Inapub Magazine Autumn 2022 Issue 100

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Issue 100 Autumn 2022 £4.95 magazine.inapub.co.uk

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e don’t feel a day over 25, but can you believe it, this is Inapub’s 100th issue!

As we celebrate this momentous occasion, the team here has been getting a bit misty eyed, looking back at the countless pubs we have featured over that time, and reminiscing about the sector we love.

Pubs mean so many different things to so many different people.

One person’s favourite local might be a crumbling estate pub where they know the name of every single person who walks through the badly painted door, while another’s go-to boozer does a fine line in foie gras parfait and has just won its first star.

Really, the essence of what makes a great pub lies in what it means to its particular area, its customers and its community – which means that every single pub is gloriously, unashamedly and proudly unique. There are no two alike. And that, friends, is the true genius of the pub.

So, in honour of our Inapub centenary edition, inside this issue we bring you a list of 100 things that we absolutely adore about pubs, both past and present. Being in a nostalgic mood, we’ve rustled up a menu of retro classic dishes (p30-32) and taken a time machine back to a pub of the 1950s (p50).

This issue also takes a look at some other “100s”, visiting a Kent pub that has been running a Bat and Trap league for 100 years (see p40-41) and meeting Debbie Hunter at The New Inn in Shrewsbury, a pub that has been in her family for over 100 years (p48).

Here’s to the next 100!

The Inapub Team

W

35

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what’s old-school

13

drink Cask ale • Christmas drinks

29

eat Retro classic dishes • Roast dinners • Chips

37

play

42

stay How to keep those rooms full

45

ideas Elton Mouna finds some things for you to try

48

time at the bar Richard Molloy • Postcard from a past-time pub

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100 pub classics • Halloween

The time-honoured sport of bat and trap

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Editor Caroline Nodder

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Contributors Matt Eley, Richard Molloy, Claire Dodd, John Porter Production editor Ben Thrush Chief executive Barrie Poulter Sales manager Katy Robinson

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100 pub classics

We might be a little bit biased here at Inapub, but aren’t pubs just the best thing in the world?

We know that right now, many of you out there will be facing tough times. The cost of living crisis, and in particular spiralling energy bills, are hitting hospitality hard, and you are having to work harder than ever before to make ends meet. And all the while, pubs still have to show up and be there to support their communities in these tough times too. We salute all of you out there, and hope that this compendium of pub wonderfulness helps to raise your spirits.

1. Publicans!

You lot had to be at the top of our list because you are what makes the great British pub… well… truly GREAT. Please.

Never change.

2. Cask ale. Only

available in pubs. Lovingly cared for by licensees.

3. Roaring open fires.

A cliché perhaps, but is there anything better on a miserable cold winter’s day?

7. Last orders.

Ringing an actual bell for bonus points.

8. Pub dogs. Can

catch a dropped scratching before it hits the floor.

9. Fruit machines.

13. Large jars of pickled eggs.

Guaranteed to scare a tourist.

14. Pub quizzes. And

15. The name of the licensee written over the door.

10. Optics. Speedy

16. Handpulls.

11. Those brown road signs

4. Bar stools.

Avoid the queue and get all the best chat.

directing you to a country pub.

Lifting your heart on a

5. Pub carpets.

Nothing says pub like a handpull.

17. Scampi and chips in a basket. With a soggy

paper napkin.

18. The fish man who

Have you had one too many or is that pattern actually swirling?

long journey.

randomly turns up once a week to sell his fresh catch like an usher in a cinema.

6. Pork scratchings.

12. Beer mats. Flipping

19. Pub cellars. The

Too hairy for some…

great.

bright red and harassed on their break in the garden.

But what an amazing job they do!

23. Chalkboards. Wit

the two regular teams who take them way too seriously.

And that regular who knows exactly when to insert their one coin of the night.

spirits.

22. Pub chefs. Looking

beating heart of the bar.

20. Horseshoe bars.

21. Live sport. Nothing

beats the cheer of a pub crowd – or the takings that come with it.

and wisdom pub style.

24. Bar tops. Polished

to within an inch of its life but pitted and stained through years of service, the bar-top is the workhorse of every pub.

25. Beer festivals.

Yes please.

26. Peanut packets on

a card behind the bar.

27. The Woolpack.

Emmerdale’s local but also a real working pub in Shipley, West Yorkshire.

28. Sawdust on the floor. We’ve often thought Wetherspoons could do with reintroducing this #stickycarpets.

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what’s old-school.

30. Working from the pub. A new trend that has

40. A jug of Bloody Mary mix on the bar on a Sunday morning. Hair of the dog at its best.

to be applauded.

31. Pub gardens.

33. Pub tribute acts. Fakey Perry

49. The brass footrail at the bar.

anyone?

36. Tankards. Often

displayed, rarely used.

38. Bar billiards. A

proper pubspecific sport.

39. Drays.

Originally horsedrawn, with the draymen reputedly offered a pint in every pub on their route as they carried out the deliveries.

angels.

Especially old-style Wurlitzers.

60. PoS. Table-talker

anyone?

61. Nonic pint glasses. Iconic nonic.

62. Pub weddings.

If it was good enough for Kate Winslet, then it’s good enough for the rest of us.

63. Children’s play areas. Keeps the noise in

Perfect for propping.

one place.

41. The Queen Vic. Key to any good Eastenders storyline… although the number of licence infractions we spot every week would have Mick Carter banged up by now.

50. Swinging pub signs. Always judge a

64. Gin and tonics in enormous balloon glasses. Now a summer

42. Charity fundraising. Pubs raise over

52. Dart boards. You

£100m every year for charity.

never feel completely safe at table 12.

43. Obscure pub names

53. Soft drink dispense guns. No

My Father’s Moustache anyone? Or The Jolly Taxpayer or The Gate Hangs Well.

44. The pub from THAT Babysham advert from the ’80s. “Hey!

We’ll have a Babysham!”

book by its cover.

51. Mulled cider. The smell of Christmas from three streets away.

gun fights please.

54. Family rooms.

Children of the 1970s and 80s were to be seen but not heard.

55. Pump-clips. On the bar and collected as wall decorations.

56. Pub toilet graffiti. Lowbrow .

57. Door supervisors.

Thank you for your service.

staple.

65. Pub garden BBQs. 66. Glass collectors.

Amazing how many publicans started out collecting glasses. ▲

37. The plaque at the bar where a long departed regular once sat. Cheers!

59. Jukeboxes.

48. Karaoke.

The Marmite of the pub entertainment world.

don’t lick them.

Bacon Fries their slightly less well-known sibling. Oh and Cheese Moments….are they still a thing?

46. Tables that doubled as Space Invader games machines. question that means you’ve made it as a regular.

32. Condensing ice fonts. Just

35. Scampi Fries. And

58. Barstaff. Frontline

47. ‘The usual?’ The

The saviour of the pandemic.

34. Carveries. Four meats on one plate? Of course.

45. Etched glass partitions.

▼

29. Sandwiches in a glass cabinet on the bar. Very 1980s.

#notjustapub The British Institute of Innkeeping recently launched a campaign to flood social media with examples of how pubs are so much more than retailers. We would encourage you to get involved and share some of the fantastic things you do above and beyond the fabulous food and drink you serve, using #notjustapub on your posts. Shout it loud people!

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67. Big screens.

Draw a crowd.

ing the noise of all the balls rolling down to the other end for set up.

68. Tearing and opening out the crisp packet so the

77. Ice and a slice.

69. Branded garden umbrellas. Except

Now much more likely to be described as boutique hotel rooms, pub rooms are right up there when it comes to the staycation boom.

whole table can share.

Rude not to!

when it’s really windy.

70. Handheld payment terminals.

A technology win…if you’ve got the wi-fi.

71. Bar queue etiquette. Woe betide

the tourist who jumps the queue… or indeed the barstaff member who serves in the wrong order.

72. CAMRA. We see

you, local CAMRA members, ticking off those ales, and we applaud you.

78. Letting rooms.

79. Guinness. Good things come to those who wait. But lord help anyone in front of us in the queue who orders their Guinness last in a large round of drinks.

80. Scotch eggs. Bar snack of the gods.

81. Tayto crisps.

Irish pubs, take a bow.

82. The Hofmeister bear pub crawl ad.

We’re following him.

73. Blue roll. Saving

83. The Rover’s Return. We’ll take a pint

us from spillages since forever.

of mild and some of Betty’s hotpot please.

