hand with the UK’s whirlwind love affair with food, with the nation seeming to have developed a highly sophisticated set of taste buds overnight.

So it is no surprise beer and food matching has experienced something of a boost in recent years, from events as simple as beer and cheese tastings at a beer festival to top restaurants dabbling in the art.

“With a minimum of four ingredients and

My perfect beer match

Annabel Smith Beer sommelier

A full-bodied lager with Serrano ham croquettas A really crisp beer, which cuts right through the saltiness of the dish Belgian Lambic cherry fruit beer with chocolate fondant pudding The tart, intense fruitiness of the beer contrasts beautifully with the sweetness of the pudding.

New World hopped pale ale with Pad Thai The zesty quality will bring out the lime and coriander in the dish and cut through the heat from the chillies and creaminess of the coconut.

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My perfect beer match

Susan Chisholm

Brewery manager, Greene King Golden ale with king prawns, lemon & garlic The citrus notes in the beer go well with the lemon in the sauce.

Abbot Ale with beef goulash The rich maltiness of the ale matches the savoury beef flavours in the dish and the spicy hop complements the gentle paprika.

Strong Suffolk ale with mature cheddar The Madeira wine and raisin notes in the beer match with cheese, as well as any pickle or chutney.

a myriad of different flavour combinations within those ingredients, beer is ideal for food because the taste possibilities are endless,” says Marston’s master brewer, Genevieve Upton. “With a wider acceptance of different beers and flavour choices, a greater understanding of the skill that goes into developing the different flavours and the natural accessibility of beer, it seems natural to see more beer and food matching.”

Keep it simple

What makes beer such a great foil for food, though – its variety – can also make it very intimidating for the uninitiated. If there are so many possibilities then where does one begin? What beers go with what? What if it goes horribly wrong?

“As with many things there are no rights

trade.inapub.co.uk 22/02/2017 11:12

drink.

“

As with many things there are no rights and wrongs...

It is just a matter of working out which matches work the best for you Mix and match: stick to the ‘Three Cs’ — complement, contrast, cut — and you will not go far wrong

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“

It would be great to see more pubs recommending beer and food pairings on their menus and through bar and waiting staff

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and wrongs,” says the wonderfully reassuring Julie McFeat, beer sommelier at Cornwall’s St Austell Brewery. “There are plenty of crossovers with beer too, for example both IPAs (which are hoppy) and stouts (which are sweet and malty) will match sweet or savoury dishes. It is just a matter of working out which matches work the best for you.”

For those of you wanting some guidelines, you can stick to the “Three C’s” principle: complement, contrast and cut.

When looking to “complement”, aim to find similar flavours in the dish and in the beer — for example, a chocolate dessert with a beer that has chocolate and/or vanilla notes, such as a porter.

With “contrast”, combine two opposite flavours — a bitter, hoppy beer with that sweet chocolate pudding, for example — while the “cut” principle would pair a beer that has the ability to clean a flavour from your mouth so you can go back for more. A good example here would be lager with a burger & chips.

If you want something even simpler, then stick with the idea of matching the intensity of the beer with the intensity of the food, so light beers such as wheat beer with white fish, and dark beers like stouts with rich stews and pies.

Beer and snacks

It needn’t be complicated, then, which means there’s a huge opportunity for pubs here. “It would be great to see more pubs recommending beer and food pairings on their menus and also through bar and waiting staff,” says David Cunningham, programme director at There’s a Beer For That, the industry-wide initiative to boost the profile of beer. “The principles aren’t

My perfect beer match

Emmy Webster

Marketing manager, Butcombe Brewery Butcombe Blond with afternoon tea Try swapping Prosecco for this beer, which is very citrussy and makes a great match for cakes such as lemon drizzle.

Adam Henson’s Rare Breed pale ale with a full English There’s so many flavours going on in a meal like this and the hops in this can really bring out some of the underlying one such as the herbs in the sausages.

Porter with charcuterie board This beer can balance out the heavy cheeses, as well as take on the strong flavours of the meats.

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My perfect beer match

Genevieve Upton

Master brewer, Marston’s Crisp Czech pilsner with Vietnamese Banh Mi The crisp carbonation and pine-like aromas really enhance the lemongrass and pickle flavours.

Sweet English stout with New York cheesecake & an ice-cream float The malt flavours in the beer complement the toffee in the dish.

Golden ale with fish & chips The citrus aromas from the beer could be considered in the same way as a twist of lemon on the fish.

complicated and it genuinely gives people a delicious and memorable experience. We’re here to help and offer a range of promotional programmes and materials free of charge to support pubs as much as possible.”

Even if you are a wet-led pub you can get in on the act, so there’s no excuse. Classic pub snacks such as nuts and crisps make great partners for beers.

“Customers watching sport on TV, taking part in a quiz or just getting together with friends will be planning to enjoy a beer or two and are usually open to persuasion when it comes to food,” says Hogs Back Brewery managing director, Rupert Thompson.

“It can be as simple as a member of staff suggesting a home-made sausage roll or a cheeseboard to share to

5

My perfect beer match

Stavros Photiou

Brewer, Shepherd Neame German wheat beer with goat’s cheese & bell pepper quiche The creamy cheese goes so well with the orange and banana flavours in the beer.

Golden ale with stuffed grape leaves The ale here is refreshing enough to remove all the oil from the dish.

IPA with chocolate cheesecake The beer washes off the sugars without making you forget what you are eating.

food and beer matching dos

If in doubt, match the colour of the food with the colour of the beer Match food and flavour intensity — light with light and full with full Consider the food’s texture and put delicate food with lighter-bodied beers, hearty food with more full-bodied ones Match the beer with the main part of the dish rather than the trimmings

Pub snacks, pizza or fish &

Consider how the food is cooked. For instance, something steamed needs a different beer from barbecued food

chips… there’s a beer for that

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trade.inapub.co.uk 23/02/2017 02:23

NE W L O OK . O R IGIN A L B E E R .

We love our new design. You may hate it.

But that’s ok, because it’s only the beer that really matters and ours, well, it’s as original today as it was 39 years ago.

And unlike branding, great tasting beer is something we can all agree on.

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22/02/2017 12:03

“

With a myriad of flavour combinations, beer is ideal for food because the taste possibilities are endless

My perfect beer match

Jane Peyton

Founder of Beer Day Britain Brown ale with Sunday roast The beer’s nutty, caramel character complements the roasted flavours.

Porter with stilton Roasted coffee and bitter chocolate notes in the beer contrast with the salty funkiness of the cheese.

Rye IPA with sticky toffee pudding Caramel flavours in the IPA enhance the toffee and the hops cut through the sticky texture.

accompany great cask beer from a local brewer.” Maybe try something as easy as a beer and food flight, offering three separate cheeses or chocolates with three different brews?

The final word

A classic combination: a light, zesty beer can work well with a burger and chips to clean the palate, leaving you ready for more

If you’re still not convinced enough to give beer and food matching a go in your pub, let me leave you with this, from Stavros Photiou, beer sommelier and brewer at Shepherd Neame. “From the moment a beer is brought to the table in a bottle dressed in vibrant, inviting colours, or a more elegant label, to the moment it pours golden and effervescent in a slim glass or dark with rich foam in a wide-mouth stemmed one, beer offers a very pleasant experience when consumed with food.”

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food and beer matching don’ts

Don’t assume you have to follow the rule book: there are no wrongs or rights, it’s what suits your palate that counts Don’t be afraid to experiment with different beers. If you find you don’t like a particular match, you haven’t broken the bank Don’t use the word “pint” when talking about beer and food. Swap it for “glass”, which sounds far more appealing Don’t assume beer and food matching is all about “pub classics”. Fine dining really lends itself to beer matching, sometimes more so than wine Don’t be snobby about mainstream beers with food. A cold, crisp lager at a summer barbecue is as good a match as that limited-edition bottleconditioned vintage ale with a sliver of stilton

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23/02/2017 02:24

drink.

