Inapub magazine july 2017 issue 67 by inapub

inapub

Issue 67 July 2017 ÂŁ4.95 trade.inapub.co.uk

Different kettles of fish Ways to show your fish fans some love

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SHARE A COCA-COLA THIS SUMMER.

® ‚ WORLD S TOP HOLIDAY

DESTINATIONS REPLACE ICONIC COCA-COLA BRANDING ON GLASS BOTTLES FOR THE FIRST TIME

DREAM HOLIDAY

WEEKLY PRIZE DRAW FOR CONSUMERS IN THE ON-TRADE ENVIRONMENT*

MULTI-MILLION POUND MARKETING SPEND

*To choose destination and for full terms & destination list visit coke.co.uk/holiday. GB,CI & IoM.16+ (U18s need parental consent & must be accompanied by adult).Promo packs only. Internet & registration required. 1 x 4 star, half board,7 night holiday for 2 per draw plus £1,000 (6 draws). Trips inc flight from closest international UK airport (UK transfers excluded). Max 5 entries per day. Max 1 prize per person. Bonus draw 30/10/17. Promoter: Coca-Cola Great Britain, 1A Wimpole Street, London W1G 0EA. © 2017 The Coca-Cola Company. All rights reserved. COCA-COLA, DIET COKE, COCA-COLA ZERO, TASTE THE FEELING and the CONTOUR BOTTLE are all registered trademarks of the Coca-Cola Company.

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this month People’s Choice Awards • Keeping it in the family

drink Bottled cider • Out this month

eat

play Football returns • Shipyard travelogue

stay How Brakspear impresses its customers

he vast number of companies producing drinks for you to stock provides plenty of options but can also create enormous headaches. With so much choice it is far easier to get it wrong than ever before. Just take the huge growth in craft breweries and gin distilleries in recent years — where do you even begin with all that lot? Well, as a journalism tutor once said to me, start with a KISS. Keep It Simple, Stupid. Our survey of 500 pub customers (see pages 10-18) shows that whilst niche drinks are undeniably what the cool kids are drinking, there is still room for the classics. Unless you are specialist, you can’t overlook the fact that the majority of people still expect to see the big brands. With those in place you can then introduce less familiar names to the fringes of your offer. Elsewhere this month we visit the brilliant Canny Man’s in Edinburgh, focus on fish and, as you’ve hopefully spotted, provide you with a supplement on making the most out of sport. Cheers!

Things to do with a fish • Cooking with beer Editor Matt Eley 07538 988 296 • matte@inapub.co.uk Deputy editor Robyn Black 07909 251 231 • robynb@inapub.co.uk

50 back-bar business The Perfect 10 • Insurance

Eat writer Bronya Smolen 07967 634 624 • bronya@inapub.co.uk

time at the bar Blag your way as a wine buff

Production editor Ben Thrush 07810 620 169 • ben@inapub.co.uk Chief executive Barrie Poulter 07908 144 337 • barrie@inapub.co.uk

Sales & marketing director Matt Roclawski 07950 447 488 • mattr@inapub.co.uk

Sales manager Leah Gauthier 07884 868 364 • leah@inapub.co.uk Subscriptions trade.inapub.co.uk/magazine 0800 160 1986 • subscriptions@inapub.co.uk

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WINNER OF THE PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARDS 2017 Supporting our position as the UK’s best-selling cask beer,* consumers vote Doom Bar as their Favourite Cask Ale in a landslide win!** Thanks to all those who voted for Doom Bar, making it the No.1 brand consumers want to see on the bar.** Sources: *Number 1 Cask Ale in the UK in volume and value, CGA On-Trade, MAT to 25 February 2017. **Inapub People’s Choice 2017. Independent survey of 683 pub customers.

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this month.

BARSTOOL EXPERT all you need to know about THE SMOKING BAN AT 10 Can you believe it’s been a whole 10 years since the Smoking Ban came into force in England?

Remember when the ban first came in and the stench of stale cigarettes was wafted out of the door?

You used to be able to smoke in pubs? That’s madness.

Yes..and…?

Shut it. You’re not so young that you can’t remember. No. But I do look a lot younger ever since I packed in the tabs. It’s given me a new lease of life.

Why did you quit? Couldn’t be arsed to go outside in the cold.

You and everyone else. Did you know that nowadays only about 17 per cent of the adult population smoke? That number has been in steady decline since the 1970s, when half of people liked a drag on a fag. And you’re saying that’s all because of the smoking ban?

Not entirely, but the group with the fewest smokers is those aged between 18 and 24 – the ones who never smoked in the pub. Or in restaurants…or at the cinema…or on aeroplanes…

Unlikely. Though a recent survey in Wales, where the ban came in a few months before England, suggested more than half of people think there should be smoking rooms in pubs. Nah, those days are gone. It’s outside by the door with a smoke or inside for a vape.

Not necessarily. Some pubs and companies, such as Fuller’s, have banned e-cigarettes too. Jeez! What’s the world coming to when you can’t even have a pint and a vape? It’s an attack on our civil liberties I tell you. It’ll never happen…

Do: Look after your smokers by providing a smoking shelter

No thanks. I’m done with that. You have to buy 20 these days and that breaks the bank.

Don’t: Have a smoke-in. Prosecutions

How do you mean?

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It covered a multitude of sins. Do you think it will ever go back to how it was?

You sound nostalgic. Want a light?

It’s not all good though, is it?

trade.inapub.co.uk

And it left behind yellow walls and ceilings and revealed how much everyone in the pub stunk of stuff other than cigarettes?

are rare but you can still get fined up to £2,500 for failing to stop people smoking in your pub.

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IN THE TRADE THIS MONTH Mark Higgs crowned Licensee of the Year... Mark Higgs, tenant at Hook Norton’s Castle at Edgehill in the Cotswolds, has won the prestigious BII Licensee of the Year Award 2017 (LOYA). He picked up the accolade at the group’s annual summer party. Mark said: “Winning will help give me a platform to champion this great sector, I feel so proud to be an ambassador for the BII in an industry I absolutely love.”

...but slapped with massive rates hike However, Mark and the five other finalists in the LOYA all face huge business rates increases, according to the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers (ALMR). The trade group studied the finalists and found on average their rateable values (RV) had risen by 57 per cent. The Castle is facing a 258 per cent RV rise, which will see its business rates double by 2020/21.

TOP STORIES ON TRADE.INAPUB.CO.UK The secret vegetarian (blog) Why we brought Hofmeister back from the dead (blog) “Beer garden weather” leaves UK workers torn

Industry leaders slam MRO adjudicator The Pub Code Adjudicator (PCA) is “failing” to handle the Market Rent Only (MRO) process, says a letter signed by 12 pub industry leaders. The group said tenants were unable to move forward with their businesses, after numerous complaints and “preliminary issues” regarding the process remain unsolved by the PCA. The PCA said it recognised the frustrations and added that the pace of the process was governed by the speed at which the parties in dispute presented evidence.

Brighton pub rescue plan founders A crowdfunded bid to save a dilapidated Brighton pub has failed. The “I’m Behind the Bison Arms” campaign was unable to finalise a deal with the outgoing private landlord of the vacant pub. The crowdfunder was set up in 2015 after a petition to stop a Burger King opening at the site on Brighton seafront received 12,000 signatures in 24 hours.

The graveyard shift (blog) What to drink on National Fish & Chip Day

Cheers to 20 years in the community One of the first pubs in the country to be bought by its locals is celebrating the twentieth anniversary of its community-owned status. The Beauchamp Arms in Dymock, Gloucestershire, was taken over by its customers in 1997 and marked the milestone with a party at the start of the month. The present tenants, John and Linda Griffiths, have been running the pub for 15 years. They say their success is in part down to the parish council operating at arm’s length and letting them make business decisions. There are around 60 to 70 pubs in community ownership.