74. Alcopops. We

84. Function rooms.

heard that Hooch is making a comeback… OK, we may be showing our age now.

75. Pub walks. Any walk should include a pub in our opinion.

76. Pool tables. Slid-

ing your coin in and hear-

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87. Pub wine lists.

Now so much more than “red…or white”.

88. Board and card games.

Cribbage anyone?

89. Classic pub grub.

Fish and chips, pie and mash, toad-in-the-hole or a Sunday roast. Soul food.

stick with one when you can visit them all?

pandemic legacy that many pubs have kept on. Can be a saviour on a busy Saturday night.

91. American tourists in pubs.

98. The outside smoking area. Home of

90. Pub crawls. Why

Hilarious to watch the culture clash unfold.

92. Pub ghosts.

Nope, us neither.

But they do make for some great local newspaper stories around Halloween time…

93. That scene in Only Fools and Horses when Del Boy falls through the open bar hatch.

94. Pub benches. Pub

More multi-functional now than ever.

gardens wouldn’t be seen dead without these classic table-and-chairs-in-one wooden numbers.

85. Garden huts and pods. A welcome new ad-

95. Branded glassware. God forbid

86. Live music. Pubs

96. Peanuts. None of

dition to make pub gardens a year-round experience.

have launched a thousand famous bands.

AUTUMN 2022

97. Table ordering. A

all the gossip you could ever want to know.

99. Christmas parties. Nothing gets you

in the festive mood like a pub Christmas party. Get those decorations out of the cellar, bring out those party platters, put Now That’s What I Call Xmas on repeat, stock up on the Bailey’s and turn that conservatory into a dance floor. ‘Tis the season!

100. And last but not least, it’s closing time. Customers trudging

reluctantly from the cosy warmth of the bar on to the dark, chilly streets to wend their way home. Possibly via the kebab shop on the high street, if it’s still open.

our lager arrives in a Guinness glass.

your new-fangled olives thank you. This is a pub.

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Tricks and treats You might think the trade has had enough terrifying times in recent years, but Halloween always offers the chance to pack the pub and put on a fun evening for your punters. John Porter spoke to three pubs that aren’t scared to give it a go.

As with 2021, when Halloween fell on a Sunday, the annual October 31 celebration of all things spooky falling officially on a Monday this year isn’t the best news for pubs in terms of driving trade. To maximise the opportunity, Saturday 29 is likely to be when most pubs chose to break out the spray-on cobwebs, glow-in-the-dark skeletons and general gruesomeness.

That’s certainly the case at The Blue Ball in Worrall, South Yorkshire, where the pub will be welcoming most of the village to its Halloween party. Admiral Taverns tenants Emma and Carl Shepherd took over the pub three years ago. “For two of those three years we’ve had a Halloween party – even in lockdown, we decorated the pub for Halloween,” says Emma.

“We dress the pub within an inch of its life, and we host a fancy dress party for the village. Everyone dresses up – they really go to town.” The Blue Ball’s bash is an unticketed affair, open to all. “We’re a village pub.

They just come along, and we’re always full. The villagers always make a big effort. We’ll do Halloween cocktails – last year anything that was green, or red and gory, was used, and we had spiders floating in beers.”.

On the Monday of Halloween itself, the pub will host a pumpkin carving competition for children, as well as welcoming trick-or-treaters.

“Most people in the village dress up their properties and embrace trick-or-treat, so the kids can also call in at the pub,” says Emma.

The kit ch Ball we en team at The re really B nailing th lue e veg

Family frighteners

Very much focused on the family this Halloween is the Bevendean Cooperative Pub in Brighton, a community-owned local universally known as the Bevy. Warren Carter, who chairs the pub’s management committee, says that the pub has further stepped up its community support in the face of concerns about the increased costs of running the business as

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If you think these guy wait till you see the s look scary, m in fancy dress

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One punter shows you don’t need alcohol to have fun, while another looks in need of a decent steak and ale pie

well as genuine hardship faced by regulars in the current economic climate. ”We’re looking at how we support the local community, without the boozer closing,” he says. “How do we bring people into the pub and make it affordable?” Just one element of the programme is a free Halloween party for families.

“We’ve got a disco and games, pumpkin carving and free plate of food and drink for every child. We rely on grants and volunteers to make the event free for children, but we also do well behind the bar. It’s the people who are facing difficulties and can only afford to come to the pub occasionally we’re thinking about; we want them to be able to have some fun.”

Getting the popcorn in

Aiming to do something different, The Harlequin in Sheffield is planning a Halloween screening of the film An American Werewolf in London, to be shown in the pub as well as streamed online, using a Single Title screening licence.

Liz Aspden, licensee of the freehouse, says: “Before lockdown, we ran some Sunday afternoon film screenings, and we have a Laurel & Hardy film club that meets here monthly. Running a Halloween event is new for us, and I’m trying to think of ways to get people back into the pub who got out of the habit during lockdown.

“With Halloween being on a Monday, we’re not interfering with what should be a busy weekend night for us anyway, and including an online showing caters for customers who still feel a bit uneasy about coming to the pub when it’s busy. I’ll also come up with some Halloween cocktails and mocktails for the evening.”

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Someone at The Harlequin is pretty handy with a knife

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Crisp lagers, spritz serves and lighter, zestier drinks give way to something a little moodier

After a long, hot summer, is it wrong to say we’ve been looking forward to autumn? Not that we haven’t enjoyed the sunshine – and for pubs it’s meant a wonderful opportunity to double the number of covers as beer gardens have come into their own – but there’s something about the golden light, crisp days and cosy woollen sweaters that just feels right.

Drinks too, are of course seasonal. And as we move out of summer, crisp lagers, spritz serves and lighter, zestier drinks give way to something a little moodier, a little more warming.

First up, it’s time to have a closer look at your cask range. With darker styles such as stouts and porters doing well in the winter months, you might want to start planning your seasonal brews.

See our cask focus over the next few pages if you need a little guidance on how to plan your range. Yes, it’s been a hard few years for the category, but that doesn’t mean you should give up on it. Follow our

tips to make the most out of your taps.

Elsewhere – and we’re sorry to remind you that it’s fast approaching – it’s also time to eat, drink, and be merry. Not you of course; we know it takes anyone who runs a pub over the Christmas period till about mid-February to decompress.

But, after another challenging year, your customers are going to want to raise a glass beside the Christmas tree.

Give them something extra to celebrate, with a range of simple seasonal cocktails, festive flavours, or some easy twists on existing serves. Scan the next few pages for some key pointers on maximising your Christmas drinks sales.

It has, of course, been another challenging year for you too. And while the government’s move to reduce business energy bills (finally!) is a step in the right direction, let us all hope it’s just the start of many initiatives to help businesses ride out this winter. In the meantime, wrap up warm, be prepared, and pour us a spiced G&T.

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09/10/2022 22:06

Cask at a crossroads

by CLAIRE DODD

“

Some of the biggest issues we face with poor quality and low yields are to do with lack of knowledge and training

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What goes up, must come down. Though that’s true of most things, it seems that cask ale, in its long storied history, has had more than its fair share of peaks and troughs.

“Cask is in steep, sustained decline and we need to reverse this if the £1.7bn industry is going to survive and then thrive,” says CAMRA National Chairman Nik Antona. “As an integral part of British culture and our pubs, cask’s success will have far-reaching implications and benefits. Conversely, its failure could have wider ramifications. Now more than ever we need a strong show of support for cask beer across the sector.”

So, what happened to those halcyon days? Well, you already know. With sales and production first impacted by the onset of the pandemic, including the closure of pubs, then the squeeze of increased costs,

and again the accelerated closure of pubs, and the rising costs of raw ingredients… and again the closure of pubs… it’s been a tough few years.

Add to that the reduction in range and number of taps in many pubs post-pandemic, and you have yourself a brewing storm.

“The cask category was facing significant challenges way before we had ever heard of coronavirus and the current cost of living crisis,” says Annabel Smith, head of training at accreditation body Cask Marque. “Too many brands jostled in an overcrowded marketplace with a decreasing consumer base, leading to a downward quality spiral in pubs

Hogs Back’s new advertising emphasises the freshness of its hops

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drink.

Cask brands are innovating to support the rise of the younger ale drinker

“

The future requires reaching out to a new demographic to allow them to enjoy the joys of cask

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and a “pound shop” price tag.”