A free install and 88 pints of Butcombe WIN

Butcombe Brewery is celebrating a new chapter in its story, not only with the new look it has given its classic range of beers but also by offering Inapub readers the chance to win a free install and 50-litre keg.

The West Country brewer, founded in 1978, is going through a major period of growth with its original beers getting a new look, an exciting new range on the way and its pub estate expanding. The winning licensee can choose a fully branded install and free keg (88 pints) to add some stand-out on their bar.

Original 4.5% The beer that made the brewery’s name with its distinctive bitter, clean and refreshingly dry flavour. Made with only the best Maris Otter malt blended with a variety of English hops in a secret recipe, Butcombe Original is the classic session beer.

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Bohemia 4.7% Made deep in the heart of the rolling English countryside, this is a beer with the soul of a Czech pilsner.

Brewed colder and longer with lager yeast and coldconditioned, Bohemia exhibits toasty, biscuitlike bready malt aromas, with spicy citrus and grassy notes.

Blonde 4.5% Made with the palest English Ale malt, blended with finest Slovenian Styrians and New Zealand Motueka hops, the clean freshness gives way to a superb fruity finishing straight.

Goram 5% Named after Bristol’s very own giant who was partial to a well-crafted ale, this Avon IPA uses a blend of American and Worcester hops to achieve the perfect balance between stone fruit, citrus and spicy hop aromas.

TO ENTER To win the keg, free install and a host of pointof-sale just answer the following question: When was Butcombe Brewery founded? a) 1978 b) 1998 c) 2008 Email your answer, name and pub details to butcombe@inapub.co.uk stating which beer you would prefer.

The competition closes on March 31.

The competition is only open to UK licensees who are eligible to stock Butcombe products. Entrants must be aged over 18. The winning pub will be informed after the closing date of the competition. For our full T&Cs visit trade.inapub.co.uk

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22/02/2017 12:01

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21/02/2017 14:29

drink.

Crafting a revival

by ROBYN BLACK

“

Consumers don’t think in categories but in occasions.

They think about wanting a fruity, flavoured drink

Could the craze for craft be the key to turning around decline in the RTD market? It’s not as silly as it sounds.

As Dan Bolton, managing director of Hi-Spirits, says: “The same drivers seen across the on-trade drink sector apply to RTDs.” There’ll be more from him later.

Currently, the RTD market in the on-trade is worth £215m a year. While it remains in decline, the rate of that decline is slowing, with the category down 11 per cent in value and 13 per cent in volume over the year to October 31, 2016 (all stats from CGA).

Furthermore, those category stats include “ginger products” such as alcoholic ginger beer, which are experiencing huge declines and therefore dragging the rest of the market down. If you were to strip out those,

the decline in RTDs would be around a less alarming eight per cent in both value and volume terms.

More good news comes from the independent on-trade, RTDs are holding up rather better. Even if you include ginger drinks here, figures for the freetrade show RTDs up seven per cent in value and eight per cent in volume.

The team behind market leader WKD (which makes up 32 per cent of the category value) at SHS Drinks are putting this down to the support the freetrade “typically puts behind category-leading brands,” says Amanda Grabham, head of brand marketing for alcohol.

So how can the sector turn these pockets of growth into a more comprehensive revival?

Getting the party started

“Consumers don’t think in categories but occasions,” says Amanda.

“That means they think more about wanting a fruity, flavoured drink, which will Global Brands is promoting Hoopers as an accompaniment to food, and suggests its traditional flavours pair well with classic British dishes

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22/02/2017 12:12

Pre-mixed ranges such as Tails make the cocktail market accessible to all operators WKD’s lower-calorie NKD range represents a new look and feel for the brand

include flavoured ciders and fruit wines as well as RTDs.” This means that RTDs have moved out of the late-night occasion where they used to dominate 20 years ago and into the early evening. “What WKD does is get the night started, gets the energy going and keeps it there,” she says.

The brand underwent a transformation last year, with new packaging, flavours and a skinny version, NKD, launched. It’s still early days, with NKD only now rolling out to the on-trade after a period of exclusivity with Sainsbury’s, but the signs are positive.

“This wasn’t just about adding new flavours in the name of a rebrand,” explains Amanda. “It’s a completely new look and feel for the range as we try to take it to new consumers and occasions.”

For the lower-calorie NKD range, those new occasions include mealtimes.

Opportunities around casual dining are being boosted with new merchandise from the brand, including straws and the like, to add some theatre to the serve.

The company is also promising a significant increase in its marketing investments this year to help rekindle some love for the brand. “We’ll also be doing plenty of in-outlet activity to support licensees, including lots of sampling,” Amanda says.

RTDs with food

The “with food” opportunity is also being looked at by Global Brands, owner

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of Hooper’s Alcoholic Fruit Brews and London Rd. “The Hooper’s range of flavours (Plum & Sloe, Dandelion & Burdock, Cloudy Lemonade, Raspberry & Nettle and Ginger Brew), all complement the flavours of traditional British dishes,” says senior brand manager Christian Sarginson.

“For example, Dandelion & Burdock has been available in fish & chip shops for decades and the nostalgia associated by pairing our version with fish & chips resonates well with adults.”

The company offers menu hangers with suggested meals to pair with Hooper’s variants, and suggests operators invest in display items such as strut cards and chalkboards on which to promote new options and offers to boost sales.

It is also investing in the “cocktail hour” opportunity with its London Rd range of pre-mixed cocktails in jars, launched last year.

Cocktail hour

“The latest CGA Mixed Drinks Report found that 78 per cent of British bars now sell cocktails, confirming that cocktails are currently trending,” Christian points out.

“Not every venue can produce a premium cocktail, so we designed a solution to change that and it has seen exceptional growth since its introduction to the market.

We genuinely believe that the key to converting the RTD category back to growth

trade.inapub.co.uk 22/02/2017 12:13

drink.

“

There’s an opportunity to use a pre-mixed range where food-led operators want to tap into demand for cocktails but lack the skills

lies in consumer-centric innovation such as this [which is also] useful, time-saving and credible for operators.”

The cocktail opportunity is also where Hi-Spirits is focusing with its Tails range.

Revamped last year with recipes created in collaboration with mixologists, master distillers and flavour experts, the range includes 200ml single-serve options as well as a one-litre format.

Managing director Dan Bolton (told you we’d be hearing more from him) says: “Consumers increasingly want quality, provenance and innovation. The Tails range matches these expectations more closely than conventional RTDs, while still delivering on the core benefits of an RTD from an operator’s perspective — they are quick, convenient and simple to serve.”

Happily, cocktails aren’t just restricted to the post-work “cocktail hour” of old either, Dan reports.

“CGA figures show that in the UK on-trade customers drink cocktails on 34 per cent of

A Great

BRITISH CLASSIC

food-led occasions, compared with 49 per cent in the US. “There’s definitely an opportunity to use a pre-mixed range to bridge the gap where food-led operators want to tap into this demand but lack the skills and facilities to make them from scratch.”

The future for RTDs may not lie in the craft boom, then, but some crafty moves by savvy suppliers have given the category a new lease of life nonetheless.

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22/02/2017 23:34

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22/02/2017 23:35

eat It’s awards season. So while Emma Stone and Adele were cleaning up at the BAFTAs and the Grammys, I went to a slightly different red carpet event.

The 2017 Scotch Egg Challenge.

Now, I really don’t want to sound like I am comparing Adele to a scotch egg. But I kind of am… so hear me out.

There’s a lesson here.