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this month.inapub THE WAY I SEE IT ELAINE HINDAL

TWEET ALL ABOUT IT

Let’s improve drinking habits together

We said…

In the past 10 years, UK drinking attitudes and behaviours have shifted and as the country’s leading alcohol education charity, Drinkaware has sought to respond to these social and cultural changes in our new five-year strategy. One of the most significant developments has been the emergence of a new generation of adults who are drinking less than the generation before them. At the same time, we have rising levels of abstinence and the lowest levels of under-age drinking for a decade. The new strategy identifies two groups of “at-risk” drinkers who are more likely to be drinking significantly above the Chief Medical Officers’ guidelines on alcohol consumption, whether at home or during a night out. Reducing the number of drinkers in both these groups, and increasing our information, advice and engagement with consumers, are the three goals underpinning Drinkaware’s five-year strategy. Drinkaware has campaigns in place to reach both these groups, while still recognising that alcohol is part of everyday life and can be enjoyed responsibly. Our “Have a Little Less, Feel a Lot Better” campaign, for example, is encouraging men over 45 to cut back by just one or two drinks every time they drink. Our new strategy puts us in a strong position to build on the progress we’ve already made, and we appreciate the support of licensees in encouraging responsible drinking and making sure pubs and bars have a great low/no alcohol offer for customers who choose not to drink. The best pubs are at the forefront of changing trends, and their continued support will be vital in helping us all change drinking habits for the better.

The smoking ban: 10 years on & an industry divided?

You replied… The best thing. Long live the smoking ban. Prince of Peckham @princeofpeckham As I often say, the Smoking Ban, the Financial Crisis and the rise of Social Media all happened in 2007. #perfectstorm Matthew Lawrenson @seethelizards Did the #smokingban push you into giving up? Nah, us neither! The Olde Plough Inn @oldeploughinn Well that time flew! The Red Lion, Barnes @RedLionBarnes Still a nicer working environment for us all! #smokefree10 Dudley Arms @DudleyarmsInn

•

Elaine Hindal is chief executive of Drinkaware, the charity that strives to reduce alcohol misuse.

45%

of people told There’s a Beer For That that lager is their favourite beer style in a Beer Day Britain survey. By far the most popular.

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

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@inapub_

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Crooked Beverage Co

A new wave of alcopops has arrived in the form of the Crooked Beverage Co from Global Brands. Described as “alcoholic sodas”, the company hopes the range will plug the gap in the market between traditional RTDs, fruit cider and craft beer. www.globalbrands.co.uk

Mozzarisella

Made from rice (!) this cheese substitute is suitable for vegans, vegetarians, coeliacs and those with a dairy intolerance. Gloucester-based manufacturer Futura Foods says it was developed to cater for the growing number of vegans in the UK — up 360 per cent in the last decade. www.futura-foods.com

Crafted

Stuff

What’s new in the pub this month

Fruit juice is the latest category to try for a slice of the craft market, with a new range of blended juice drinks from the Cracker Drinks Co. The four-strong Crafted range contains one of your five a day and includes flavours such as Apple, Mint & Lime and Mango & Passionfruit. talktous@crackerdrinks.com

Barmy Army IPA

Is there anything more British than beer? Well, cricket perhaps. Greene King has combined our nation’s love of the two by joining forces with the Barmy Army. The collaboration kicks off with a brand new beer, Barmy Army IPA, which is available until the end of September. www.greeneking.co.uk

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this month. Giant Cookie & Mallow Stack

Feed your inner Cookie Monster with this cookie and marshmallow mash-up from Funnybones Foodservice. The Giant Cookie & Mallow Stack is made of four freakishly large cookies, sandwiched together with layers of marshmallow, cream & raspberry sauce all topped with milk chocolate. 01707 321 321

Terra Serena Brut Prosecco

“Ming boggling” levels of Prosecco sales have prompted the team at Carlsberg’s Crown Cellars arm to add two more to the portfolio. Lyric Prosecco Extra Dry is the first, while the second – Terra Serena Brut — aims to plug the gap in the market for a drier style of Prosecco. Saluti! www.crowncellarswines.co.uk

Halloumi batons Southern Comfort 100 Proof

At a hefty 100 proof (50 per cent ABV) this new version of Southern Comfort is not for the faint-hearted. It was developed especially for the UK market, where it was felt a stronger version of the whiskey liqueur would appeal to cocktail drinkers. 01932 252 100

Kopparberg Sparkling Rosé

What did the cheese say when it looked in the mirror? OK, joking aside, did you know the UK is the number one consumer of halloumi outside of its native Cyprus? You can cash in on the craze with these new Halloumi batons from Eurilait, which you can pop on the barbecue, toss through salads or use as a substitute for meat. 01749 838100

Kopparberg is also having a pop at the Prosecco market, as it prepares to roll out its two sparkling ciders into pubs and bars. The Swedish company launched the seven per cent ABV Kopparberg Sparkling Rosé Strawberry and Rosé Raspberry into the off-trade back in February. www.kopparberg.co.uk

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PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARDS 2017 We surveyed more than 500 pub-goers for this year’s People’s Choice Awards. We asked them to nominate 20 of their favourite drink brands, so that we can reveal what the number one must-stock brand is in each category. And we didn’t do all that just for fun, oh no, no, no. We know how hard it is to choose what to stock from the thousands of drinks out there, but armed with this information we hope to make your task of creating a best-selling drinks list that little bit easier. Indeed, there are a few changes from last year’s results, which proves that when it comes to your drinks range it pays to be constantly reviewing and revamping what’s on offer. So without any further ado, read on and find out which brands got the great British pub-going public’s vote in 2017...�

This classic takes the crown for the second year running. However, it could be the last time we see it top our charts, as the company says sales of Zero and reduced sugar Coca-Cola will outsell standard Coke by 2018. This will be partly driven by the socalled sugar tax, due to come in next spring, but also by the 90 per cent of people who are looking to reduce their sugar intake, according to Coca-Cola European Partners.

Winner: Coca-Cola

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Favourite Soft Drink

GOLD WINNER

AWA R D

Silver: Diet Coke Bronze: J20

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this month. Favourite Premium Soft Drink

This wasn’t even a category last year but such has been the boom in posher softs that we thought it was time we found out which are the nation’s preferred choices. The Britvic-owned J20 emerged a worthy winner, with newer variants such as Spritz range (launched in 2015), re-igniting interest in the brand and attracting new fans.

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Winner: J20

GOLD WINNER

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Silver: Fentimans Bronze: Appletiser

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GOLD WINNER

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Winner: Foster’s

Moving from last year’s bronze medal position to this year’s gold, is the Heinekenowned “amber nectar”. Earlier this year the brand got a new look to emphasise its Australian heritage and was boosted by a campaign in May to coincide with the start of the cricket season, as the company makes the most of Foster’s tie-in with the English Cricket Board. The brewer has also signed a multimillion-pound deal with Channel 4 to boost the brand’s position as “crafted for the thirstiest men on earth” through the summer months. PE

Favourite Bottled Lager Winner: Peroni

Favourite Tonic Water Winner: Fever-Tree

It’s no surprise to see Fever-Tree at the top of the tree, given that last year it experienced what the company is calling an “exceptional” year of sales growth, when UK revenues alone increased by 118 per cent. It’s been a stellar few years for the brand, which has managed to cash in on the desire for better-quality and better-tasting soft drinks and mixers, not to mention the gin boom.

Silver: Schweppes Bronze: Britivc

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Silver: Carling Bronze: Stella Artois

Italian style doesn’t go out of fashion in the beer market it seems, as Peroni remains at the top of the bottled lager market as far as drinkers are concerned. Its posh glassware and Italian heritage enabled this brand to crack the £5-a-pint ceiling in London some years ago and it will be interesting to see how far it can push its designer price-tag in the changing face of the UK beer market.

GOLD WINNER

AWA R D

Silver: Budweiser Bronze: Corona

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Favourite Draught Cider Winner: Strongbow

The success of variants such as Strongbow Dark Fruits and Strongbow Cloudy shows the special place this brand holds in the hearts of UK cider drinkers, as does its appearance here for the second year at the top. Following last year’s sponsorship of Team GB at the Rio Olympic Games, 2017 sees the brand’s attention switch to the UK festival season with appearances at Kendal Calling, the Isle of Wight Festival and Victorious.