Don’t mince your words Annabel. But pre-pandemic, cask accounted for one in nine pints of beer sold in the on-trade, argues Mark Bentley, on-trade category controller at Molson Coors Beverage Company, whose brands include Doom Bar, the biggest-selling cask ale in the on-trade according to CGA. “A publican’s reluctance to re-stock cask at the same level as they did pre-pandemic is completely understandable from a conservative financial perspective – as a fresh, living product, cask has a short shelf-life and if it isn’t ordered this can lead to wastage,” adds Nik.“That being said, we would encourage publicans to make that leap of faith and stock a wide range of cask beer on the bar.”

Now the cynical among us (*raises a hand) may say that well, he would say that wouldn’t he? But there’s a business case

for making an effort with cask. According to Cask Marque’s 2019 Cask Report, though cask is labour-intensive, has a short shelf life, and offers a smaller margin than other draught beers, cask drinkers spend more money in a pub than non-cask drinkers.

Sociable beings, they visit more often and also like to bring their cask-loving mates along with them. Ah, bless.

The true price of a poor pint

Serve a bad pint once though, and you’re in trouble. “We need publicans to hold themselves to a high standard when it comes to serving and storing cask beer,” says Nik. “One poor pint can put a customer off from the whole sector for life, which undermines what makes cask beer really special.”

Annabel from Cask Marque agrees. “Some of the biggest issues we face with poor quality and/or low yields are to do with lack of knowledge and training,” she says. “This

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has a domino effect. The product isn’t cared for correctly, so fewer customers buy it, the wastage starts increasing, profits are thrown down the drain until ultimately: ‘I’ll stop selling cask’.”

For tips on exactly what you can do about this, see page 18. But in the meantime, brewers themselves need to up their game too.

After all, the first flourish of cask’s last revival, when a renewed focus on liquid quality, a broader-than-ever range of beer styles, and a fresh image using marketing with a more unisex appeal, helped attract a new generation of consumers, finished 15 years ago.

Did it shift things as far as they really could – nay, need to – go? “We know that the majority of cask beer drinkers are male and over 50 from multiple pieces of research,” says Adnams trade manager Jacqui Harris. “The future requires us all reaching out to a new demographic of consumers to allow them to also understand the joys of cask.”

Wooing a new generation

New products and seasonal releases Adnams Sea Fog Described as a hazy IPA, as well as being “fresh, unfiltered and full of flavour”, Sea Fog (4.5 per cent ABV) promises some more unusual flavour notes. Alongside citrus and tropical fruit, there’s spicier notes, and some nutty, honeyed malt. Suggested food pairings include with spicy tacos or chilli fries. “Interestingly, in its first month we saw the cask format outsell the keg so it will be interesting to see where this new beer settles itself,” says Adnams’ Jacqui Harris.

Theakston Summit Yorkshire Brewery T&R Theakston has launched new beer Theakston Summit. The 4.2 per cent ABV pale ale was first launched in 2021, made with summit, el dorado, cascade and amarillo hops. The brewer says its wider roll-out is the result of consumer demand for a more hop-forward, refreshing beer. It has been brewed to be served extra-chilled through a dedicated hand pump.

Shepherd Neame Late Red The Kent brewer is returning its autumn seasonal. Available on draught throughout September and October in selected pubs across Kent, London and the South East, it uses pale ale malt, crystal malt, and UK-grown cascade and goldings hops for rich, dark malt notes, with a citrussy hop finish.

New, innovative products are needed, however, if these new drinkers are to be recruited. Theakston (see right) has launched a new beer, Summit, aimed at younger pub-goers, complete with a more modern pump clip design. “This innovation is supporting one of the biggest shifts we’re seeing in the market, which is the rise of younger cask ale drinkers,” says joint managing director Simon Theakston. “According to recent market research, 18 to 24-year-olds who have tried cask ale are actually more likely to drink it regularly than some older consumers. This trend means that we have to adapt how we market our products.”

This moment of reckoning has given many brewers pause. Many are beginning to more closely analyse who they appeal to and why, as well as setting forth plans to broaden their customer bases. Overall, there is consensus that the industry needs to adapt.

Rupert Thompson, managing director of Hogs Back Brewery, says the company has rebranded its flagship cask ale as Tongham TEA to emphasise its local brewer status.

It’s also added the label “Farm Brewery” to

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How to up your cask sales

Joe ‘Jester’ Jacobs raps about ale for Black Sheep’s ‘Drink Cask Ale’ campaign

its pump clip and bottle labels as well as in its advertising to emphasise the freshness of its hops, which are picked and packed within 24 hours from its own hop garden.

“However, we know that there are consumers who have come into enjoying beer via the craft route for whom these kinds of local and traditional branding cues may not have the same appeal as they do to established cask ale drinkers,” he adds.

“We’re actively looking at new beers and branding that will help give cask beer a different appeal.”

Meanwhile, Black Sheep has launched the next phase of its own campaign to save cask beer, catchily enough titled “Drink Cask Beer”. The third video in the series features rapper and comedian Joe “Jester” Jacobs delivering a laid-back flow extolling the virtues of cask ale.

Change is in the works, but for brewers and licensees alike, time is of the essence.

“The sector needs a complete makeover to excite a new demographic of consumers to give it a chance and help it compete commercially with other products on the bar,” adds Nik from CAMRA. “We need an industrywide movement to boost the category and give it the prominence it deserves as the original craft beer.”

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Training “Investing in training will pay the business back in spades,” says Cask Marque’s Annabel Smith. “Training can be as formal as attending a cellar management course. It can be as informal as taking an e-learning course or googling how to do something. The more you understand how things work in the cellar and why temperature, hygiene and stock control need to be regulated, the less wastage you’ll accrue.

“Additionally, training staff means they are less likely to leave, they’re more motivated and they feel part of the fabric of the business. Recruitment is a costly and time-consuming business.”

Keep things quality “We work to the rule that casks should be on sale for a maximum of three days,” says Mark Bentley from Molson Coors. “This will ensure great quality beer, whilst also minimising wastage. As a result accurately estimating demand and not over-ordering is crucial.”

Range it right “Constantly changing the line-up and rotating guest beers increases wastage, erodes margins, and becomes labour intensive,” adds Annabel. “More importantly, it’s divisive for customers who seek consistency and reliability.

“If your cask beer is supplied in firkins (72-pint casks), your rate of sale needs to be 24 pints or more per day for every cask brand on the bar,” says Mark. “Assess your cask sales and ensure that your range size matches your usual sales – there is no point having six different brands on the bar if your rate of sale is far below the required rate, as it will only increase wastage and diminish quality.”

Pick some core brands Becoming known for stocking a couple of quality brands, served right, all the time, is no bad thing. Customers know what they’re getting, and will return to you for it. Consistency is key.

“An additional benefit of this is the support some brand owners will offer. This might be branded glassware, training and education, promotions, even trouble-shooting guidance,” says Annabel.

Price it right Operators tend to price their beer based on ABV. But that can be a mistake. “It erodes margin to price all ale brands with a similar ABV at a set price point, disregarding the cost price,” says Annabel. The cost of a pint should be calculated by considering all the elements: the variable cost is the base ingredient cost (i.e.. the supplier price), the fixed costs are the labour used to prepare and serve the beer, plus the margin required to make a profit.”

magazine.inapub.co.uk 10/10/2022 22:42

Cask Marque Become one of the best 10,000 cask ale pubs in Britain

‘Cask Marque’ is an independent scheme that assesses the beer quality in pubs to ensure standards are driven and maintained.

Qualified assessors visit pubs to test the beers temperature, appearance, aroma and taste. pubs have increased sales since 88% ofgaining the accreditation accredited outlets said they would 98% ofrecommend the scheme to other licensees Benefits include: Featured on the CaskFinder app - used 60,000 times a month to find Cask Marque pubs A Cask Marque plaque – recognised by 77% of beer drinkers as a badge of quality Point of Sale material – to help promote this achievement to customers Random inspections – helping pubs to consistently serve quality beer Access to cellar management training Regular newsletters Sign Up today by visiting cask-marque.co.uk or calling 01206 752212

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PROMOTIONAL FEATURE

A good news call to a pub doesn’t seem to happen very often these days but that’s what happened to Pippa, the licensee at The Butchers Arms, in Headington, Oxford last month. As the winner of the latest Inapub competition in partnership with Merchant’s Heart, she will receive bottles of gin and cases of Merchant s Heart mixers.