The Canonbury pub in London’s Islington hosted the event, seeing 15 pubs and restaurants submit their best egg for judging. Any red carpet would need to be a mile long.

The pub was mobbed with scotch-egg fanatics, desperate to

3

with BRONYA SMOLEN get a wedge of those golden yolks encased in meat.

Entries included eggs with chicken, parmesan & Cheeto crisp crumbs, Thai spiced prawns and even a full English breakfast.

But do you know what came out on top? A simple, comparably more traditional, haggis scotch egg in breadcrumbs. This egg steered clear of excessive gimmicks, bells and whistles. Like Adele doesn’t need a techno beat to make number ones, scotch eggs don’t need Cheetos.

So before you get obsessed with the latest food trend, remember that well-executed simplicity is always a hit.

Ideas stolen from the greats

Sometimes it takes just one good idea to make a big difference. At the Pub17 trade show last month, I watched a talk with The Kingham Plough’s Emily Watkins (pictured), the Galvin Green Man’s Chris Galvin (pictured) and Sign of the Angel’s Jon Watkins — three great food businesses.

1. Serve a 6p sorbet to boost sales of starters and desserts

3. Don’t quibble with recruitment companies Finding kitchen staff is universally a pain. But Emily found the best thing is to use a good recruitment company, not to quibble over fees (to ensure you get the best CVs) and email them weekly with a list of what you’re looking for, so they stay on top of things.

Jon found that serving up a palate-cleansing sorbet (which costs just 6p a portion to make) Jon made customers more patient between courses and more likely to order starters and desserts.

2. Collaborate with others to train your chefs Chris believes it’s important for chefs to experience as much food as possible, so offers a dining swap with other businesses. His chefs get to taste food from other great pubs and in return that business will get a meal for its chefs at The Green Man.

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trade.inapub.co.uk 22/02/2017 12:28

OVEN ROASTED VENISON LOIN WITH VENISON MEATBALL, POMME PURÉE, GREENS, CHERRY & RED WINE JUS Gordon Stott, head chef, The Sun Inn, Basingstoke Venison loin

“I source a whole deer locally from Hampshire, then use as much of it as I can. For the loin I pan fry it, then ovenroast it with a bit of butter, thyme and garlic for about four minutes so it’s pink.”

Meatball

“This is made from mincing some of the tougher joints. We mix the mince with breadcrumbs, egg, mustard and seasoning, and then roll it into balls. We colour them on the pan then pop them in the oven with our home-made venison stock and red wine. Using a variation of meat cuts means I can keep the price of the dish down as I can use a smaller loin, but customers are still impressed and satisfied.”

Xxxx X

Pomme purée

“We blanch the potatoes until soft, then put them into a blender with a load of hot milk, butter and seasoning. The creaminess cuts through the rich game.”

Cherry & red wine jus

“We make our own stock from beef and chicken bones in a pressure cooker to save time – it only takes about six hours instead of 24 to 48. Then we deglaze some shallots with red wine and cherry liquor, add the stock, redcurrant jelly and cherries then reduce it.

The sweetness pairs excellently with game.”

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Pic: Ria Mishaal Photography

23/02/2017 01:27

inapub food favourites

by BRONYA SMOLEN

Inapub is lucky enough to have access, not only to the licensees of this country, but to the people who go into your pubs. We’ve surveyed around 1,000 customers about the food brands they like to see on pub tables — and we can now reveal the winners.

Some brands might be an obvious win, but in some categories those that came out on top may be a little more unexpected.

But what’s in a brand? According to Mintel, bigger brands with more exposure tend to have an immediate advantage in building favouritism, but that’s not to say that the smaller guys can’t conquer.

With the growing desire for home-grown and locally sourced products, some categories have revealed that big-name options are not a favourite at all — in fact they’d rather it were home-made.

Here’s who took home a rosette.

Ketchup

Winner: Heinz

It’s probably no surprise that Heinz ketchup is the nation’s favourite when choosing what to splash on a hot dog & fries.

It has been in the UK since 1886, and

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over the years has dabbled in a number of varieties — it even turned the sauce green back in 2000 (yep, nobody was too sure about that).

More than 650 million bottles of Heinz Tomato Ketchup are sold around the world each year. It’s a home favourite which your customers love to see when they go out.

Runner-up: Stokes Sauces

Stokes ketchup has had around 120 years less than Heinz to establish a name, but they’ve played a blinder to take the runner-up prize.

Premium ketchup is becoming more popular with the UK pub-goer, as pubs start to up their game in the food arena.

A gourmet pie needs a premium ketchup accompaniment these days.

Stokes’ red sauce range includes a Regular, a Bloody Mary and a Chipotle ketchup.

Mayonnaise

Winner: Hellmann’s

Like Heinz, Hellmann’s was born in America but it’s another firm British favourite.

Under the commanding hand of Unilever,

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eat. the mayonnaise brand launched a new range of sauces last year as part of its “Grilltopia” campaign, where it aimed to cash in on the UK’s barbecue events.

It pushed out recipe suggestions and added flavoured mayonnaises to its range such as Hot Garlic Chilli sauce.

It also ran a competition to find Britain’s Best Burger, which numerous pubs took part in.

Runner-up: Heinz

Well, you can’t win everything. Heinz has the ketchup category down, but it still has some work to do if it wants to beat Hellmann’s at mayonnaise.

That’s what our pub-goers said anyway.

Tagged with the line “seriously good”, the mayonnaise is available in Regular and Light varieties, as the brand aims to cash in on customers’ increasing concern with healthy eating.

Crisps

Winner: Pipers Crisp Co

Colman’s is king of the mustards according to customers.

It sources 60 per cent of its mustard seeds locally, and has barely changed the recipe since it was founded in 1814.

Owned by Unilever, it has recently turned up the heat with a tongue-in-cheek campaign to highlight the strength of its mustard with straplines such as “who needs central heating?”

This follows its “Easy does it” campaign, which launched in September to mark what it claims to be a “new era” for the brand.

Runner-up: La Maison Maille

A more premium brand takes the silver badge; La Maison Maille has been producing mustard for more than 267 years.

The French company even produces a black truffle and Chablis mustard, for those who want an extra dash of luxury with their mash potato.

Last summer it collaborated with London restaurant Coq d’Argent to create a mustard macaron.

The Lincolnshire-based premium crisp maker has come out on top, beating other big brands in the very crowded crisp market.

After launching in 2004 with 20 boxes of the crisps being hand-delivered to four pubs, the brand has come a long way.

Its range now includes nine different flavours, which between them have won 31 gold Great Taste Awards since 2007. Its most recent flavour is an Atlas Mountains Wild Thyme & Rosemary crisp, and the brand is proud to be gluten-free.

Runner-up: Kettle Chips

Based in Norfolk, Kettle Chips is a firm favourite with pub-goers. It launched a number of products in 2016, including Kettle Bites, a lower-calorie snack, and acquired premium popcorn brand Metcalfe’s Skinny, as part of its aim to “evolve into a more widely based premium snacking leader”.

Mustard

Winner: Colman’s

Another winner based in Norfolk —

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Pickles

Winner: Branston

Breweries are not the only things to come out of Burton-on-Trent. Branston pickle was founded there in 1922.

Still operating with the synonymous strapline “Bring out the Branston”, it’s a firm pub favourite for cheeseboards and ploughman’s.

Japanese company Mizkan acquired the brand from Premier Foods in 2012 and has since launched products including a range

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of squeezy relishes in spicy tomato, caramelised red onion and tomato & red pepper flavours.

The company claims that 75 per cent of all Branston pickle ends up in sandwiches, so has redesigned its jars to include a sandwich on the lid.

Runner-up: home-made

Taking second place for the pickles category is, actually, your own brand. Turns out pub-goers love home-made chutneys.