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GOLD WINNER

Favourite Ale

AWA R D

It first became the number one-selling cask ale in the UK in 2014, having traded on its Cornish roots since its launch in 1994. This year’s news in April that the amber ale is the official beer of The British & Irish Lions for the recent tour of New Zealand, boosted by its hiring of former Lion and World Cup Rugby winner Phil Vickery as an ambassador for the brand, will do much to maintain its popularity this summer and beyond, we are sure.

Winner: Doom Bar

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Silver: Thatchers Bronze: Magners

GOLD WINNER

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Silver: Timothy Taylor Bronze: Black Sheep

Favourite Craft Beer

Winner: Brewdog Punk IPA

In the fast-paced and ever-changing world of craft beer it seems Brewdog remains a constant, taking the top spot here for the second year running. Sceptics, who point to the brewery’s now global success and everexpanding pub empire, might suggest that the brand is now too big and, indeed, too mainstream to be considered craft anymore. But what do they know? The great British public disagrees.

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Silver: Doom Bar Bronze: Goose Island IPA

GOLD WINNER

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Favourite Bottled Cider Winner: Kopparberg

It may have launched a fruit lager (yes, lager) but in the fruit cider stakes this brand remains a winner, a position it intends to maintain with the launch of a new variant this summer. Kopparberg Blueberry & Lime made an appearance in May, offering fans another fruity flavour at a sessionable four per cent ABV. Serve over ice with a slice of lime.

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Silver: Magners Bronze: Rekorderlig

GOLD WINNER

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Favourite New Drink Winner: Bud Light

It’s been tried here before but this time it looks as if brewer AB InBev has cracked it. Aimed at UK millennials, America’s favourite beer — a 3.5 per cent ABV lager — was launched onto an unsuspecting British public in March, touted as the “biggest ever” brand launch from the mega brewer. It even brought back the Budweiser frogs to TV as part of the campaign, one of the most memorable TV ad campaigns of all time.

Silver: Seedlip Bronze: Ophir Gin

Favourite Desert Island Drink Winner: Malibu

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Coconut? Check. Rum? Check. What else would you want on a desert island (apart from some factor 50)? We agree, as do the majority of the great British public who voted this the drink they would most wish to be marooned with in tropical paradise – which hopefully has plenty of coconut trees and unlimited pineapples so that we can make endless Piña Coladas.

Favourite Wine Brand Winner: Hardys

Thomas Hardy, a boy from Devon, pitched up in Adelaide, Australia in the 1850s. He thought to himself that it just might be a good spot to start making wine — and he wasn’t wrong, either. Five generations on and the Hardy family, currently under the stewardship of William (Bill) Hardy, are still making wine there and kindly sending it back to their motherland for us Pommies to enjoy. Bonzer.

Silver: Jacob’s Creek Bronze: Blossom Hill

GOLD WINNER

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Silver: J20 Bronze: Baileys

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Favourite Summer Drink Winner: Pimm’s

Favourite Energy Drink Winner: Red Bull

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GOLD WINNER

Silver: Lucozade Bronze: Monster

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Favourite Vodka Winner: Smirnoff

Earlier this month (July 6 and 7) the Tsar of the vodka category, Smirnoff, supported London’s Pride festival and parade as part of its wider #chooselove campaign, by attempting to tackle online abuse suffered by members of the LGBT+ community. “By collectively taking action we can all spread a message of inclusivity, diversity and love,” said head of Smirnoff Europe, Chris Laidlaw.

Silver: Grey Goose Bronze: Absolut

Favourite Gin Winner: Gordon’s

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Last month the Formula 1 team-owning, extreme sport-sponsoring energy drink announced it was to also boost its music credentials via a tie-up with Gorillaz – the “virtual band” created by Blur’s Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett back in 1998. Building on last year’s partnership with electronic music duo Disclosure, there was a limited-edition can, designed by Jamie himself, who said: “The Red Bull can is pretty iconic, so it was fun to bring the characters’ personalities into the mix to create something original.”

GOLD WINNER

Silver: Magners Bronze: Bulmers

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We’ve always thought nothing tastes as much like summer as much as a glass (or jug) of Pimm’s but you can do more with it than simply adding lemonade, you know. Check out the Inapub website for ways to “pimp your Pimm’s” this summer, including an alternative to the G&T (the Pimm & Proper); a more manly option (The Gentleman’s Mule) and a sparkling wine-spiked version for the Prosecco crowd.

Last September a new design for Gordon’s was rolled out across the three-strong range (London dry, sloe and elderflower), in a bid to give the brand a more “contemporary, premium and distinctive” look in what has become a very crowded category indeed. Meddling with the packaging of such a well-known brand is always risky but, given its place in the top spot here, it seems it was a move that more than paid off for brand-owner Diageo.

GOLD WINNER

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Silver: Bombay Sapphire Bronze: Hendrick’s

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OF YOUR DRINK IS THE MIXER, MIX WITH THE BEST ™

NAMED TONIC OF CHOICE BY THE WORLD’S TOP BARS AND RESTAURANTS*

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*Named tonic of choice by majority of world’s top bars and restaurants surveyed. Leslie Henry Research, 2016. TM Fever tree Ltd.

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GOLD WINNER AWA R D

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Favourite whisk(e)y Winner: Jack Daniel’s

As American as pumpkin pie, this “Tennessee sippin’ whisky” has nonetheless won over whiskey drinkers in the UK — the home of Scotch. It has long been known as a great match with cola but brand owner Brown-Forman has recently stretched the brand with more premium extensions such as Gentleman Jack, as well as a move into cider this summer with Tennessee Cider. Currently only available in the off-trade, it is described as having, “all the bold attitude of Jack but with the ease and refreshment of a premium cider.”

Favourite Shot

It’s a landslide for the Captain, who managed to get both gold and silver places this year for two of the three variants in the range (Captain Morgan White lost out to Bacardi in the battle for bronze). Overseas more flavours abound, including a new coconut-flavoured rum liqueur launched in March of this year, called LocoNut, aimed at the shot market. Wonder how long before we can get our hands on it in the UK?

Its domination of the shot market shows no sign of waning, as the German herbal liqueur comes out on top with our voters by quite some distance. Recently a posher version, Jagermeister Manifest, has hit the market — not aimed at the shot crowd but a more grown-up drinker, who wants something sophisticated to sip. It’s based on the same recipe as the original but with added botanicals and time spent in oak casks.

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Silver: Corky’s Bronze: Luxardo Sambucca

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E’’S CHOICE E PLL 2 OOP

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Silver: Captain Morgan Spiced Bronze: Bacardi

Winner: Jagermeister

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GOLD WINNER

Favourite rum

Winner: Captain Morgan

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Sliver: Jameson Bronze: Bell’s

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SI LVV ER L SILV SIL WINNER

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GOLD WINNER

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LIMITED EDITION CAN, LIVE IN VENUES THIS SUMMER

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RED BULL GIVES YOU WIIINGS.