The Butchers Arms is hidden away in the backstreets of Headington, Oxford. It’s a small, friendly, family-run pub, serving great homecooked food. The pub is known especially for its warm welcome and beautifully kept ales, as well as its fantastic pizzas, flower baskets,and grumpy cat!

Pippa was looking forward to her regulars trying out the new premium mixers and seeing what difference they made. More than ever, her customers are looking for an authentic pub experience and Pippa recognises having a great range of drinks is key to this.

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Everywhere you look at the moment in the on-trade drinks market, you will see the move to premium products. From beers to gins, from taps on the bar to the back-bar – and the soft drink mixer category is no different. Merchant’s Heart is perfectly placed to help pubs and bars to take full advantage of this trend and ‘Bring Out the Best’ in their spirits with its new-look bottle and activation campaign.

Their redesigned bottles are elegant and tactile, retaining their iconic shape but with coloured neck-labels that differ for each flavour. Yorokobi, the Japanese kanji (symbol) for joy, is embossed front-and-centre on the bottles, referencing the brand’s Japanese beginnings. Around the foot of the bottles are embossed the words “The Spirit Enhancer”, further highlighting the Merchant’s Heart mission.

Charlie Marks, owner of Barrowboy in Sheffield, says the drinks are ideal for his neighbourhood bar.

“At Barrowboy, we pride ourselves on quality products and drinks. Having been taken through the brand story and the opportunity to taste the tonics, we couldn’t wait to switch to Merchant’s Heart,” he says.

“They do the perfect job of enhancing and elevating the spirit and the flavour options mean you can create some stunning combinations. The response from consumers has been fantastic!”

The new-look bottles will be supported

by POS materials, glassware and tailored activation offerings for partner bars. They will

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“They do the perfect job of enhancing and elevating the spirit and the flavour options mean you can create some stunning combinations. The response from consumers has been fantastic!”

also be promoted through a customer-facing social media campaign that proclaims how the Merchant’s Heart range “Brings Out…” the distinct and delicate spirit it is partnered with.

Hitesh Valand, On-Trade Controller at Suntory Beverage & Food GB&I, commented, “Our redesign draws together our brand’s heritage with industry traditions to deliver a brand new, eye-catching look. With these influences from both past and present, the bottles have a fresh elegance to them that is sure to stand out to consumers.”

The Merchant’s Heart range comprises six bottled premium mixers, each ideal for any premium spirit offering behind the bar.

Those are: Pink Peppercorn, ideal for floral gins and dark spirits; Hibiscus, perfect with all gins and complex spirits such tequila and rum; Ginger Ale, which pairs well with juniper-forward gins and aged spirits including bourbon, whisky and rum; Soda Water, which is great for bourbon and whisky; and Tonic Water and Light Tonic Water, the ideal partners for citrussy and light spirits such as gin, white rum and vodka.

With the spirits category outperforming every other on-trade category post lockdown. (total trade value grown by +11.9%1), why don’t you give them an extra boost with a great mixer from Merchant’s Heart?

1. Source CGA July 2022

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drink.

What they want

by CLAIRE DODD

for Christmas

At least there’s a festive reason to be lighting the entirety of the pub by candles. Too soon? You’re quite right. Christmas is usually a vital time of year for pubs – you know this. But it’s fair to say the last few have been somewhat odd. Despite – or even perhaps because of – the headlines, the mounting costs, and very challenging business conditions, customers are likely to want to make it count this year. And you need to be ready.

“Budgets will be squeezed this year as a result of the cost-of-living pressures,” says Tom Smith, marketing director for Europe at Accolade Wines. “Overall, we are expecting customers to behave in different ways – to switch down to cheaper products and reduce frequency of visit. But we think where people can, they will try and make Christmas special – especially after months of limited spending.”

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So from cocktails to liqueurs, soft drinks to ciders, it’s time to make a list, check it twice, and make sure you’ve got your Christmas offer just right. Here are a few pointers:

Cider

Ever walked through the throng of a Christmas market, and as you stare at the stall of jewellery made entirely from forks (why, though?), you get hit by the sweet smell of cinnamon and apple? Yep, there’s nothing like the sweet notes of a hot spiced apple cider to get customers reaching for their wallets. Especially cold ones. Look, there’s no need to reinvent the wheel here. If it works, it works.

“Cider cocktails are a great way of premiumising your offer and adding theatre to your bar at the festive period,” says Rob Sandall, on-trade sales director for Thatchers Cider. “We know people are looking for experiences when they‘re out, creating cocktails is a brilliant way of doing this.” No soup kettle? No problem. Chilled cocktails can be equally as tempting. Try the Thatchers Toffee Apple

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Cider Cocktail, which uses Thatchers Gold Cider, alongside its brand-new Blood Orange Cider.

Soft drinks

“Families and friends will be looking forward to enjoying special drinks and meals out together over the festive period, and soft drinks are more important than ever this Christmas,” says Amy Burgess, senior trade communications manager at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP).

Yes, it’s not just designated drivers swerving the sauce at Christmas; spare a thought for those who agreed to that family gettogether the day after the office Christmas party.

According to CocaCola, festive sales of soft drinks prepandemic were usually up by 19 per cent in wet-led pubs during December.

Plus, there’s many a festive drinker who upgrades from their usual lager to a spirit and mixer “because it’s Christmas!”

In fact, Coke’s figures suggest 60 per cent look to treat themselves and upgrade their drinks during the festive break.

So you’ll want to make sure you have the right range.

Making a festive menu? Why not list pairing suggestions alongside each dish.

“As consumer attitudes towards premium change, it presents further opportunities for outlets to give a full premium experience alongside dining too. In fact, 58 per cent of those asked said they would be willing to choose a premium soft drink if it was paired with a meal,” adds Amy.

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Gin

What’s better than a pink gin at Christmas?

A red gin of course. Duh. Luxardo Sour Cherry Gin has a festive hue and works well flavour-wise with a bit of festive spice. Make a simple G&T and garnish with a cinnamon stick and a thin slice of dehydrated orange.

Like it hot? Try a hot gin punch. Darnley’s Spiced Gin has a few festive botanicals including cinnamon and clove.

Liqueurs

Look, I like a sherry and some port as much as the next person. But sometimes you want to switch it up.

Whiskey liqueurs are predicted to be a top seller this winter, with sales up 21 per cent in 2021 according to the Wine & Spirit Trade Association. From peach to peanut butter, you can find them in pretty much any flavour you want. But Lucky Sod’s dram feels festive. Using an Irish whiskey base, it’s flavoured with toffee, caramel and vanilla.

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PERFECTION IN EVERY DROP THATCHERS GOLD GENERATES MORE CASH IN THE TILL THAN ANY OTHER APPLE CIDER. STOCK THE BRAND THAT MATTERS.

To find out how Thatchers Cider can help your business grow, contact us on 01934 827408 or email customer.service@thatcherscider.co.uk

Source: CGA 52 w/e 18 June 2022

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Serve chilled and straight, with a pint of Guinness or mix with cola.

James Pattison, trade marketing manager at Proof Drinks, says: “With a big lack of new products in the shots category, Lucky Sod can help embrace modern flavour trends and a more premium option which will have your customers reordering and upping their in-venue spends.”

Rum

“To spike consumer interest in on-trade over the festive season, retailers should embrace the world of rum,” says Nick Gillett, managing director of Mangrove UK, whose brands include Aluna, Dark Matter and Don Q. “Differing styles from different countries and the variation in style and flavour will be a moment of re-evaluation for consumers.”

Indeed, from festively spiced to the warm caramel notes of golden and darker styles that pair super-well with classic Christmas foods, rum is a good match for most menus.

“But a word of warning – beware of inferior products in the spiced category which are barely rum and instead are very sweet and artificial,” adds Nick.

“A Campari Group survey showed that over two-thirds of UK consumers are happy to spend more for a quality drink – with a third of these consumers drinking rum regularly,” says Harry Coulthard, co-founder of Tidal Rum, “highlighting the opportunity for operators to stock more premium, highquality rums.”

Distilled in the Caribbean, the rum is then infused with sustainably foraged marine botanicals from the shores of Jersey, including lightly oak-smoked seaweed Pepper Dulse, which gives the rum a salted caramel note. Perfect for Christmas.