As the pub food market grows, more licensees have begun experimenting with making their own in-house sauces and chutneys — and it’s worth it.

Nuts

Winner: KP Nuts

Another long-standing pub favourite, but KP surprisingly started its life in the world of pickles.

Now, the mega nut brand owned by KP Snacks has been expanding its product portfolio in pubs and retail, launching Nut Mixes, Oven Baked nuts and Jumbo nut varieties.

KP had a redesign in spring last year, giving the packet “striking” sun rays.

The company claims the brand’s 7.7 per cent year-on-year growth accounted for more than half of the growth of the nuts segment in 2016.

Runner up: Nobby’s

Slade singer Noddy Holder became the face of Nobby’s Nuts back in 2007 with a humorous advert and tagline “Nibble Nobby’s Nuts”.

The brand has since been popular on bars, with flavours including the classic salted peanut and crisp coated sweet chilli peanuts.

Most recently it has launched a spicy wasabi-coated peanut.

this big name is still the most popular.

The snack relaunched with a new look in 2006, with the tagline “Great taste, no porkies”.

It has most recently added a “hand-cooked” product to its range to compete with more premium brands and recommends a beverage to pair with each of its pork scratching bags.

Runner-up: Black Country Snacks

Pork scratchings are thought to have been invented in the 1800s in the Black Country, and perhaps this heritage is what makes Black Country Snacks number two in the segment for customers.

Originally set up by Philip and Linda Rolls in 1989, the business is still predominantly family-owned.

The brand produces Alf Turner pork scratchings, which appeared on TV’s Dragon’s Den in 2012.

•

Results are based of a survey of registered Inapub users in December 2016

Pork Scratchings Winner: Mr Porky’s

There are many “premium” or “artisan” pork scratchings on the market these days, but

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trade.inapub.co.uk 22/02/2017 12:45

PROMOTIONAL FEATURE

Better than ever

eilive will see the UK’s biggest pub group team up with suppliers from across the industry to offer support for publicans. Coming soon to an arena near you – make sure you don’t miss out Thousands of publicans across the UK will be able to take advantage of advice and exclusive deals designed to help their businesses, with the return of eilive – the new name for Enterprise Live.

The trade shows – run by the UK’s biggest pub company, Ei Group – will travel around the country providing support to existing publicans and those looking to take on a pub.

Last year the events attracted a recordbreaking 4,000 visitors – representing around half of the Ei Group estate.

And it will be even better this year, with 130 exhibitors already confirmed. In addition to that, the popular voucher booklet is back to provide savings worth thousands of pounds exclusively to Ei publicans who attend the events.

Ei Group Sales and Marketing Director James Armitage said: “As in previous years, we will be unveiling a number of new initiatives and we’ve scheduled the shows in April and May so publicans can take full advantage of exclusive deals ahead of the busy summer trading period.

The deals will only be available to publicans attending eilive.”

The show starts at Bristol City’s Ashton Gate Stadium on April 25 before heading to FIVE in Farnborough two days later.

In May it travels to Coventry’s Ricoh Arena (May 3) and Manchester’s EventCity (May 9).

The national show will take place at London’s Olympia on May 16, with Leeds hosting the final eilive of the year at Elland Road two days later (May 18). All shows run from 10am to 4pm.

Suppliers and experts from across the trade will be on hand to help publicans with all aspects of their business, from maximising profits from food sales, getting beer ranges right through to providing an entertainment offer to pull in the crowds and using social media to their advantage.

eilive dates 2017 • 25 April • 27 April • 3 May • 9 May • 16 May • 18 May

Bristol – Ashton Gate Stadium Farnborough, Hampshire – FIVE Coventry – Ricoh Arena Manchester – EventCity London – Olympia (national show) Leeds – Elland Road Stadium

It’s a great place for new recruits to visit, showing any prospective publican what they could gain from partnering with Ei Publican Partnerships and showcasing the breadth of support the group has to offer.

Publican Chris Vaux, from The Milton Arms in Portsmouth, visited the Farnborough show last year. He said: “My first ever visit provided a fantastic opportunity to network with suppliers and gain valuable insight. I was new to the pub trade, so the experience was both educational and inspiring. I now have lots of new ideas around how to improve my business.”

Register for tickets today at eipublicanpartnerships.com/eilive p37 enterprise adv.indd 37

22/02/2017 13:13

How far do you go?

by HUGH THOMAS

Scott Goss, chef and creative director at Mother group: French chicken farms are among the best.

Shorthorn Hereford beef from Ireland is simply better than other beef”

Everything about sourcing ingredients from your local area suggests it’s the right thing to do. It gives customers a sense of local provenance, it supports small, independent businesses and it can narrow your carbon footprint. Yet many establishments aren’t looking to their locality for the raw materials for their menus.

Some may say they are wasting a good opportunity. But then these boys and girls are behind some of the best pubs and restaurants in the country.

So, you might be thinking,

what’s their beef? “I get pissed off royally when I see chefs using local produce because they think they have to,” says Scott Goss, chef and creative director to the I’ll Be Mother group in Kent. “Without ruffling any feathers, local does not always mean good.”

While other chefs might not wholly share Scott’s sentiment, if they want to put the best food on the menu they can, then they’ll want to source the best ingredients possible. And if those ingredients aren’t near you, then you’d better go find them.

“I struggle to find a consistent chicken farmer in the UK,” says Scott. “So we’ll go to France – their chicken farms are among the very best. Shorthorn Hereford beef from Ireland is simply better than other beef.

That’s it really – I want to find farmers who care about good produce as much as I do.”

Besides, depending on the kind of cuisine you provide, there’s no option but to source from overseas if you want to create something as close as possible to an authentic dish.

“There are plenty of nice things you can’t get in the UK,” says Conor Heneghan, head chef at freehouse The Journey’s End in Ringmore, South Devon, where the menu has a big pan-Asian influence. “Most of the fresh things we have are UK-based, but others are from Asia. There’s no way you can find things like good sake, soy sauce and rice produced in the UK.”

The price is right

For Simon Bonwick, head chef of The Crown in Maidenhead, Kent, sourcing is about offering his customers a good price as much as it’s about offering them quality.

“I use Creedy Carver duck from Devon,” he says. “They do a fantastic product, comparable to any French poultry, just a little more expensive. So we go to France once a month and buy magrets [duck breasts] and

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22/02/2017 13:28

eat. we can save ourselves £1.50 [per duck]. I put Creedy Carver duck on the menu when I can’t get to France. Except I don’t pass the increase in price onto the customer.”

Smaller details aren’t to be ignored here either, even if it means looking almost 7,000 miles away — according to Scott, Hawaiian lava rock salt is the best he can get his hands on.

“I love using it in my butter. I get there are miles on that, but a kilo will last me six or seven months. If I was using sea salt throughout the year, I would be using more miles than with the lava salt.”

None of this is to say they ignore local produce. Scott wouldn’t dream of using anything but Kentish rapeseed oil in his kitchen.

“And I’ll only ever use cheese from the British Isles,” he says. “There are some lovely Kentish cheeses out there.”

While there’s the uncertainty of what Brexit will do to costs and availability (Conor thinks “across the board everything will go up”, but Simon says he is welcomed now “more than ever” on his trips to France), the key thing is working towards a stronger understanding with your suppliers.

“It’s just about knowing where the best ingredients are,” says Scott. “And constantly challenging everything.”

“

It’s just having a knowledge about where the best ingredients are

trade.inapub.co.uk p38-39 local sourcing.indd 39

6

products worth travelling for

Lamb Romney Marsh, Kent

Brie Île-de-France, France

The wide, open marsh in Romney allows the animals to roam free — their meat is leaner than most. The salt in the marsh produces a sweeter flavour too.