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FAMOUS FOR GENERATIONS Matt Eley visits a pub that has kept it in the family since Victorian times

“

It is well loved and well hated. Loved by those that know it and hated by those who do not understand a place that will not change, will not alter, respecting the past and prepared at all cost to preserve the future 20

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Some pubs just feel right the moment you walk in. As a customer you get an instinctive sense if you are in a place where you could pull up a seat and while away the rest of the evening in conversation. I last had this when I visited The Canny Man’s in Edinburgh’s Morningside area. Locals were huddled around a pristine bar dominated by ales and whisky, staff clad in aprons and white shirts were eager to serve, historic artefacts adorned the walls and each of the pub’s several rooms had its own story to tell. The one where I sat featured a female mannequin hanging from the ceiling above my head. Turns out she arrived with a Canadian airman amid VE celebrations and she has been waiting for him to return ever since. Of course, you can’t just make a pub feel this way, it takes years to evolve. Or, as is the case with the Kerr family, five generations. It opened as the Volunteer Arms in 1871 under the stewardship of James Kerr and, 146 years later, his great-great-grandsons Mark and Tristan are at the helm, along with mum Gloria. No pressure then chaps? “It is a responsibility,” agrees Mark, “Especially now with the difficulties that the trade has faced in the last 10 years.” It has been a testing time for all pubs, even one established for so many years. A document I was handed by a member of staff called “The Man’s Fax” tells the story of the pub, and gives the impression that it a place that will never change. It says: “It is well loved and well hated. Loved by those that know it and hated by

those who do not understand a place that will not change, will not alter, respecting the past and prepared at all cost to preserve the future.” And while the incumbent Kerrs try to retain the same spirit, they have had to evolve the business. Food has become more prevalent and they have opened a boutique six-bedroom hotel — The Lane — next door. A blind eye is now turned to rules on signs on the walls such as “no photos” which is virtually impossible to police in this smartphone age. Making those changes has been a delicate process, as Mark explains. “Everything has been carefully considered and done one thing at a time. We had to introduce a food menu, there’s no other option. There is so much competition these days and not just from other pubs.”

The little things that count

Some things are sacred, such as the artefacts on the wall (one of Mark’s favourites is a moose’s head hand-delivered by a customer who also happened to be one of Norway’s biggest landowners) and the highlevels of customer care. Mark continues: “There is always a white tablecloth for diners and you always get an ice bucket with your champagne and wine. All of those little things add up to make a difference.” The customer base is an example of how the pub is both evolving and holding on to its traditions. “We have got customers that have been coming for generations,” says Mark. “It’s quite incredible how long some families have been coming here. “Then we also get tourists who poke their

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this month.

Kerrs behind the bar James Kerr 1871 - 1901 John Kerr 1901 - 1939 Jimmy Kerr 1939 - 1989 Watson Kerr 1989 - 2011 Gloria, Mark & Tristan Kerr 2011-

head around the door to look around.” One challenge a pub with such tradition faces is getting staff to understand and enthuse about its history while keeping the food and drink flowing. This is an area where customers actually help out. “It’s difficult to recruit and train. The best people move on and do really well for themselves. A lot of the best ones are sent to the pub by parents who have been customers,” explains Mark. “You can teach people about the best whiskies in the world but what is more difficult is the desire to serve and ensure customers have a great time. That is more inherent in the individual.” So where next for The Canny Man’s? Mark and Tristan both have children but they will be left to decide themselves whether they want to become the sixth generation of landlords. In the meantime Mark is happy to ensure he keeps the pub moving forward. Going back to The Man’s Fax, it says the aim is not profit but “perfection without being pretentious.” Mark seems to agree: “Profit is a byproduct. If you do things correctly it should take care of itself.” Which is what this family freehouse has been doing for nearly 150 years.

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The Canny Man’s

Morningside, Edinburgh Wet/dry: 70/30 Opened: 1871 Events: Wine and whisky tasting nights Online: www.cannymans.co.uk

11/07/2017 22:35

drink So Wales has put minimum alcohol pricing back on the table. Even infrequent readers of this page can imagine what I think about that, particularly when it comes at the same time as the National Survey of Wales reveals a drop in binge drinking in my home nation, most noticeably among the under-44s. The same survey also shows, as the Alcohol Information Partnership pointed out in its response, the poorest in society continue to drink less than the wealthiest. So, I ask you, how is raising prices going to help? And for any of you out there thinking this will be good for pubs because it will make supermarket booze more expensive, think again. You really believe it will stop there? The on-trade would be next, mark my words. We do not need this neo-prohibitionist, kneejerk clap-trap of, at best, dubious legal standing (in December the Scotch Whisky Association said it would appeal in the UK Supreme Court a Scottish ruling that said plans for a 50p minimum price were compatible with EU law).

with ROBYN BLACK

What we need instead is targeted programmes for groups that do have problems with alcohol harm, which brings me neatly to the news Drinkaware is to change its strategy. The charity, which aims to improve public behaviour and the national drinking culture, announced it is to shift its focus from under-age to older drinkers (see comment, p7). This is in response to “key changes in UK alcohol consumption”, said its chief exec, Elaine Hindal (those changes being declining total alcohol sales and growing levels of abstinence among young people). The organisation is going even further than that, concentrating specifically on two groups of older at-risk drinkers: men aged 45 to 65 who drink frequently, mainly at home, and those who are more likely binge drink when in the on-trade as a way of coping with stress and anxiety. This sensible, thoughtful approach contrasts sharply with that of the Welsh government and, in my mind, only a fool could fail to know which approach should be on the table.

We do not need this knee-jerk clap-trap... what we need instead is targeted programmes for groups that do have problems

COMMERCIAL BREAKDOWN COCA-COLA • Perfect serve Coca-Cola European Partners is investing in a perfect serve campaign across the on-trade to improve the quality of soft drinks in pubs and bars.

WESTONS • 100 per cent local home-pressed apples A £2m campaign for Westons’ Stowford Press cider brand includes a TV ad to show people that all the apples used are sourced locally in Herefordshire.

SAN MIGUEL • La Experiencia Spanish beer San Miguel is helping licensees create “richer experiences” for customers in its latest marketing drive. It is looking for venues that offer great food and/or have the best outdoor spaces to get involved.

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drink. Hoegaarden

Hoegaarden, the Belgian wheat beer that took the UK by storm before anyone had even heard of craft beer, has been given a new look. It is said the new design makes more of the beer’s key ingredients in illustrations inspired by classic 19th-century Belgian line drawings. www.ab-inbevco.uk

Hanalei IPA

This hoppy session beer from Hawaii is made with passion fruit, guava and orange and was launched in America earlier this year. It is travelling to the UK in containers and will be bottled once here to keep its tropical flavours intact. info@cavedirect.com

On the bar Liz Aspden, The Harlequin, Sheffield

Look out for... Red Bull limited edition

As part of a tie-up with UK band Gorillaz, Red Bull has unveiled a limited-edition can. The band’s co-creator, illustrator Jamie Hewlett, designed the cans himself, along with a range of point-of-sale for the on-trade. www.energydrink-uk.redbull.com

Crodino

Said to be the most consumed nonalcoholic spirit in Italy, Crodino is an infusion of herbs, spices, woods and roots. It has been launched by Campari UK to tap into the demand for more bittertasting drinks. www.campariuk.com

Sekforde For Gin

Drink start-up Sekforde Bespoke Botanical Mixers has developed a new mixer specifically for gin. Sekforde For Gin is made from raspberry, sage and rose extracts and complements the intense juniper flavours in the spirit, said company founder Talula White. www.sekfordedrinks.com

We’ve been contemplating getting rid of straws for some time and made the move at the start of this month. From July 3 we are no longer giving away single-use plastic straws. Instead, we are switching to biodegradable straws, and we are asking for a minimum 5p donation to charity for every straw used. We’re not too worried about the reaction from customers to the charge because we don’t use lots of straws — we don’t put them in drinks unless someone asks and not many of our drinkers ask for straws, thankfully. What we hope is this will help us play our part in raising awareness about how damaging plastic can be for the planet, encourage people to say no to straws elsewhere and raise some money for some welldeserving charities.

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THE UK’S BEST-SELLING FRUIT CIDER BRAND • Kopparberg with Mixed Fruit is the best-selling packaged cider variant in the On Trade • Kopparberg with Strawberry & Lime is the second best-selling packaged cider variant in the On Trade • Kopparberg Pear is the best-selling single bottle pear cider in the On Trade

STOCK UP NOW CGA Packaged Cider Report, Total GB, Volume Sales, MAT to 25.02.17 For more information about stocking Kopparberg cider, please e-mail info@kopparberg.co.uk

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drink.