Wine

Everyone loves bubbles at Christmas. But pink bubbles? Even

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better. A spokesperson from Accolade Wines says: “Pink Prosecco has been highlighted as a top trend in the on-trade over the coming months, over-indexing with those between the ages of 18 and 34. Vendors can take advantage of this trend and drive sales with Madam Sass’ Prosecco Rosé offering.

Madam Sass also features a bold design which will appeal to younger drinkers, who consider packaging and design standing out a key consideration.”

Whisky

Get the step stool out. It’s the time of year the bottles on those upper shelves have their moment.

“Winter doesn’t always have to be ‘Whisky & Ginger’ season,” says Rob Patchett, global whisky ambassador for the Cotswolds Distillery. “Alternatives from more commonly used mixer brands, such as Fever Tree’s Apricot and White Grape Soda, Sekforde Mixer’s Italian Orange and Rosemary Soda or London Essence’s Pineapple soda, are all brilliant long drink serves with single malt whisky and are a break from the norm for the casual whisky drinker.”

Lighter options

Though some customers are abstaining altogether, some are just looking for a mid-way, lighter option.

Again in a festive red hue, Luxardo Sangue Morlacco cherry liqueur clocks in at 30 per cent ABV, but mixed, clocks in much lighter.

Gareth “G” Franklin, global brand ambassador for Luxardo, says: “I like a sangria-style mix, which will taste lighter than a traditional mulled wine.

Use 50ml of the liqueur, add 75ml of hot water from the kettle and orange juice. Dust some aromatic Christmas mixed spice powder over the top. The warmth of the drink really carries the flavours.”

As for non-alc spirits, new launch APRTF Alcohol-Free Cranberry Aperitif feels suitably festive. Mix 50ml APRTF with 75ml non-alcoholic Prosecco and 50ml soda water for a virtuous spritz.

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10 retro classics

by MATT ELEY

With all this country has been through in recent years it’s little wonder pub customers are looking for the comfort of familiarity when they go out.

With fish and chips once again crowned as the nation’s favourite pub meal in CGA’s Food Insights 2022 report (See page 39), the classics are as popular as ever on menus. But we are also seeing the return of other dishes that have long been out of the loop, such as prawn cocktails and rice pudding.

And customer demand for these options is ideal for pubs that are facing up to rising costs, labour shortages and the supply chain crisis. These simple, tasty dishes are relatively easy to source and straightforward to make. With that in mind, here’s our guide to some of the comeback kings returning to write their names on pub menus and specials boards.

1

Prawn cocktail

Once the height of sophistication, the prawn cocktail was pushed out and became a byword for naff as gastro pubs evolved. But naff can soon become kitsch and the prawn cocktail is making something of a comeback.

Matt Smith, owner of The Sorrel Horse in Barham, Suffolk, says: “We have always had it on our menu but sales of it have certainly grown recently. We put this down to people not being able to get it in many other places. Our best sellers are always classics such as steak and ale pie and stew and dumplings.

“Our prawn cocktail recipe is a classic and hasn’t changed.

It’s prawns in Marie Rose sauce, with lettuce, lemon, cucumber and brown bread and butter.”

2

Coronation chicken

Originally created in 1953 to mark the coronation of the 26-year-old Queen. The dish, which has become more popular as a sandwich filling than as part of a main meal, features the distinctive bright yellow chicken, coloured by curry paste and flavoured with herbs.

Following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and with the forthcoming coronation of His Majesty King Charles III, we can expect to see interest in the dish rise again. By the same rationale, you might want to stock up on Earl Grey and Dubonnet.

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3

Eton Mess

Regularly served up as part of contemporary political commentary this is a dessert that has made a successful return. Let’s be honest, Bake Off has a lot to answer for and has inspired chefs to look again at British classics such as these. With just meringue, berries, and whipped cream, it’s hard to go wrong with this recipe. If you want to mix it up, replace berries with banana to create a Lancing Mess, inspired by the Sussex college.

Ploughman’s Lunch

Leicestershire multiple operator Steamin’ Billy has made a big move towards sustainability and locally produced food.

In fact much of what is sold across the estate is grown on its own farm. Owner and operator Billy Allingham says: “We are taking things back 80 years and producing as much of what we can ourselves. We are focused on seasonality and not getting things here on airplanes.”

This aligns nicely with the Steamin’ Billy Ploughman’s, featuring eggs from their own hens, onions grown in their own garden, bread from a local bakery, Melton Mowbray cheese and an array of other locally sourced goods.

Fittingly, the Ploughman’s first started being referred to by that name around 80 years ago and is starting to appear regularly on pub menus once more.

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5

Black Forest Gateau

6

Ratatouille

The German dish was a victim of its own success in the 1970s, with myriad frozen versions destroying the allure of the chocolate and cherry cake somewhat. But it has made a comeback on pub menus in recent years. A couple of years ago Greene King went even further by launching the Black Forest Pie Cake across the Hungry Horse estate. The “two desserts in one” comprised a cherry pie filling encased in a flaky shortcrust pastry, baked inside a chocolate fudge cake.

Here’s another retro classic that has been a big favourite in Steamin’ Billy pubs. “We’ve got courgettes coming out of our ears at the moment,” says Billy, “so we have been making lots of ratatouille.

We had a 31day-aged steak with ratatouille on the menu the other day, all made with homegrown ingredients. It was the ratatouille that everyone was talking about.

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7

Rice pudding

Here’s a classic with a twist. The Alford Arms in Frithsden near Hemel Hempstead has produced regular variants of this classic British dessert. Nowadays they tend to make it with coconut milk with vegans in mind.

Co-owner Becky Salisbury is not convinced that the classics are making a comeback. “They’ve never really been away,” she says.

“We do keep on top of trends but like most places outside of London the classics are usually the most popular.” As if to prove her point, the bubble and squeak the pub has been serving for 23 years remains its topselling dish.

8

Fruit crumble

The same can be said of crumbles, which like the rice pudding, The Alford Arms uses as an option for those with special diets. “You get a better crumble with glutenfree flour, so that is the recipe we use,” says Becky. The fruit used will vary depending on the season and what is available. “We change our menu every seven days and we work very closely with local suppliers,” she adds. “What you often see with classics is that the prices start to go up, as has happened with lamb shank and pork belly, so they drop off menus before coming back.”

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Pic: Ewan Munro

9

Scampi & chips

The pressure on the price of fish has been so severe that major groups have removed certain types from menus altogether this year. Pub stalwarts Young’s ditched salmon, while Rockfish dropped cod due to supply issues. Scampi, however, appears to be having something of a revival. Originally created to cover a post-war shortage of lobster, scampi is providing in tougher times once more. Matt from The Sorrel Horse adds: “We’ve always had it on the menu but now we are selling more than ever before.”

10

Chicken Kiev

Or should that be chicken Kyiv, with many menus adopting the Ukrainian spelling in a show of solidarity? It first rose to prominence in the UK in the 1960s, but like several meals on this list, lost its allure when it became a frozen food favourite.

Times are changing though, and it is popping up on pub and restaurant menus, with some using proceeds from sales to support Ukraine. Oh, and don’t tell anyone but it may have actually originated from France…

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eat.

Chip and cheerful Whether loaded, dirty, thin, fat, or triple-cooked, the chip remains a staple of pub food. Its importance to a pub’s food offer is greater than ever. In fact, your chips are essentially the food equivalent of your beer. If they’re not up to standard, your customers will soon let you know.

At S040 in Southampton, loaded fries are proving popular at under £5 a portion

Paul Dickinson, director of food at pub group Fuller’s, says customer expectations are always high when it comes to chips.

“Everyone has their favourite way of having them but these days, apart from oven chips, fewer people are cooking them at home, which makes the experience when going out even more important,” he says.

“We put a lot of pride into our chips. It is all about the saltiness and the crunchiness and I think people like a bit of a twist.

“I like a smoked paprika chip, but a chip is only as good as the potato. You also have to make sure the oils are consistent.”

Getting the right supplier is essential because, to go back to the beer analogy, consistency is key when it comes to chips.

Chip and change

Variety is also important these days, with spiced, twisted and sweet potato varieties now much more regularly appearing on menus.

Loaded fries have also grown in popularity.

When serving these it is essential to think about providing for all of your customers.

Searches for vegan and vegetarian options continue to grow.

