Food
Who ate all the pies? Apparently, it was the nation’s pubgoers because in a shock development, fish & chips has been blasted off the top spot as the best-selling dish on our surveyed pubs’ menus by that pastry-encased delight, the pie. Pies are a super-flexible option for pub chefs and come with an ever-growing choice of fillings that can appeal to diners of all stripes – meat-eaters, vegetarians, vegans and pescatarians alike – while that aforementioned pastry can be made gluten-free these days too. Perhaps it is this wider appeal that has led to the pie’s meat-eoric (geddit) rise? Overall, our survey this year paints a picture of a pub sector placing more emphasis than ever before on food. One in five of those surveyed said food made up a larger proportion of their sales than last year, and this is likely due to a number of factors. First, the financial crisis is very obviously affecting consumer spend, so diners are looking for value, something pub grub is synonymous with over its bistro and restaurant cousins. Second, licensees are
Best sellers Food dish Pies Crisp brand Pipers Nut brand KP Brands reported as the number one seller by the most pubs in the Inapub Indies’ Choice survey 2023
well aware popping down the local for a quick pint is now considered a pricey option when a can of beer in front of the telly is also on offer, so they are pulling out all the stops when it comes to encouraging punters to come out for a meal and make an occasion of it.
Food pub The Ship Inn Elie, Fife Graham and Rachel Bucknall of The TBC Pub Company took over The Ship Inn in the seaside town of Elie in 2014. After refurbishment, the pub has six bedrooms as well as a first-floor restaurant with bay views. Serving 100 per cent Scottish seafood and meat, it has been AA Pub of the Year for Scotland and finalist in the Scottish Thistle Awards. Have you seen any sdifference in customers’ eating habits over the last year? They are more conscious of cost but happy to pay for quality. If it was possible, they are quicker to complain! It’s much harder to upsell: people have in their heads how much they want to spend before they walk in. What challenges are you facing on the food side of your business? There is a ceiling people will not happily go over but our costs keep climbing. Our chefs have to be a lot cleverer. We have customers who still expect to see lobster and fresh seafood on the menu – but are not necessarily happy to pay the price for it. Getting that balance is like walking a tight rope. Is there a dish you would never take off your menu? We have lots of other fantastic dishes but fish and chips outsells everything. Cullen skink would be a close second.
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DECEMBER 2023
How often do you change your menu and what’s new for autumn? We change the menu fully three times a year with lots of smaller tweaks and changes in between. For autumn, we’re launching new flatbreads and sharing boards for the bar and invested in a new pizza oven. We have warming winter dishes such as steak pie with bone marrow alongside steak tartare and, showcasing our local seafood, we have a delicious brodetto – fish stew.
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