Has cider bottled it? by ROBYN BLACK

Apple of your eye: when it comes to cider, “craft” means rooted in tradition, with things like “strong orchard credentials” important

It’s been 11 years since the Summer of Magners, when every other person in the pub was nursing a pint of ice doused in cider. It sparked the renaissance of a category previously confined to the park bench. Today, cider as a total category is still doing well — 53 per cent of adults now drink cider and that number is still growing, according to Mintel, which also predicts the category will be worth £3.6bn by 2021.

However, in terms of bottled cider — the category Magners almost single-handedly introduced to the great British public during that long, hot summer — things aren’t looking as rosy. The sector is down 4 per cent in volume over the past year, with pear cider within that dropping a whopping 23 per cent and apple 16 per cent. Fruit-flavoured bottled ciders hit the only positive note, up 4 per cent (all CGA MAT to 25 February 2017). “Bottled cider is always a challenge in the on-trade as both consumers and licensees prefer draught rather than bottled products due to better visibility on the bar,” says David Sheppy of Sheppy’s Cider. “Not only do bottled ciders fight for fridge space behind the bar, below eye-level they also often have to fight for space among soft drinks and mixers.” As well as the pressure on fridge space, bottled cider brands are facing a very different market from that of 2006. Among

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“

Craft cider is still an opportunity, as beer once was... so we launched two flavoured ciders under the Stan’s range

other things, premiumisation has had a profound effect on all food and drink sectors; people are looking for more flavoursome products, more authenticity in what they consume and are making healthier choices on the whole. The question is: more than a decade on from that glorious summer, are bottled cider producers doing enough to tap into these macro trends or is the category in danger of becoming entirely irrelevant?

Crafty about craft

Craft is arguably one of the key consumer trends where cider can play most easily but be careful about how you use the term, because it means something slightly different here compared to in the beer

category, for example. Heineken points to insight showing that for cider drinkers “craft” translates more as “rooted in tradition”, with fans looking for “strong orchard credentials from key ciderproducing areas such as Herefordshire, where Heineken has its orchards and cider mill”, says Emma Sherwood-Smith, cider director at Heineken UK. Smaller, more traditional cider makers have been able to tap into this quite easily and have been dialling up their craft credentials more recently with the launch of a raft of canned craft ciders, which in general are outperforming their bottled counterparts. “We hear bottled cider is experiencing a small decline in the on-trade in both value and volume,” says Gerry Doyle, sales and

Cans are currently faring better than bottles in the cider sector, as they tap into the trend for craft products

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25/05/2017 10:02 09/05/2017 22:00

Evolving into spiders If stage one of the cider revolution was bottled cider served over ice (think Magners yet again) and stage two was flavoured cider, then the third stage is spirit ciders, or “spiders,” according to Daf Pugh Williams, senior innovation commercialisation manager at Diageo. As a result, the drinks company has in recent years made the move into the cider category with two of its flagship brands: Pimm’s and Smirnoff. “While flavoured cider continues to show strong growth, we are conscious that we need to evolve with our consumers’ tastes and offer them products which remain relevant to them,” Daf explains.

marketing manager at Brothers. “Our own business strategy reflects this to a certain extent — having developed a range of 330ml and 440ml cans, which are seeing greater growth than bottled cider.” The business is also investing in other new pack formats to “bring new drinkers to the category and maintain excitement”. These include a one-litre carton of still cider made for sharing at events and festivals or where glass is prohibited. Over at Thatchers Cider the team also sees the opportunity in craft and cans, as a result of which they released Stan’s on to the market in March at Craft Beer Rising. “Craft cider is still an opportunity, as beer once was,” says Rob Sandall, on-trade director at Thatchers. “We feel there’s an opportunity there and so we a launched two flavoured ciders under the Stan’s range originally — Barrel Roller, a full-flavoured traditional cider, and Leaf Twister, a big apple cider — with a third to join them by the end of the year.” Thatchers is also seeing a strong performance from cloudy cider, with its Haze brand experiencing 250 per cent growth in volume sales over the past year. Likewise, Westons, which was the first to bring a craft canned brand to market back in 2015 with its Caple Rd range, is seeing success for its canned cloudy cider range Rosie’s Pig. “We are increasingly getting listings for our 330ml craft cans within the premium end of the on-trade, which is at the expense of bottled apple ciders,” says head of customer marketing and insight Darryl Hinksman.

Organic opportunity

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T e

With more than half of millennials (and onethird of over-65s) trying to include organic in their diet, it’s to organic, however, that Westons is turning its attention now. “That’s why we relaunched Westons Wyld Wood, the UK’s number one organic cider brand, with new packaging to emphasise its organic credentials and premium positioning,” explains Darryl. “We identified the fact that a grow-

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drink. ing segment — 41 per cent — of organic consumers are between 25 and 44 and it was therefore key that we repositioned the Wyld Wood brand in a way that attracts and engages this younger audience. “It also taps into the trend for gluten-free and vegan products, both of which are growing consumer trends.” So-called “skinny drinks” are also emerging out of this health drive in the young and have hit the cider category in the form of Kopparberg’s low-calorie cider range. Kopparberg Summer Fruits Light was

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launched several years ago into the off-trade and has done well for the company; so much so, that it is adding Raspberry Light to the line-up this year.

Healthier choices

Of course it is millennials who are also drinking alcohol a lot less, on the whole, than previous generations, another behavioural shift that Kopparberg is looking to capitalise on. “Alcohol-free alternatives are increasingly becoming a muststock,” says Matt Dudley, Kopparberg’s customer marketing manager. “Operators should consider the most

12/07/2017 09:24

Three and easy: Kopparberg offers its three best-selling fruit ciders in alcohol-free versions

“

Operators should consider the most popular drinks categories within their businesses and ensure they stock an alcohol-free alternative

30 JULY 2017

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popular drinks categories within their businesses and ensure they stock an alcoholfree alternative to ensure they not only meet the needs of those consumers who choose not to drink alcohol but also maximise the profit opportunities that premium alcoholfree alternatives afford.” To this end, Kopparberg offers its three best-sellers in alcohol-free versions. The shift to responsible drinking is also being addressed by Aspall, which launched its mid-strength Aspall Cyder in March. “We responded to the desire from bars and consumers for a premium mid-strength cider by creating Aspall Cyder, a 4.5 per cent cider,” says Amelia Knowland, marketing manager at the company. “It’s lower in ABV than many other ciders on the market and is the first super-premium cider in a can.”

Posh cider performs

Super-premium cider is another possible opportunity for bottled cider, as evidenced by the next new launch out of the Aspall doors: Fine Sparkling Cyder 1728. “It is made in the same way as Champagne and fermented in the bottle,” says Amelia. “It will be produced as a very limited edition, with only 1,728 bottles produced per year.” Cornish Orchards also spotted the opportunity at this end of the market and launched its “delicate and Prosecco-like” cider Keeper’s Meadow in April. It recommends drinking it with freshly caught white fish to bring out its crisp apple flavours and refreshing finish. Heineken too is keen to play in this end of

the market with its Cidrerie Stassen brand, which comes in a 750ml Champagne-style bottle. However, its newest focus is on a sector of the market it has called “artisanal apple”. Cider director Emma says: “This is the new category we’ve identified. It is the premium end of the market for those who are buying cider for a lower-energy occasion, perhaps as an accompaniment to food. These brands are made with British apple ciders, popular both on draught and in bottles.” The new Bulmers Orchard Pioneers range, which the company launched in the spring, fits here. There are currently two variants: Sarah’s Red Apple and Kier’s Cloudy Apple. “They pair particularly well with food and are well suited to these lowerenergy, with-food occasions,” Emma says. She recommends serving Sarah’s with rich dishes such as lamb or a chocolate brownie and Kier’s with seafood or chicken. Eleven years on from that Magners summer, then, there is still plenty of opportunity for bottled cider, as Deighton Ridge, national on-trade controller at Shepherd Neame (which has its own cider brand, Orchard View, and distributes American cider Angry Orchard in the UK), says. “We’re now focused on high-quality premium brands and artisan crafted products, which offer a point of difference,” he says. “There has been a huge shift and we are now seeing a category which includes super-premium products and is focused on delivering peerless quality.” I couldn’t have put it better myself.