Paul adds: “Vegans and vegetarians are not the same thing and if we do a vegan option we will be reminded by vegetarians that they rather like cheese.”

At S040 in Totton, Southampton, loaded fries have become an essential part of the menu. Cheese, Bacon & Onion, New York Style, Chicken Curry, and Mexican loaded fries all retail at under £5 and are proving popular.

Licensee Godfrey Cook explains: “Loaded and dirty fries have just got bigger and bigger. People are happy to graze and eat informally rather than having sit-down meals.

These are ideal for when you are having a drink and don’t want a huge meal but need something to eat.”

However pub food evolves, you can be confident that, as yet, we have not had our chips by any means.

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FAMOUS FOR THE SUNDAY ROAST Matt Eley checks out a pub that knows how to round off the week

“

A vegetarian friend explained how you can always get beef but a good vegan option is rare.

If there is one non-meateater in the group, they have great power about where to go

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The name of The Eight Bells alone shows what a survivor it is.

It derives from the neighbouring church in the Kent village of Hawkhurst. The church used to have six bells but after it was bombed in the war it came back stronger.

The pub, which is at least 300 years old and has burned down twice, took the name in solidarity and has gone from strength to strength in recent years.

Chef owner James Rogers and his partner Annie Broom left London for the Garden of England four years ago. They saw real potential in what was a wet-led local and turned it into a thriving pub that now serves award-winning food.

He explains: “We came in and started with a decent rustic country cuisine that I could hammer out on my own and, as things progressed, introduced more.”

The old carvery was replaced with plated roasts, which have proved to be a huge success with 300 servings on Sundays.

Last year the pub, a Wellington Pub Company lease, won Knorr’s Great British Roast competition in the meat category.

However, one lesson James has learned in recent years is the importance of offering a vegan roast as well. “We now always run a minimum of three roasts – one of which is always beef and one of which is always vegan, he says. “A vegetarian friend explained how you can always get beef but a good vegan option is rare. If there is one non-meat-eater in the group, they have great power about where to go.

“As soon as I realised the importance of catering for non-meat eaters it really changed the dynamic.

“The interest in non-meat options has

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really grown, it probably accounts for about 15 per cent of our roasts.”

However, it is primarliy the beef that has made the pub’s name for roasts. “The quality of the meat is very important because that translates through to the quality of the gravy,” says James. “We use an aged Scottish rump which has a fantastic flavour. It cooks nice and rare and that goes a long way. Realistically, with the spuds and veg, as long as you are buying good local produce you can’t go far wrong. We have lots of cabbage and cauliflower around here and we get kale and chard 10 months of the year.”

Roasts you can rely on

To keep customers coming back for your roasts, consistency is vital, James adds.

“The core product remains the same but it’s bringing in the garnish changes with the season. I would say you should never change too much too quickly when it comes to roasts. When I’m cooking 10 or 12 joints, they need to be as good as they were last week and that won’t happen if you are constantly changing your butcher.”

Another top tip that James offers is with what he calls “sexy sides”. These are extras such as braised red cabbage, French peas with tarragon and bacon and cauliflower cheese. “This really helps to bump things up because a table of four might get four extras and it makes it feel like a sharing experience.”

He also advises pubs to properly go for it on Sundays and not to limit their service times to lunchtime slots.

“Make it an all-day event,” he says. “Too many people pack up at 3pm but we take more money between 4-9pm on a Sunday.

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The Eight Bells Hawkhurst, Kent Price of roast: £17 (beef), £14.50 (veggie) Wet/dry: 40/60 Best-selling beer: Harvey’s Best Staff: 30 Online: theeight-bells.co.uk

So we trade Sunday out of its socks and close completely on Mondays and Tuesdays.

“After 6pm on Sundays we run the ‘claret club’ which means you get a small glass of red with your roast, and we are rammed.”

And now more are travelling from further afield to see what makes the Eight Bells roast so special.

“Winning the award helps raise the profile and it’s great for team morale,” says James, “but it’s a double-edged sword because expectations are raised and we have to hold that standard and carry it through.”

It’s clearly working well and, in all likelihood, the roasts will be flying out as the bells ring in Hawkhurst for many years to come.

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Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose, or in the King’s English, the more things change, the more they stay the same. And that is so true currently in the pub industry.

Never in the history of the hospitality sector have we seen such change as we have over the last three years. Fundamental change – beginning with the pandemic and its lasting effects on consumer behaviour, and continuing now against a background of huge global political and economic turbulence.

But in times of turmoil, it is tradition we cling to. Publicans know that, and that is why we are seeing the return of the traditional pub games of the past. Pubs across the country are dusting off the backgammon boards, bringing out the bagatelle, racking up the skittles, mowing the croquet lawn and raking the boules pitch as the consumer trend for “competitive socialising” gathers pace.

Pub-goers are looking for experiences, not just great food and drink, when they visit a pub, and they are seeking out activities that can involve their whole social group and include some friendly competition.

Luckily for pubs, there is absolutely no need to reinvent the wheel with this trend – traditional pub games such as bar billiards, shuffleboard, shove ha’penny or skittles not only provide this style of competitive entertainment but also hark back to simpler times and are a safe and comforting option after the stresses of the last few years.

We’ve also seen “Board Game Nights” become a thing again in pubs recently – so blow the dust off that 1980s Trivial Pursuit game, check you’ve still got all the

Monopoly pieces in the box and count the dice in your Yahtzee set. Board games are no longer the preserve of the back cupboard in the snug, they should be proudly out on display.

While “competitive socialising” might seem like a new thing to Generation Z – and yes, we have seen the launch of some themed venues based around axethrowing, crazy golf, arcade games and the like – pubs literally invented this idea, so you are perfectly placed to cash in on this trend.

Pubs have been synonymous with all sorts of traditional games for centuries – one example of this being Bat and Trap, a game which has been played at Ye Olde Beverlie in Canterbury since it opened in 1740 (read all about this classic pub game in the following feature on pages 40-41). And as Inapub celebrates its 100th issue it is very fitting that we celebrate this traditional pub sport, and indeed the many games like it that are returning to pub life.

Game on!

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100 not out

by RICHARD MOLLOY

“

It’s really good for business.

Over 60 people of all ages turned up to have a go

Bat and Trap. No, it’s not a Poundshop cartoon crime-fighting duo, it’s a quirky and rather beautiful game that can be traced back to the 13th century. Today, one centenenarian applauds another, as Inapub’s 100th issue celebrates 100 years of Ye Olde Beverlie Bat & Trap League with a look at this precursor to cricket.

The sport has long been associated with Ye Olde Beverlie (presumably just called Ye Beverlie in those days) in St Stephens Green, Canterbury, where locals have been Batting and Trapping since the pub opened in 1740. It was also the venue for the first ever Bat and Trap league, formed almost exactly 100 years ago.

Thought to be derived from stool ball (stop sniggering at the back) – a game said to have been invented by milkmaids. Fresh from their teat-squeezing toil, legend has it

that they passed the time throwing stones at their stools (I won’t warn you again). This stool flinging (right, out you go!) somehow evolved into Bat and Trap.

It’s a game where the batter whacks one end of a small see-saw with her or his bat, a ball flies up from the other end and is hit towards a goal roughly the same size as a football net. Attempting to catch the batter out or prevent the ball going between these posts are six defenders or fielders (there is no evidence to support the theory that this was the inspiration for Jose Mourinho’s defensive line). These fielders then get a chance to knock down something that resembles a large wooden beer mat. Somehow, amongst this medieval mayhem, one team wins and the other loses.

After its initial popularity up until the late 1700s the game endured a 200-year lull, with Britons turning their hands to more stay-at-home pastimes such as hunt-thethimble, smallpox and typhus. This changed in 1916 when a Major Grantham of Sussex reintroduced the sport to aid the recovery of convalescing soldiers.

Thus in 1922 the Canterbury and District League was founded in the beer garden of Ye Olde Beverlie, where batters have been

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PROMOTIONAL FEATURE

Love the live-light

By Rhiannon Jepson, PR & Communications Executive, PPL PRS

Bat and Trap at a glance Equipment Trap – wooden box 22in X 5in X 5in with a simple see-saw mechanism on top Ball– heavy solid rubber Flap – 5in x 5in

The goal Two 7ft-tall posts 13ft 6in apart, located 21ft from the trap The Rules (abridged Batsmen are declared out if the ball is caught or if they are unable to hit between the posts. If the batter successfully hits the ball between the posts and the bowler fails to hit the flap it accounts for one run. If the bowler hits the flap the batter is out. The team with the most runs wins.

whacking traps and balls ever since. To celebrate this centenary, a family fun day was organised over the August bank holiday

by Faversham-based independent family brewer and pub company Shepherd Neame.