Unlike much of the Brie typically exported, “real”, unstabilised brie from its home region has a more complex flavour due to its continuously maturing bacteria.

Rhubarb West Yorkshire

Balsamic vinegar Emilia-Romagna, Italy

Tricky to cultivate, rhubarb grown here in the winter months is much more tender and tangy than its summer-grown counterpart.

Balsamic vinegar here can cost up to £200, due to its strict maturation guidelines

Iberico ham Extremadura, Spain

White truffle Piedmont, Italy

Iberian pigs are native to this part of Spain.

They’re free range and graze on acorns and herbs, which lends a distinctive flavour.

With a flavour more intense than its black counterpart, white truffles are found almost exclusively in this part of Italy.

MARCH 2017

39

23/02/2017 01:43

Fill your venue, with exclusive live games.

ad page2.indd 40

17/02/2017 18:56

Attract crowds with the excitement of UEFA Champions League and Europa League Plus, Premier League and the Emirates FA Cup.

Napoli v Real Madrid 7.45pm Tuesday 7 March

Arsenal v Bayern Munich 7.45pm Tuesday 7 March

Leicester v Sevilla

7.45pm Tuesday 14 March

Monaco v Manchester City 7.45pm Wednesday 15 March

Liverpool v Arsenal

5.30pm Saturday 4 March

Bournemouth v Swansea City 5.30pm Saturday 18 March

Middlesbrough v Manchester United 12.00pm Sunday 19 March

Last 16 matches scheduled for Thursday 9 March all shown exclusively live on BT Sport.

BT Sport will show the pick of the quarter-finals scheduled for the weekend of March 11 & 12.

Serve up the biggest names in sport

MEANS BUSINESS

Call now on 0800 678 1061

ad page2.indd 41

17/02/2017 18:56

play with MATT ELEY There are so many days, weeks and months dedicated to various causes that they can tend to drown each other out.

Trust me, National Talk Like a Pirate Day, completely passed me by in 2016. Aarrgh!

It’s the same in our own trade.

Well-meaning folk have come up with a load of upbeat events to celebrate pubs, beer and the like but none have really stuck or become “the one” we all get together for.

This is no criticism of the organisers, it just shows how hard it is to stage an event that everyone gets behind

(especially if it isn’t their own idea).

So I am not about to propose that we have an Inapub In The Pub To Celebrate The Pub Day any time soon (though if you do decide you want to do that, let’s go for my birthday on July 11).

However, one date that stands out from the mundane is March 20 — International Happiness Day. That is surely one that nearly everybody can support And if you want to mark that particular occasion I can think of no better place to do so than down the pub.

OUR PUBLIC HOUSE, IN THE MIDDLE OF OUR STREET Madness have presented a renowned London music venue with a prestigious plaque for the part it played in launching their career.

They performed at the Dublin Castle in Camden Town as a new band back in 1979, which soon turned into a year-long residency.

Not long after, they were establishing themselves with hits such as One Step Beyond and My Girl — the video for which was filmed at the pub.

They recently unveiled a PRS for Music Heritage Award, which is given to venues that have played an important part in helping to create music history.

Previous PRS for Music Heritage Awards have been given to independent venues that have helped the likes of Queen, Pulp, Spandau Ballet, UB40, Status Quo, Soul II Soul, Sir Elton John and Blur.

Alo Conlon, owner of the Dublin Castle, said: “We feel very much part of the fabric of Madness’s history and so it’s an honour to receive this award.

“We pride ourselves on investing in emerging talent and giving them the platform they deserve, and plan to do so for a very long time to come.”

42 MARCH 2017

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trade.inapub.co.uk 22/02/2017 14:19

Six Nations Finale

England travel to Ireland in a potentially decisive tie the day after St Patrick’s Day. Scotland take on Italy and France host Wales in the decisive final round of fixtures.

March 18, BBC/ITV

Let me entertain you

Champions League

Dean Booth The Eight Bells, Failsworth, Manchester

The inordinately lengthy round-of-16 finally concludes this month.

Will any Premier League sides still be in the race for glory?

March 7, 8, 14, 15, BT Sport

Happening this month Pic: RadioKafka / Shutterstock

International football

Remember when England beat Germany a few months before the Euros and we were filled with false hope? Thankfully there’s no major tournament after this one – just a qualifier against Lithuania a few days later.

March 22, 26, ITV

International Day of Happiness Why would anyone want to celebrate this anywhere other than the pub?

March 20

Cheltenham Festival

Pubs looking for the racing need to know it now has a new televisual home on ITV. That’s where you’ll find the Gold Cup and all the other major events this year.

March 14-17, ITV

Man City v Liverpool

Earlier in the season this looked like it could have a bearing on the title but now these sides are surely fighting for a Champions League place.

March 19, 4.30pm, Sky Sports Pic: Action Images / Brandon Malone

trade.inapub.co.uk p42-43 play intro.indd 43

Sport is the primary driver at the Manchester pub, with football proving especially popular with customers.

However, televised darts has also gained in popularity in recent months.

Dean, who has been licensee at the Enterprise pub since October last year, says: “We have been quite surprised by the darts. We have a board as well and that attracts a lot of people. We keep darts behind the bar but more people are bringing in their own because they like the right weight for them.

“We get a lot of couples that like to come in and play. We hope to get a darts team together soon.”

The pub also has a pool table, which customers can play for 50p a frame.

Away from the sport, Dean has been building a steady trade through parties and events in the pub’s 150-capacity function room. We use it for all sorts: weddings, birthdays, anniversaries.

It is something we want to make more of.”

As is live music, which is the next string Dean intends to add to the pub’s bow.

22/02/2017 14:19

INAPUB WITH DAVID CROFT

by MATT ELEY

F1’s motor-mouth is gearing-up for another season in the fast lane.

Crofty will be travelling the world commentating on the campaign for Sky but before the lights turn green he gave Inapub his views on the season ahead.

Is this going to be another procession for Mercedes or will things be different this year?

The cars are different for a start, which will make it much harder for the drivers. It will also be very different visually. It will be interesting to see how they cope in the early races and it will take a few before we really know what difference it makes. It’s hard to know what will happen but I expect more teams to win races and the championship to be more competitive.

Is it a shame that Nico Rosberg won’t be there?

I think it is a shame that the champion isn’t there to defend his title. He thought it was the right decision and after putting so much into winning that title, who is anyone to question that?

Will it re-energise Lewis Hamilton?

Losing his title will re-energise him. He will take the pain of losing that title and use it this year. He is not a man who enjoys losing.

That said, he won’t have it all his own way.

Red Bull will be competitive this year and there are some great drivers with the likes of Max Verstappen, Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso. Valtteri Bottas (Hamilton’s new team-mate at Mercedes) will keep Lewis on his toes, and who knows what Ferrari will be able to do?

Why should pubs show F1?

Sport is something that brings people together to discuss and debate — what a great way to spend a couple of hours at Sunday lunchtime. There’s also always that age-old pub debate: who is the best driver?

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22/02/2017 23:25

Shot to stardom

by MATT ELEY

watch inapub Visit the Inapub Facebook page to see editor Matt Eley tackle a trick shot with Allstars Bristol.

Inapub

When Shane O’Hara put the finishing touches to what has been dubbed the most elaborate trick shot ever, he had no idea he would be thrust into the middle of a media frenzy. Within a few days his incredible #puttoftheyear had been seen by more than 200 million people and he was featured on radio, TV and websites around the world.

In fact, if you haven’t seen it yet, have a quick look online. Just search #puttoftheyear, sit back and enjoy… Amazing, isn’t it?

If you didn’t look, trust me — it is. From the opening putt to the end, the shot covers more than 500ft. It took all night to set it up at Allstars in Bristol, the sports bar Shane

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MARCH 2017

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has been managing since it opened around 18 months ago. He filmed it on a GoPro and uploaded it to Allstars’ Facebook page.