trade.inapub.co.uk 12/07/2017 09:26

#thedanishway New TV campaign starts 17.4

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eat I had Angel Delight at a pub once. They called it cheesecake, but they also put lipstick on pigs. I paid £6 for powdered pudding and digestive biscuits, but the hilarity and excuse to write a column about it might have been worth it. I love dessert, but restaurant critic Jay Rayner recently said dessert menus are now just “unstable, creamy things on a plate” instead of genuine pâtisserie or bakery skill. As he eloquently put it, “it’s a squirt from an udder, set to a wobble courtesy of a boiled down cow’s foot. It’s a failure of ambition”, and, annoyingly, my Angel Delight proves him right. A lot of pubs have actually nailed the pudding offer — see the page opposite for a prime example. I’d like to point

with BRONYA SMOLEN Jay in the direction of many of you who have employed a pâtissier or taken time to really consider the sweet menu. I’ve recently indulged in a lemon tart with flawlessly crisp, thin pastry; a perfectly executed traditional rice pudding with homemade Seville orange marmalade; and a deliciously moist sticky toffee pudding. There’s nothing wrong with simple classics. Puds can be as exciting and as important as your main menu. When your customers are hungry, they order a main course. When they want to indulge (of course they do, they’re at the pub!), they order pudding. Let’s prove Jay wrong. Be proud of your dessert menu, make things from scratch and stay away from packet mix…

Customers want to see calories

Ketchup is getting fruity

Two-thirds of your customers want nutritional information on the menu. A whopping 67 per cent of people said they wanted total transparency on the menu about the nutritional content of dishes, according to a survey by hospitality software firm Fourth. The poll of 1,500 people also found that one-third of customers worry about ordering a menu item because they can’t trust what is in it.

Germany is shaking up its ketchup scene — could the UK be next? Research has found almost one-fifth of new ketchup launches in Germany between April 2016 and March 2017 were made from “alternative” ingredients. These include pumpkin, carrot and beetroot as the main ingredients, but also fruits such as mango and plum.

JULY 2017

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Cheesecake topping

“The salted caramel for the topping is made by caramelising brown sugar, then adding sea salt and double cream. When it’s cooled we mix this into the cheesecake, spread it and pipe it on to the base. There is extra caramel in the top layer of the cheesecake.”

SALTED CARAMEL CHEESECAKE Claude Paillet, Bricklayers Arms, Flaunden, Hertfordshire Vanilla ice cream

“Made locally by Chiltern Ice Cream Company, but it is the only part of this dish not made from scratch. Vanilla pairs well with the caramel.”

Fresh fruits and coulis “These are mostly to add some colour to the dish. There is a homemade red fruit coulis and a passion fruit one.”

Sugar matchstick

“This adds a crispy texture and extra sweetness to the dish. We make a very thin puff pastry and sprinkle it with granulated sugar before baking it.”

Shortbread base

“We make crumbly all-butter shortbread from scratch before breaking it up and mixing it with butter. Then we set it in individual portions.”

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Bigger fish to try by BRONYA SMOLEN

“

I have a crab guy, an oyster guy, a mussel guy and a lobster guy — they are all producing the best ingredient possible

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When it comes to seafood, the world’s your oyster, so tap into spicy flavour trends, make friends with fishermen and even think about the colour of your plates — it could help you reel in bigger profits. Fish and seafood remain firm favourites among British diners, with nearly half (47 per cent) of people eating them at least once a week, according to Mintel. And summer is the perfect opportunity to flaunt your best dishes from the ocean, with no need to hide fish in hearty pies or heavy batter. Incorporating the latest food trends into fish dishes can be a good way to get younger diners hooked, says Lucy Pedrick, insights manager at supplier Bidfood. “Many food trends can be adapted to complement fish dishes and should be embraced by pubs looking to stand out in a crowded market,” she says. “Research by Mintel shows one-

fifth of buyers are interested in seeing more hot and spicy flavours when it comes to their fish or seafood, so consider a Caribbean or Cajun marinade.”

Appealing to the small fry

“A similar percentage are looking for foreign or ethnic flavours, which can work well to appeal to younger diners, who typically eat fish less often than older people,” she adds. Asian cuisine is another popular menu trend in the UK that is perfect for getting fish on the menu. Lucy continues: “Fish is often a key ingredient in Asian cooking, especially Japanese. What’s more, following in the footsteps of sushi, poké — a marinated raw fish dish from Hawaii — is another top trend,

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eat.

Ocean’s bounty: while a hearty fish pie is hard to beat, summer gives you the chance to try out lighter fish dishes on your menu

combining unusual flavours which resonate with modern diners.” Of course, the best way to really wow customers is to ensure the fish you purchase is the best quality possible. At The White Horse in Brancaster Staithe, Norfolk, head chef Fran Hartshorne has buddied up with local fishermen to make sure the pub gets the freshest fish. Fran says: “For me, this is almost as important as picking the product itself. There needs to be a good understanding of what the pub is looking for in terms of prep, our brand and what we sell. I’m lucky to have so many local fishermen on the doorstep, who know exactly what the customers expect.” And that understanding isn’t the only benefit of getting to know your supplier, Fran adds. “They all specialise in one thing, so I have a crab guy, an oyster guy, a mussel guy and a lobster guy — they are all producing the best ingredient possible, whereas bigger companies have many fisherman all competing for the best price and buyer.”

Farm it yourself

If you fancy doing some fish farming yourself, take note of The Long Arm Pub & Brewery in Shoreditch, London, which has opened up with an in-house urban farm. The farm uses an Aquaponics system, which means fish will supply the nutrients for plants grown hydroponically (without soil) and the plants in turn purify the water for the fish. The fish will be used on the menu, along with plants, salad leaves and herbs grown on the farm, and will be incorporated into dishes like fish tacos. Told you spice and fish was a good combination.

Put it on a yellow plate

Spicy or not, though, the colour of your plates is said to have a major influence on how customers taste food. This trickery has been investigated by global hygiene brand Tork and food stylist Linda Lundgren. She says: “Aqua blue makes dishes seem less salty and brings out yellow and orange as contrast colours. “Coral pink decreases bitterness and

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Veg from the sea Seafood naturally lends itself to saltier flavours, and sea vegetables can be a great way to garnish your dish. Here are five to get hold of. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Samphire (pictured) Sea beets Sea aster Irish moss Kelp

makes dishes taste sweeter, while mustard yellow enhances tart flavours, meaning it corresponds with fish and seafood.”

Pair it off

Wine is an obvious item to upsell with any fish dish. Bidfood’s Lucy says: “Pairing wines with dishes on the menu can help businesses boost spend among diners. While white wine remains the favoured accompaniment to fish, with 25 per cent of drinkers opting for it, red wine is also popular (17 per cent) and can work well with meatier fish such as grilled swordfish or tuna.” But it doesn’t always have to be alcoholic. Andrew Turner, director of wine for Eisberg Alcohol Free Wine, says: “Balancing the flavours of fish can be tricky. “Selecting the right wines to use within a recipe will help you to retain the character of the original wine without overpowering the other ingredients. “We recently developed a range of healthy recipes using Eisberg Alcohol Free Wine as both an ingredient within the dish and the perfect pairing wine to accompany your meal. “The Eisberg Alcohol Free Rosé and lemon marinade enhances the flavours of the salmon fillets. The wine also serves as the perfect pairing, with its light and fruity flavour notes, for those choosing not to drink for any reason.”