Georgie McKenna, assistant manager of The Beverlie, explains:“It’s really good for business. Over 60 people of all ages turned up to have a go.

“It’s a simple enough game to play, but it takes a bit of getting used to. It’s all about how hard you hit the trap with the bat, then timing hitting the ball.”

Face before wicket

As with absolutely everything in the world, lockdown affected this historic sport, with the outdoor space being used to accommodate customers.

“A few people have been hit in the face

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with the ball, but they weren’t badly hurt,” says Georgie. Well that’s OK then! What about the dogs? Do they get involved? “We have a dogs-on-leads policy here, inside and out, or I’m sure they would have been keen fielders,” she explains.

Because of the restricted batting and trapping space, you now have to arrange a time to visit the Beverlie for a whack. “It’s still great for business and we’re very proud of our association with the game,” says Georgie. “We have a big sign stating that we are the home of Bat and Trap and it’s a great talking point.”

Pubs and games have always been contented bedfellows, but there are very few relationships that are quite as old, historic or beautifully eccentric as Bat and Trap at Ye Olde Beverlie in Canterbury, Kent. Here’s to the next 100 years.

Work, play, pause ... life is about many things. But, above all it’s about balance.

Where would we be without hectic mornings soothed out by after-work drinks, or busy Sundays followed by a nice, long relax by the fire.

As working professionals, we all know how important it is to juggle our workloads, but we should also know how important it is to take time to rest and relax – particularly when this means enjoying those things we love the most. Many of us are no doubt already looking forward to a long overdue period of live music and events!

For some, the pull of live music may be down to the variety and the talent but for many, it may also about the way it makes us feel.

Research undertaken by Barclaycard and Harvard University found that live music can not only affect our mood, but it can also change our physiological balance. The study found that more than half of participants wearing monitoring devices actually experienced goosebumps during live entertainmentt.

Live music could lift the mood, bring people together and could be why they choose certain venues this winter over others. So, whether you’re a dub-stepper or a dancing queen, there’s no better time to love the livelight... and turn it up!

To find out more, visit pplprs.co.uk

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stay 11

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How to avoid the

empty bed blues

by JOHN PORTER

Eviivo Helping pubs and inns manage guests, bookings and travel agencies and promote their rooms online

‘A fillet steak you can sell tomorrow. A bottle of wine you can sell next week. A bed night lost is a bed night lost forever, and you’re never going to get it back.’

As pubs offering accommodation consider the prospect of the long haul through to next spring, the words of Ted Docherty will ring true. Ted, who offers accommodation at the 10-bedroom Crown in Playhatch, near Reading, and the 18-bedroom White Hart at Nettlebed in Oxfordshire, believes the reality of the economic downturn is becoming apparent.

“We’re coming out of the summer wedding and travel season,” he says. “We were fully booked at weekends up to the end of September, and the challenge is looking forward. We’ll get a clearer picture of what’s going on as we move into autumn and winter.

We’ll probably start discounting, or adding specials such as bed & breakfast offers.”

Ted believes a combination of relatively stable room rates and a post-Covid tendency for customers to plan ahead rather than look for last-minute deals has helped avoid discounting until now.

“The price of a beer has gone up, the price of a steak or burger has gone up, but the price of a hotel room has stayed pretty stable.” Ted makes the point that higher energy costs will be a particular challenge this winter for accommodation operators who need to keep hotel areas lit and heated, and hot water running, 24/7.

As for many operators, “the accommodation market breaks into two segments for us,” he says. “The leisure market came back pretty quickly for us post-lockdown. People

The leisure market bounced back quickly post-lockdown, says Ted, but the business market has taken a lot longer

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stay. were out and about, but were worried about flying, so the local hotel leisure trade did well.

We rode that wave.

“The Monday to Thursday business market took a lot longer to come back. The workfrom- home ethos is still there, but some of our long-term clients are only gradually coming back. Leisure and business are two different stories.”

Ted’s advice for accommodation operators looking to drive occupancy rates includes:

Deal with third-party booking websites

“

If you spoke to any football manager, he’d say he’d love to work without agents, but we’ve done deals with third-party booking sites.

It’s the nature of the beast

Working with sites such as Booking.com to improve occupancy at the expense of margin may be necessary, Ted says. “Booking.com are not my favourites, but they haven’t grown big by being stupid. If we’re quoting £100 for a room online, they’re quoting £95. They sacrifice £5 of their £18 commission to get the other £13. If you spoke to any football manager, he’d say he’d love to work without agents, but we’ve done deals with them in the past. It’s the nature of the beast.”

Play the experience websites at their own game

“We used to sell rooms through sites like Secret Escape. There’s two ways you can look at it. Either you’re giving a bed away to get in diners, or you’re giving a meal away to sell a hotel room, but you’re losing on one or the other. So, we decided to start doing our own room and meal package deals, without the commissions. We don’t sell the same quantity, but through Facebook or our website we can generate trade in November, January and February when it’s otherwise hard to get.”

Don’t get lazy

Any deal to sell rooms through a third party can seem like easy money until you look at the profits, warns Ted. “If you give them 1,000 nights to sell, they’ll sell them, but you should have held 500 back to sell yourself organically. Your diary is full, but you’ve severely dented your profitability.”

Work the weddings and functions Work with larger venues when you can, advises Ted. “We don’t do many weddings

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Ted uses room + meal deals to drive trade in quiet months

ourselves, but we become an accommodation provider for weddings. If a nearby venue holds 100 people, those people are looking for accommodation, and we can see all our rooms booked out by a wedding party. The problem is that you don’t see them in the dining room. They take a bed and pay in advance, and we’re grateful for it, but they don’t convert into covers in the restaurant in the evening.”

Use your space for corporate events

“We have a conference rate, which includes the use of conference rooms as well as hotel bedrooms. We’ve probably done more of that post-Covid than before. The last big one we did was a three-day event for a London-based firm, and some delegates told me it’s the first time they’ve seen their colleagues since before Covid, because they’re still working from home.”

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10/10/2022 21:21

NOW THERE'S

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AN IDEA

Elton Mouna rounds up a few ideas that could just work in your pub GuestRevu’s award-winning reputation management solution collects online reviews from websites around the world and displays them in one dashboard for you to easily monitor, analyse and manage.

When the first issue of Inapub was published, Instagram was just a year old, the 140-character rule on Twitter was a thing and the word “app” was so new it had been voted new word of the year. Fast-forward to today and you’re reading the 100th issue of Inapub, Instagram has a billion active users, you can send a tweet with 280 characters (unless your name is Donald Trump) and when it comes to apps there are now over three million. There is one app amongst those three million, Anchor, that will allow you to make audio flyers.

An audio flyer is a spoken word “advert” highlighting what you do in your pub, recorded by you, and then embedded into a playlist of music. This allows you to play background music, interspersed with audio segments that keep your customers informed of what is happening in your pub.

And they are so easy to create.

How to make an audio flyer

You will need two things: a premium subscription to Spotify and a free app called Anchor. Combining Spotify and Anchor allows you to make a music playlist with the seamless addition of announcements about upcoming events in your pub. Audio

PICTURE QUIZ There is a pub in Leyton, East London, with a very unique selling point. Can you tell what it is from this picture? Answer at the foot of the facing page.

flyers are incredibly simple to create and can be made on your phone or on your PC in minutes and then broadcast via your internal music system, delivering music and bespoke adverts to your customers.

Scan here to find out how to create them.

If you need some help email me at elton@inapub.co.uk and I will gladly guide you through the process.

The Chatty Cafe Scheme

Across the UK there are more than 900 venues taking part in the Chatty Cafe Scheme.

The scheme aims to reduce loneliness and get people chatting by setting up Chatter & Natter tables where customers can sit if they are happy to talk to other people. Simple. Lovely.

It had me wondering whether Chatter & Natter tables would suit pubs? I put that idea

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AUTUMN 2022

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Pic: Magnus D / Flickr

ideas.

november.evolution.hobby will lead you to The Old Neptune

Cut your energy consumption Scan this QR code to watch an edition of Inapub’s In Your Shoes video podcast. This archive edition focuses on how to save on your utility costs.