Shane picks up the story: “It got really healthy traction locally over the first 24 hours within our own Facebook community.

“I tweeted it 30 hours later and that’s where all the traction really came from. A Soccer AM presenter tweeted it and Sky ran it on Sky Sports News and after that the phone didn’t stop ringing.”

The attention came as a huge surprise.

He had only ever filmed anything similar once before — when he was bored staying at the venue during its first Christmas — and that reached a much more modest, though still impressive, 50,000 people.

After his effort in January this year Shane was everywhere for a fortnight, talking about the shot or recreating elements of it.

15 days of fame

Although he once reached the latter stages of the World Pool Championships, he had not previously experienced the same levels of exposure.

“I have played pool on TV once or twice but never anything like that. It’s very daunting to do and pretty exhausting being in demand.

I laughed about it when it started to quieten down because I did get a full 15 days of fame rather than 15 minutes,” he says. “It was great exposure and we are going to do more stuff in the future,” he adds.

So what happens when the storm passes?

And does going viral actually mean pounds in the till as well as clicks on your content?

trade.inapub.co.uk 22/02/2017 23:45

Shot to stardom

by MATT ELEY

watch inapub Visit the Inapub Facebook page to see editor Matt Eley tackle a trick shot with Allstars Bristol.

Inapub

When Shane O’Hara put the finishing touches to what has been dubbed the most elaborate trick shot ever, he had no idea he would be thrust into the middle of a media frenzy. Within a few days his incredible #puttoftheyear had been seen by more than 200 million people and he was featured on radio, TV and websites around the world.

In fact, if you haven’t seen it yet, have a quick look online. Just search #puttoftheyear, sit back and enjoy… Amazing, isn’t it?

If you didn’t look, trust me — it is. From the opening putt to the end, the shot covers more than 500ft. It took all night to set it up at Allstars in Bristol, the sports bar Shane

46

MARCH 2017

p46-47 going viral.indd 46

has been managing since it opened around 18 months ago. He filmed it on a GoPro and uploaded it to Allstars’ Facebook page.

Shane picks up the story: “It got really healthy traction locally over the first 24 hours within our own Facebook community.

“I tweeted it 30 hours later and that’s where all the traction really came from. A Soccer AM presenter tweeted it and Sky ran it on Sky Sports News and after that the phone didn’t stop ringing.”

The attention came as a huge surprise.

He had only ever filmed anything similar once before — when he was bored staying at the venue during its first Christmas — and that reached a much more modest, though still impressive, 50,000 people.

After his effort in January this year Shane was everywhere for a fortnight, talking about the shot or recreating elements of it.

15 days of fame

Although he once reached the latter stages of the World Pool Championships, he had not previously experienced the same levels of exposure.

“I have played pool on TV once or twice but never anything like that. It’s very daunting to do and pretty exhausting being in demand.

I laughed about it when it started to quieten down because I did get a full 15 days of fame rather than 15 minutes,” he says. “It was great exposure and we are going to do more stuff in the future,” he adds.

So what happens when the storm passes?

And does going viral actually mean pounds in the till as well as clicks on your content?

trade.inapub.co.uk 22/02/2017 23:45

play.

Allstars Bristol by numbers TVs on site

Cinema screens

Five-metre screens

American Pool tables

Tricks of the trade: Shane O’Hara reckons he has ‘a lot more intricate stuff’ up his sleeve

“

It was great exposure. We had our best week ever recently. When 200 million people have seen it, you notice the difference

trade.inapub.co.uk p46-47 going viral.indd 47

According to Shane it most definitely does. “We had our best week ever recently,” he says. “We can monitor the reaction to a point and when 200 million people have seen it, you notice the difference.

“I’ve been going back over the comments online and people have been calling this place things like a ‘felt wonderland’. We have had more couples in than ever before.”

The venue itself is huge, sprawling across the first floor space it occupies and showing sport from around the globe on more than 70 screens. It is a sports fan’s heaven but you could easily walk straight past the street-level doorway that leads up the stairs to the venue.

Selling the space

It lacks a window for people to see in but this is what social media has provided.

Shane picks up on the cue: “Our biggest challenge is that our front door is eight to ten feet wide but inside it’s a couple of thousand square feet. With that door it is hard to get a sense of what we do here. In reality, we are a pretty premium venue.

“The difficulty is getting people in but

English pool tables

Snooker tables

Darts oches

200 to 300m hits for #puttoftheyear my exposure in the heat of all the trick shot malarkey has helped.”

So what’s next? Shane says the shot only included about 20 per cent of what he had in mind, so he has more tricks up his sleeve.

“There was a lot more intricate stuff that didn’t get in there,” he says. “I am capable of a lot more if I have a bit more time.

“Doing something live might be the next thing. If we can tie that to another event, I could do one up and down Bristol if need be. People will have seen the recent one, though, so you don’t want to keep doing it all the time.”

Keep them wanting more. Now there’s something that applies whatever pub-related tricks you are trying to pull off.

MARCH 2017 47 22/02/2017 23:45

stay 11

Open your doors to the world wide web

by BRONYA SMOLEN

Full service: the Walnut Tree gets all its accommodation bookings through Airbnb

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MARCH 2017

With 3,000 castles and 1,400 treehouses on the site, Airbnb is not just for letting out spare bedrooms any more — and publicans are getting involved.

If you’re not familiar with it, Airbnb is a website where people can list, discover and book accommodation around the world. Basically, anyone can offer their apartment, house or spare bedroom — and now pubs are using it too.

Penny James runs The New Crown Inn, Bath, with her husband and has been listing her pub rooms on Airbnb for four years now.

She says between one-third and half of all the bookings for her three rooms are now made via the site.

“We get loads of business from it and it’s so easy,” says Penny.

“Airbnb collects the money from the guests and passes it on to you and with every booking we get from it, they take only about £2 to £3, so it’s well worth it.

“When we were first listed on the site the team there sent a professional photographer to take pictures of our rooms for free too.

“They are really helpful.”

Pick and choose

Since 2008, Airbnb has had more than 150 million total guest arrivals and has three million-plus listings worldwide. It’s a popular way to book low-cost or alternative accommodation, but perhaps what makes Airbnb so appealing to some pubs is you can vet, accept or reject customers.

Every time someone uses Airbnb, you can review them as a guest and they’ll review your room. If your rooms are more family-friendly, you can reject party-goers or anyone with bad guest reviews.

Richard Lamb owns community pub the Walnut Tree in Heworth, York, and gets all of his accommodation bookings from the site.

He says: “We only have a few rooms, so we mostly allow families and couples to stay.

For example, we don’t let contractors stay in the rooms as they never visit the pub itself.

“If we were an ordinary guesthouse with lots of rooms we wouldn’t have that luxury, but with Airbnb you get the option to turn away people you don’t want staying.”

As good as this all sounds, however, Airbnb is not for everyone. For example, prices are competitive on Airbnb, so if your rooms are premium, you may find users are less willing to pay extra.

Plus, you’ll need to think about how you manage your listing. Pubs are not always quiet, after all. Penny says: “I make sure my diary is up to date with any events or live music bookings so I can warn potential guests that there may be noise from the pub until about midnight.

“It’s always best to be truthful. Some

trade.inapub.co.uk 23/02/2017 00:00

stay.

“

Perhaps what makes Airbnb so appealing to some pubs is you can vet, accept or reject customers Doing the business: the New Crown Inn gets ‘loads of business’ from Airbnb, according to licensee Penny James

people won’t mind, but some have young kids, so they might look for an alternative. It’s better than risking a bad review from them.”

Knowledge is power

You’ll want to make sure your listing is as helpful and informative as possible too.