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Ale and hearty food by BRONYA SMOLEN

“

The mistake everyone makes is they pick their favourite beer to cook with, but most people’s favourite beer has a lot of hops in it

Beer goes in food, not just with it. So move over, wine snobs — we’re about to change the rules of cooking with alcohol and we think you’ll like it. Beer-battered fish has long been a staple for many pubs, but that’s about as far as it went… until now. Pub and brewery operator Brewhouse & Kitchen is tapping into the potential of beer by launching a food menu with it as a key ingredient. Someone who has been plugging beery dishes for a while is Craft Beer Channel founder Jonny Garrett. He’s added 30-plus recipes to his YouTube account, all of which include the good stuff. Plus, he has started to sell his beery concoctions at food markets.

But first, why cook with beer? Well, for a start it can complement a dish just as fantastically as a glug of red wine. Like wine, every beer is different. The right brew can add a rich, earthy taste to stews or a moist chewiness to a loaf of bread. It’s an exciting ingredient, which when used successfully can transform your offer. So where do you start? Jonny says: “Look at the colour of the beer, then the bitterness of it, then the tasting notes. If you want to make a roast beef with a Marmite richness, go for a porter. If you want a lighter flavour, you could go for a lighter, caramel beer.”

The taste test

There are no rules, but get tasting, pull out the key flavour notes and try to match them to a dish. And how do I decide what dishes should contain beer? Not everything on your menu should be packed with booze. Think carefully about what would benefit from beery flavours. “When we come up with videos for the channel, we find a recipe with liquid in it already and see if we can replace that with

Do you want a drink with that? Jonny Garrett’s YouTube channel has more than 30 beer-based recipes

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recipes using beer

Beer, onion and feta homemade pizza Using sugar and a splash of double IPA to caramelise the onion Salted beer nut brittle Using a witbier, syrup, oil and peanuts Porter, rosemary and garlic roast beef Using a porter, garlic and rosemary to marinate the meat.

Battered: using a saison beer instead of milk in your batter creates light and fluffy pancakes

beer. But obviously it’s important that it still benefits the dish,” says Jonny. “For example, I’ve got a beer pancake recipe, which creates the most light and fluffy batter. You replace milk with a saison beer, adding fizz and lightness to the batter, plus a cinnamon flavour profile.” Is it pretty foolproof? There’s no hiding the damage caused by cooking with the wrong beer, so unless you want to cause customer’s tongues to shrivel in disgust, pick beers carefully.

Caught on the hop

“The mistake everyone makes is they pick their favourite beer to cook with, but most people’s favourite beer has a lot of hops in it,” Jonny says. “Cooking with hops is very dangerous. It can concentrate the beer and make dishes extremely bitter. I once tried to make beer risotto with a hoppy beer — it was completely inedible.” Hoppy beers aren’t a complete no-no, though. Jonny says: “Try an IPA battered fish or put it in anything with lots of cheese. I make an IPA and cheddar croquette, which

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works with the tang and bitterness.” If you want to start by playing it safe, then here are the best beers for beginners. Lambic beers are very forgiving friend and can work much like white wine in most recipes. Imagine mussels in white sauce made with lambic beer instead of white wine. “Cook with some acidity,” Jonny says. “Also imperial and roasty stouts are great for richness. The key rule is to be guided by colour. If you want to make beef stew with beer, use a rich, deeply coloured stout. If you want a light sauce, try something lighter.” All of this isn’t about creating a boozy, beer-obsessed menu. It’s about using something you already serve in the pub and enhancing your dishes with it. Plus, it might even upsell some extra pints. Jonny says: “When you cook beer at a high temperature it gets rid of a lot of the alcohol and any of the really strong flavours. You are left with subtleness. “We make a stout sausage roll with a Siren Empress stout, which is brewed with black pepper. There’s a dark, sticky sweetness to it, a hint of booze, but customers might not necessarily go ‘that’s beer.’”

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play with MATT ELEY Hopefully it won’t have escaped your attention that this edition of Inapub comes complete with a supplement all about sport. Having the live action on a big screen isn’t for every venue but even if your pub is an oasis of calm when others are rammed with fans, you cannot escape the importance of sport. Many of your customers will want to talk about major events and many more will participate in playing or following a team local to you. A recent bar room chat I was involved in focused on the British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand. One member of

our group was a big rugby fan who had been attracted by a breakfast and a beer offer at a local pub. The problem was the staff delivered it so slowly and with such a lack of enthusiasm by staff that he ended up giving the breakfast a miss and heading to another nearby pub without a big screen as soon as the match finished. There are two lessons here. If you do sport, do it properly so you don’t miss out on trade that day or in the future. And if you don’t do it, be that place where people will want to come to for atmosphere, drink, food and conversation once the action is over.

St Mary Hoo gets its first (pub) zoo A pub that is home to scores of animals can now officially call itself a zoo. After years of effort, The Fenn Bell Inn in St Mary Hoo, Kent, has been granted a zoo licence by the local council. It has been a long road for landlord and animallover Andy Cowell, who took over the Shepherd Neame pub in 2014, primarily as a place to house his growing collection of exotic animals. Now the zoo is open to the public and visitors will be able to enjoy a drink and see the animals, which include monkeys, meerkats, birds of prey, coatis (above) and a genet (a type of African wild cat). Andy said: “We’re hoping to get more lemurs, otters, wolves and big cats. It will get as big as we can make it, depending on how much land we can buy. We want to give people something that will provide joy and great memories.”

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Boxing

The noble art is more popular with punters than it has been for years, largely thanks to those slugging it out in the heavyweight division. At the other end of the scales is Carl Frampton, who is taking on Andres Gutierrez in a WBC world featherweight title eliminator. July 29, Sky Sports

International Day of Friendship

If anyone is looking to make new ones or catch up with old ones, make sure they do it with you. July 30

Happening this month School holidays

There will be variations on this date depending on where you are. Scottish schools will already be out. So this is just a friendly note, expect more families coming your way over the next six weeks or so. July 21

Champions League qualifying

It’s back… not that it ever really went away. Celtic will be among those bidding to join the five English teams in the group stage of the lucrative competition. July 11 and 18, BT Sport

World Tequila Day

This coincides with the end of the Tour De France. Could there be a better way to celebrate the greatest thing on two wheels than by slamming back a shot. We suspect Chris Froome may believe there could be. July 24

Yorkshire Dales Food & Drink Festival

If you’re looking for a busman’s holiday this could be for you. Chefs John Torode and James Martin will be there as will loads of demos and, naturally, food and drink stalls. July 22 & 23

Let me entertain you Dominic Worrall, The Bull, Ditchling, East Sussex We completely embrace the feel of a “proper pub”, with a creative selection of drinks and inventive menu. A monthly quiz night always fitted in well, supported by carol singing around the fire at Christmas. We also host a New Year’s Eve party, with profits going to local causes. This year we have had a rethink about how we use our garden and have transformed it to create a more flexible space. We have added low-level “festoon” lighting, vintage bunting and a fire-pit, centred on an outside kitchen and bar. We now have woodfired ovens and a charcoal smokery. We even provide you with throws and blankets. This has enabled us to host Café del Mar-type DJ sets, live bands and in August we’ll be hosting our first pop-up “social cinema”. Besides the fun we have curating and hosting these events. The bottom line is we have just had the busiest two weeks in our 14-year history. This revaluation of the opportunities and possibilities available has encouraged us to be braver and more creative.