Your pub will have a unique combination of three words.

For example a pub I really like is The Old Neptune, located on a remote Kent beach identified by these three words: november. evolution.hobby.

To find out which three words will lead people to your door simply download the free of charge what3words app and share your three words with your customers. It will give customers a new and novel way of finding you.

But beware, do not confuse What3Words with Four King Maps, which has the UK split into three-metre squares but identifies them with very rude words indeed!

Quiz answer: The Holly Tree in Leyton, East London has a train running through its beer garden which, I am reliably informed, is as popular with adults as it is with kids.

to Alex Hoskyn, the founder of the scheme (who incidentally recently received an OBE from then-Prince Charles for services to loneliness). Alex said: “Chatting to others can help make us feel more connected to the world around us. I think pubs are a great place for Chatter & Natter tables. We would love to welcome many more pubs on board and Inapub readers are encouraged to join and help reduce loneliness and social isolation in their area.”

If you would like to find out more about the Chatty Cafe Scheme, scan here.

The words on the street

If your pub is tucked away in a hard to find rural idyll or in a place that even the nice lady on Google Maps gets confused, with try sharing your what3words address with your customers.

What is what3words? Every three-metre square in the world has been given a unique combination of three words.

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time at the bar

RICHARD MOLLOY Rarely are these columns personal, but I’m severely pissed off by a few recent incidents and it got me thinking about how I am, or was, actually part of the problem. This is my stab at pulling on a solution jersey and playing for the good guys.

I wasn’t there, but I felt the need to apologise to my female colleagues who were left in tears a couple of weeks ago by a group of my fellow penis-bearers. More on that later.

As publicans, we have, historically, largely and collectively, turned a blind eye to barroom misogyny in the name of peacekeeping and profit.

The larger proportion of regular drinkers are male. This is at odds with the industry as a whole. I’ve always been rather proud of the hospitality trade; there’s a high proportion of female publicans, barstaff and periphery workers, and there is, on the face of it, no major disparity in pay compared with other employment sectors. This is purely anecdotal of course – I have no desire to blur my rose-tinted view of hard-faced landladies ruling the roost or friendly barmaids being as abundant as Australian males being forced to wear shoes at work for the first time.

I do know for sure though, that the bawdy barstool conversations I hear are predominately from the male voice choir of alpha drones. Without the reprimands of those who would be offended due to their superior decorum and absence of testicles, there can be an air of almost limitless abandon.

There is an argument to say that if there are no women around to hear it, is it really misogyny? The only real answer to this is yes, yes it fucking is! And it’s up to us, as publicans, to try and make people realise this. It’s beneficial to society, our fellow workers and, eventually, to business: the more comfortable we make our environment for women, the more women customers we will get. In turn, the more the pendulum swings away from the perpendicular of male dominance, the less comfortable men will feel in expressing their fathers’ archaic views.

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“

We have turned a blind eye to bar-room misogyny in the name of peacekeeping and profit

Richard Molloy is director of four-strong pubco White Rose Taverns and the microbrewery Platform Five

Let’s go back to the incident that left two of our barstaff upset. A touring sports team came in (let’s not get into which sport – I’ve had similar incidents with groups of males congregating for various reasons). After a couple of drinks they decided to loudly and confidently discuss the aesthetic and sexual merits of our female staff members. These were youngish men and would definitely know better, but they had the licence of belonging to a dominant male group and abused it to the detriment of those serving them.

We can change this. Or at least we can help turn the tide. With the rest of society seeming like a straitjacket to the bigots, the freedom of a predominately white, male environment appeals to those who would use it as a comfort blanket for their pseudo-superiority.

This issue is never, ever going to be solved by women shouting down men. The only way we can save our female colleagues and customers from thinking that being belittled and undermined is the norm, is for other men and licensees to call out the bigotry.

We, as gatekeepers and hosts, have the influence, power and opportunity to shape our establishments and mould them into environments that influence opinion and attitudes beyond the boundaries of our licences. And the steps we take may, in turn, help our wives, sisters, daughters and mothers have, at the very least, a drink in a pub without being hassled, heckled or slapped on the arse by a dickhead stranger.

magazine.inapub.co.uk 10/10/2022 01:17

PLATE OR SLATE? Where the nation’s publicans stand on the really big questions Debbie Hunter

The New Inn, Hook-a -Gate, Shropshire Very aptly for the 100th issue of Inapub, the New Inn has been in the Hunter family for over 100 years.

Deb has worked there for an impressive 36 years and is just the fourth licensee the pub has had in 107 years – all bearing the Hunter name. She runs the traditional country pub with husband Martin and Martin’s daughter Emma. Pop in, but maybe don’t order a Woo Woo while your child watches Peppa Pig…

Plate or slate?

Plate every time. The noise of cutlery on a slate is hideous and have you seen how difficult they are for the staff to pick up from the table?

Rock and roll band or karaoke?

Rock and roll band. Most people should only air their “talent” in the shower or the car (obviously when they have no other passengers!)

Summer beer garden in the sunshine or winter evening in front of a log fire?

Winter evening and a log fire for me. We’re more of a winter pub with two open fires, lots of candles and a lovely cosy feel.

Sunday roast or seven-course taster menu?

Sunday roast – as long as it’s homecooked with good quality ingredients.

way “things to amuse them” doesn’t include a tablet with Peppa Pig and her latest adventures blasting all over the restaurant!

Dogs or kids?

Cocktails or real ale?

Love dogs and we are dog-friendly. Love kids too. However, I feel some parents don’t always come prepared with things to amuse them and quite rightly they get bored. By the

Real ale. I would never dream of putting a cocktail menu on at The New Inn as it is a traditional country pub. I think cocktail bars do the job very well, so I will leave it to them.

Local beers or market leaders?

Local beers are fabulous with so many great microbreweries out there. However, we do have the occasional market leaders on too.

One-year-old customer or 100-yearold customer?

I value them both. I really enjoy talking to the older generation as I love to hear their stories and learn from them. As for the oneyear-olds, they are our future customers and we have to encourage them to grow up loving, respecting and knowing how important local pubs are to the community.

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POSTCARD from a past-time pub

It’s a missive from a bygone age, but the scene will be a familar one to licensees up and down the land. The ashtrays may have disappeared from the bartop, fashions in clothes, hair and wallpaper may have moved on, but one thing that hasn’t changed over the decades is publicans’ ability to bring a smile to the faces of their punters.

Exactly what the joke was has been lost in the mists of time, but the scene is The Ship Inn in Aberporth, Ceredigion, some time in the 1950s.

These days The Ship serves a seasonally changing menu featuring dishes such as Asian-style duck bon-bons and king prawn & chorizo tagliatelle. Sixty-odd years ago the food offer appears to have been a simpler affair, consisting of a daily diet of “hot hamburgers with onions” available for one shilling and sixpence. It’s good to know they were hot, we don’t much fancy a cold hamburger with our pint of John Bull.

Eagle-eyed readers will also have spotted on the noticeboard behind the bar the words Isopoda Oniscidae, which as anyone with a proper old-fashioned education will recognise, is Latin for woodlouse. For a minute we worried these might

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by BEN THRUSH

have been a bar snack introduced in the era of rationing.

Reading on, however, we see “flat racing – Tuesday”. We’re guessing this makes The Ship an erstwhile arena for the noble sport of woodlouse racing, claimed by some to have descended from an ancient fertility rite.* Running NOVEMBER The Ship in those /days was landlord 2017 DECEMBER Frank Aspinall. After leaving The Ship, Frank moved on to 5 The Black Lion in the town of Cardigan, where he had a good go at creating a Swinging Sixties music scene to rival that of Beatles-era Liverpool. We’re not sure the Fab Four themselves ever made it to his pub, but he did manage to lure a motley crew of lesser-known scenesters to Cardigan, including Mersey Beat newspaper editor Bill Harry, Monster Raving Loony Party candidate Screaming Lord Sutch and tabloid hamster-muncher Freddie Starr.

As this picture shows, while it can be extremely hard and often thankless work running a pub, it can also be a great laugh.

* to watch footage of woodlouse racing, google “BFI woodlouse”.

Thanks to Ceredigion Archives for their help with this feature.

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A lot has changed over the last couple of years, has your pub website?

Contact us today for a free preview website, no strings attached.

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