She continues: “It’s best to include information about how to get there, bus services, taxi availability and what amenities are in your area. Obviously, guests will be looking for nearby food and drink offerings, so you can take the opportunity to subtly plug your pub.”

Airbnb is also expanding its offer and

launched its Trips service back in November, which aims to bring together accommodation with experiences. It’s currently only available for Londoners, but you can list yourself as an “experience host” and could offer guests the opportunity to take a tour of a local brewery with you or take part in a whisky tasting in the bar.

You might be facing competition from castles, house-boats, caravans and treehouses with Airbnb. But, as Visit Britain says, the pub is the third-most popular UK attraction for overseas tourists, so it could well be worth a shot.

‘All the info you need on one screen’ Airbnb not for you? Licensees stress that while Airbnb bookings are great, it’s important to make sure your calendar is up to date to avoid double bookings.

Online booking management system Eviivo (eviivo.com) handles all your reservations in one place and has seen a 12 per cent increase in enquiries from pubs and inns in the past year.

Thomas Messett, chief marketing officer at Eviivo, says: “We work with more than 1,000 pubs and inns and know about the challenges when juggling catering, accommodation and a stream of punters. We connect you to all the leading travel websites, as well as a bookable website of your own.

“You can manage all your bookings on a simple-to-use diary, which provides all the info you need on one screen.”

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23/02/2017 00:01

back-bar business

Tips for the Next Generation is sponsored by

Supported by

Licensees looking for tricks to cut costs in the kitchen, drive more revenue from showing live sport, improve their beer quality, or create winning whisky cocktails picked up a wealth of expert advice recently at our Next Generation event at Liverpool’s Old Blind School.

Creating a modern food operation Joycelyn Neve, chief executive of the Seafood Pub Co. “I see some food operations where the chefs are cooking for themselves. We don’t want that — we want bums on seats!”

“Going from one to two sites was the hardest thing we ever did. The first site suffered for about six months.”

“We’ve got 10 sites and obviously I can’t be in all of them at once, so there are lots of phone calls and set meetings every week. We’ve also got WhatsApp groups for sites and chefs to enable constant communication.”

“We train our staff to try to spot a problem before it leaves the building.”

Beer quality and dispense Jessica Collins, Heineken “The only reason for ordering a second pint is the quality of the first.”

“The first reason customers give for choosing a bar is consistency, they want to know what they are going to get.”

Whisky Masterclass Alex Percival, Diageo Bar Academy “The Old Fashioned is the number one-selling cocktail globally.”

“People think the older the whisky is the better, but that’s not necessarily the case.”

Diageo’s cocktails of the day: • Haig Clubman & Cola • Johnnie Walker Old Fashioned • Talisker Passion Fruit Smash

p50-51 next gen.indd 50

Maximising the potential of live sport Brendan Napier, head of field sales, Sky “2.1 million people in the UK go to watch sport in a pub each week.”

“People stay twice as long in a pub when sport is shown.”

“58 per cent of those watching sport in a pub go explicitly to watch live sport.”

“Spend per head is £10 higher when people are watching sport.”

23/02/2017 00:10

The Sports Panel

The Food Panel

Lee Price, The Royal Pier “Show as many different events as you can. If you don’t give customers what they want, they will leave.”

Ali Carter, founder, CaterCost “There are lots of ways of working out your market. Look at the supermarkets, the number of gyms and the hobbies that people do.”

“You have to get people in to create the atmosphere; the only way to get people to come back is to deliver on that.

We run offers such as free half-time hot dogs.”

Simon Delaney, Firbank Pub & Kitchen “Do table service — pressure customers into ordering.

They have to understand that we’re here to sell drinks.”

“Showing sport doesn’t mean you can’t be family-friendly.

We promote the fact that we are one of the few places you can bring your kids on big match days.”

Brendan Napier, Sky Sports “Designate a member of staff as a ‘sports champ’ and give them control of the remote and the volume.”

“It’s no surprise that the biggest spenders are the rugby crowd.”

“Everyone will know what a pint of beer costs, what they are retailing it for and what the margin is. Ask them the margin on a spaghetti bolognese and people don’t really know.”

Ashley McCarthy, Ye Old Sun Inn, Colton, North Yorkshire “Trends do change and we wouldn’t go wholeheartedly into a trend, because we don’t want to change the face of what we already do. We want consistency.”

Kelly McCarthy, Ye Old Sun Inn “Don’t just ask customers if they want a dessert. Put the menu in front of them and nine times out of ten you’ll get a sale out of it.”

Joycelyn Neve, Seafood Pub Company “It’s just being flexible with your customers and offering a personal service to individuals. Big brands can’t compete with that.”

“We watch market trends but I always think you should concentrate on what you are doing and do that well.”

Get a flavour of the Liverpool event on video at trade.inapub.co.uk

Be part of the Next Generation Inapub set up Next Generation to bring new licensees, managers and deputies together to help them shape their careers in the trade. Events get guests together to network, share ideas and hear from a range of industry experts and operators in an informal environment. Keep an eye on the website and magazine for details about our next event.

To register your interest email

nextgen@inapub.co.uk or visit trade.inapub.co.uk for more information.

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23/02/2017 00:10

Social media jargon buster

When it comes to social media, if you’re too often left thinking ‘what the bloomin’ heck does that mean?’, don’t despair. Tear this sneaky little guide out, tuck it in your pocket and watch those social-savvy know-it-alls reel in shock when you tell them exactly where to stuff that ‘gif’.

Gif

Trending

Feed

Handle

Seems like a good place to start then. A gif is a bunch of images compressed into a moving picture and put on a loop. They’re usually quite humorous and great for sharing on Twitter for a bit of fun.

Each social media platform has a “feed”, usually the first page you’re taken to when you log in. It’s a constantly updating stream of content (posts) from people or businesses which you follow.

Reach

When you share something to social media, a certain number of people will see it. That number is the reach.

Engagement

If someone has done more than just see your post, then they’ve “engaged” with it.

They might like it, retweet it, click on the link, comment – any of these actions are engagements.

inapub

DIGITAL MARKETING GUIDE

Grappling with Google or flummoxed by Facebook? Order your Inapub Digital Marketing Guide today. Email sales@inapub.co.uk or call 0800 160 1986

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Hashtag

Yes, it is this funny little symbol — # — but you use it on Twitter or Instagram to increase engagement or reach. You use them to categorise topic of your tweet, for example #gin. This makes your tweet easier to find for people looking for pubs selling gin.

Hashtags or topics can become trending.

These are the words, phrases or topics being talked about the most at that moment on social media. You’ll see what’s trending in a side column in your on Facebook or Twitter feed.

Another word which has an entirely new meaning on social media. It is the term used to describe someone’s @username on Twitter, for example Inapub’s is @inapub.

Quote vs retweet (Twitter)

Tweets can be shared in two ways. A retweet (RT) will simply re-post that tweet to your feed.

A quote will allow you to add your own comment in front of the tweet, then re-post both your comment and the tweet to your feed.

Boost

If you want to start paying for more people to see your social media content then you can boost it. You’ll pay a certain price, for a certain audience or number of people to be shown that post.

Filter (Instagram)

You can lay filters over Instagram photos to make them look nicer or just a bit different.

They’ve all got silly names like Juno, Ludwig and Valencia — but basically it’s a quick way to make rubbish photos look good

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A London pub has donated all its takings from Valentines Day to the domestic violence charity Refuge. Gross takings from lunch and dinner tables at The Drapers Arms in London’s Islington added up to a donation of £4,200 for the charity.

Landlord Nick Gibson said: “Women should step out into the world feeling genuinely loved by men 365 days of the year. So we will treat all of our takings on Valentine’s as a voluntary donation from our customers to a charity organisation that supports women affected by the violence of men.”

Nick is also trekking through the Himalayas this month with a group of chefs to raise a target of £120,000 for Action Against Hunger.

THE COLLECTION TIN What pubs around the country are doing to help good causes Bar operator Deltic Group has raised more than £27,000 after it collected donations from clubbers over Christmas.

Its Give a Kid a Quid campaign collected funds for the Echo Trust, which provides grants to children and young adult charities across the UK.

Stock producer Essential Cuisine has donated £8,000 to the Adopt a School Trust from the sales of its Premier Veal Jus. The Trust delivers food education to young people in a bid to help them eat better as well as developing kitchen skills.

Visitors to Cornish brewer St Austell’s Celtic Beer Festival have helped raise £40,000 for good causes. Ticket sales from the day and a chunk of beer sales were donated to the St Austell Brewery’s Charitable Trust which supports good causes across the South West.

A pub in Oswestry, Wales has raised £465 for the British Heart Foundation (BHF) in memory of regular Malcolm Jones. Customers at The Plough Inn played a pool tournament with Malcolm’s own cue to raise funds for the charity.

A Kent landlady has swum 25 kilometres for the mental health charity Mind UK. Tracey Barnes of The Chequers pub in Laddingford, near Maidstone, Kent, swum five kilometres five times as part of Mind’s February Five challenge. The February Five encourages people to complete a challenge five times in one month.

Tracey swam in five different locations, setting off on her first big swim while on holiday in Spain. She hopes the swims will raise awareness about mental health issues, as well as money for the cause.

Tracey said: “I had to think of a goal that was challenging but still attainable given the irregular hours running our pub.”

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

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EUPHEMISMS FOR BEING A BIT TIPSY A thesaurus of terms for those feeling the effects 1. Brahms and Liszt A cockney rhyming slang term to suggest you might be a little worse for wear. Usually used in its shortened form: “went dahn the rubber and got a bit Brahms” (rubber = rub-a-dub = pub, for those of you not born within the sound of the Bow Bells).

2. In one’s cups Appearing in print for the first time in 1611 — in the King James Bible, no less — the phrase refers to the vessel from which one is drinking, of course. Originally it meant merely to be having a drink, rather than in the “dribbling on the bouncer” stage of inebriation.

3. Whisky Frisky Whisky makes you frisky, apparently. Gin makes you sin.

We know which one we’d rather be drinking based on that.

4. Tight as a boiled owl Buzzfeed lists this as one of the “21 Victorian slang terms it’s high time we revived,” and we can only agree. So committed to the cause are we, in fact, that this is the second time in five months we’ve drawn attention to the phrase.

5. Admiral of the narrow seas

herring. So it’s no surprise really that it’s also become a term for someone who’s had one too many sherbets.

7. Pie-eyed That blank, wide-eyed look that afflicts many at a certain point in proceedings and which, some say, resembles the lid of a pie, hence the term’s use here.

8. Tired and emotional We bet you’re all familiar with this one — but what you might not know is that it comes from satirical rag Private Eye, which used it in 1967 as part of a spoof memo describing the state of Labour cabinet minister George Brown.

9. Squiffy Meaning only slightly drunk (“only half a glass of sherry and I feel a bit squiffy already!”) there is some mystery around the origins of this term. The most likely explanation seems to be that it is related to “skew-whiff,” meaning crooked, or askew, which is as good an explanation of being tipsy as we’ve come across.

10. Shit-faced Sometimes, you’ve just got to tell it like it is.

A very old nautical term this one and, if the 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue is to be believed, it refers to a very specific sort of drunk. The kind that vomits into the lap of the person sitting opposite.

6. Soused To souse something is to drench or saturate it, and in food terms, “soused” refers to pickled things, such as

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23/02/2017 00:42

time at the bar

PLATE OR SLATE? Where the nation’s publicans stand on the really big questions Colin McGurran

The Hope & Anchor South Ferriby, North Lincolnshire Colin is the chef patron of triple AA rosette-awarded Lincolnshire restaurant Winteringham Fields and opened The Hope & Anchor pub in 2015, investing £500k in its refurbishment.

The pub, just five minutes from the Humber Bridge, serves a combination of traditional seasonal cuisine and historic dishes. Colin is no stranger to television and won the Great British Menu in 2012.

Plate or slate?

Mustard cords or skinny jeans?

It’s an interesting one. We used to be slates but now we are plates. Customers are going off them, it’s going out of fashion and sometimes you just can’t beat some good food on a nice plate, rather than a roof tile.

Unfortunately it’s mustard cords. A lot of our business is local farmers, shoots, hunts. The average customer age is about mid-forties, but that’s great! Mustard cords are usually better than skinny jeans financially, so…

Background music or silence is golden?

Shabby chic or design shrine?

Background music is key for us. It’s part of the experience, it’s part of the sub-conscious enjoyment. We want customers to tap their feet and tap their hands. It’s a lively, buzzing place and music definitely has a role in it.

We’re shabby chic here, it’s still a pub at heart. One lady came in with a beautiful giant white fur coat, but was disappointed that we didn’t have people to take it away for her. We thought, love, this is a pub! There’s a bloke over there in wellies with a dog and she strolls in like Cruella De Vil.

Table service or order at the bar?

Table service for us. It adds the extra value for money and we have control on our average spend. Plus it gives a chance to interact with guests.

Big night out or meal with friends?

This place is meal with friends. It’s a place where you come and spend your night eating and drinking until the early hours.

Cash or Apple Pay? Cash please! The majority of people pay by cards, but we don’t do Apple Pay here.

Come on, in North Lincolnshire? We’ve barely got the internet!

Family-friendly or keep the kids at home?

Family-friendly, definitely. And pets too.

Wear what you like or uniforms for the staff?

There are uniforms but there’s freedom within that. It’s jeans, casual wear but with an element of uniform to it.

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Run your own pub business To find out more about runing your own pub business or managing one of our great pubs, visit our website for more information

runyourpub.com

Or, why not manage one of our pubs instead?

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craftunionpubs.com

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12/01/2017 12:46 09:50 23/01/2017

time at the bar

HAIR OF THE DOG Tales of the unexpected from the wonderful world of pubs Magic wander the first f-bloods congregated for Muggles, squibs and hal nth. mo t las wl in Birmingham ever Harry Potter pub cra the city’s on s pub at nt eve up for the Around 600 fans turned Golden Mile, all decked out as Hogwarts students, death-eaters and ghosts.

A good time was had by all, said the organisers, Wasted Promotions, w but what we want to kno is which of you Brummie publicans took on the role of Tom, the landlord of the Leaky Cauldron, who is described by Harry in the books as, “quite bald” and lnut”? resembling a “toothless wa

Shipwreck survivor found Four coastguard and lifeboat teams, the police and a helicopter crew searched for hours for a man missing in Wales on the evening of February 7 this year.

The man disappeared after he was seen walking his dog across the Dryryd Estury from Portmeirion. Crews kept the search up as darkness fell, using flashlights and flares, witnesses said.

The man was finally found at 8pm, safe and well and totally unaware of the fuss he had unwittingly unleashed.

Where was he?

Yup, you’ve guessed it – having a pint in his local pub, The Ship Aground, in nearby Talsarnau.

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An example to us all Eighty years and 40,000 pints in, 93-year-old Nelson Foyle is claiming the title of Britain’s longest-serving regular.

He enjoyed his first tipple at The Dog & Gun in Netheravon, Wiltshire, at just 12 years old, according to The Sun, which reported the news under the headline “Not So Swift Half.”

The old sailor said: “Back in them days it was only three pennies for a pint. Now I’ve got to spend £3.”

Have you got a regular that’s been around anywhere near as long? Drop us a line or Tweet us @inapub to let us know.

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