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The Maine man by ROGER NARBETT

Winning a trip to the USA is the American dream for many. Throw in a visit to a pioneering craft brewery and it’s the ultimate busman’s holiday. This was the prize freetrader Roger Narbett, of the Chequers in Cutnall Green, Worcestershire, won courtesy of Marston’s. As the parent brewery to Ringwood, Marston’s is intrinsically linked to Shipyard, which was founded by ex-head brewer at Ringwood Alan Pugsley and the late Peter Austin. Here, not long after Independence Day, Roger shares his experiences of visiting Portland, Maine; the Shipyard brewery and beyond. Day 1 in Maine

Our first thoughts when we arrive at Shipyard is it isn’t as big as we thought. In my mind I pictured a huge industrial brewery. We were humbly greeted with an array of merchandise with the prominent Shipyard logo on t-shirts, bottle openers and cases of beer; which some locals were just

popping in to purchase. Hannah, our guide, took us straight to the heart of the Shipyard brewing area. Hannah was great, we took on so much information that gave us a greater understanding of the Shipyard ranges and products that I could definitely train staff with. Here are some of the things we discovered:

• • • •

The water source for the brewery is Sebago Lake in Maine Many of the hops used are from the UK — the Pacific Northwest and locally grown hops are sourced when available Malt used in Shipyard ales is 2-Row English Pale Most of the ales are brewed with Ringwood Yeast – this particular strain is more than 17 years old

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What we drank (Shipyard) Bluefin Stout — a dry Irish stout Sunfish, Seadog Brewing Co — notes of peach & grapefruit Export Flagship Canadian Pale Ale Monkey Fist IPA — West Coast IPA Sea Dog Brewers Choice — Fireberry Tea Beer Smashed Blueberry Porter XXXX IPA — Imperial IPA Old Thumper — Traditional English Shipyard’s Brewers Choice Mango Tea Beer Melonhead — Watermelon Wheat Ale Shipyard IPA — New England IPA (Other beers) Harpoon IPA – Went down well, smooth and refreshing Allagash White — a blonde beer that was light and crisp with a bit of an herbal kick — the perfect match for our crab cakes

“

I chuckle as I think of our pub back home where the locals have their own beer mugs. Here at The Café on Peaks Island it’s a similar thing. The quirks are the same

All ales are handcrafted one batch at a time using the “Peter Austin Brewing Process” – named after the founder of Ringwood Brewery (his story alone is worth a separate read for all the beer enthusiasts). It was incredible to learn about the bi-coastal link between Shipyard and Ringwood. Its biggest selling beer is the refreshing seasonal wheat ale Pumpkin Head. Demand is so high, they start brewing the autumnal beer in July just to cope. After a fine afternoon, we made the journey to Peaks Island. On approach across the water, the Island looks a little intimidating. It’s like one of those films where once landed you may never be heard of again, with its large sign PEAKS ISLAND emblazoned over the docking station for the ferry. We scuttle off along with some of the locals who are returning home from working on the mainland and approach the inn. We toast an amazing day and look out on the lovely views over Maine.

Day 2

Pointing us in the direction of breakfast, we enter a small, almost “British-style tea shop” café where we eat with locals and fishermen.

I order Canadian bacon, sausage, toast and eggs over easy. Our waitress points to a large selection of coffees in their flasks and instructs that we can use paper cups or any of the 30 coffee mugs hanging around the counter. I laugh and ask, “are the other mugs belonging to the locals?’ she bluntly replies yes. I chuckle again to myself as I think of our pub back home where the locals have their own beer mugs. Here at The Café on Peaks Island it is a similar thing. It’s nice to know that the little quirks are the same across the pond. Something else I noticed when at pubs and bars is that the thing they normally first serve, is a pint-sized glass of iced water. I enquired to see if it was part of the licensing law and was told it was part of the service. We went on try numerous beers as we travelled around. This included Shipyard’s nine per cent Smashed Blueberry. This was tough but the tea beers were quite pleasant, as was the Melonhead. I’m not sure if this would be an attraction in the UK, although I believe we are starting to be more adventurous in our beer selection and choice. Overall it was an amazing and eye-opening trip. Thanks to all for making it happen.

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12/07/2017 00:47

play.

Here we go again… by MATT ELEY

We know its July and, yes, we know we’ve had the kind of weather that would only be suitable for a Qatari World Cup, but the domestic football season is fast approaching. With the big kick-off just around the corner, we take a look at some of the things coming your way. It’s already started

We know football is supposed to be a winter sport but this year the season started in the first week of July. Just ask Rangers fans, they were out of Europe before Joe Root had led England out for the first Test of the summer at Lord’s.

Curtain raiser

Celtic will be hoping to avoid a similar fate by getting through to the group stage of the Champions League. Once that’s sorted, fans can turn their attention to the season opener, the Community Shield. Premier

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OPENING FIXTURES FRIDAY AUGUST 4 Sunderland v Derby 7.45pm, Sky Sports

SUNDAY AUGUST 6 Arsenal v Chelsea 2pm, BT Sport

TUESDAY AUGUST 8 Real Madrid v Man U 7.45pm, Sky Sports

FRIDAY AUGUST 11 Arsenal v Leicester City PL 7.45pm, Sky Sports SATURDAY AUGUST 12 Watford v Liverpool 12.30pm, Sky Sports Brighton v 5.30pm, BT Sport

Man C

SATURDAY AUGUST 13 Newcastle v Tottenham 1.30pm, Sky Sports Man U v 4pm, Sky Sports

West Ham

C = Championship. CS = Community Shield CL = Champions League PL = Premier League

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League champs Chelsea face FA Cup winners Arsenal, with Chelsea looking to avenge the Wembley defeat that cost them the double.

European feast of football

It is perhaps fitting that a season of European football that could be the best for years starts with a meeting between two of biggest names in the world, with Real Madrid facing Manchester United in the UEFA Super Cup. BT Sport chiefs will have been rubbing their hands with glee when Manchester United won the Europa League, meaning they join Chelsea, Spurs, Manchester City and potentially Liverpool and Celtic in the Champions League. Arsenal will be playing on Thursday nights (potentially with Everton) meaning the competitions are full of the UK’s top talent.

A strong Premier League

The last two Premier League champions (Chelsea and Leicester) have been helped by not having squads stretched by fighting a European campaign alongside domestic competition. All of the expected title frontrunners are in Europe this year, which could mean a tighter race at the top. Leicester are featured in the first game of the season, on a Friday this year, when they face Arsenal. It could be a busy night for pubs. In fact the entire weekend will be busy, with four more live games being broadcast over the opening weekend.

New stories

The new season is not just about who will eventually be crowned the champions. Your customers will also be keen to see how new boys Brighton and Huddersfield get on. How

will Newcastle do on their return and will Spurs finally find a way to win at Wembley?

Around the grounds

And it’s not just the Premier League either. Between them, Sky and BT Sport have the rights to football around the globe as well as the EFL, domestic cup competitions and Scottish football. It will be a rare night when there is nothing for you to show.

What’s it going to cost?

Well you might ask. All that action comes at a price and both broadcasters have upped their rates this season. BT Sport is implementing a 3.5 per cent increase, based on your rateable value before the recent business rates review. Sky is going for a five per cent increase – this will be based on your old rateable value, unless it has been increased at review. If your rateable value has gone down, your Sky price will be based on that.

Extra support

Both broadcasters are reviewing the support they offer licensees. BT Sport is providing a more bespoke service to venues when it comes to point-of-sale. Both are highlighting ways in which pubs can drive footfall through a variety of traditional and digital platforms.

The World Cup is coming

None of the home nations have qualified yet but it’s highly likely that England will be in Russia. The usual disappointment will no doubt swiftly follow. Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland (and the Republic) are also all in the running to make it to the finals. Moscow is only two hours ahead of GMT, so all games will kick off some time between 5 and 11pm, which works out favourably for the trade.

Numbers game

According to a survey of fans by sports pub finder MatchPint, atmosphere and screen visibility are the key factors when picking a pub. A third choose a pub as a meeting place (35 per cent) while 34 per cent of sports fans said they go for a quiet drink or to relax. Give them plenty of reasons to watch the game with you.

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Debt, illness, relationships, family problems? You can talk to us about anything. So if you work in a pub or bar and need to turn your life around, just call 0808 801 0550 or visit licensedtradecharity.org.uk The last thing you want to do is bottle things up.

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stay 11

by MATT ELEY

ways to please your guests

With a growing portfolio of pub rooms in locations such as Stratford-upon-Avon and the Cotswolds, Henley-based pubco Brakspear knows a thing or two about providing boutique accommodation for discerning customers. We sampled the estate to get some ideas on how they meet customer expectations.

Keep it local

If customers want an identikit soulless experience, they’ll book into a budget hotel. They are coming to you and your locality for a reason, so remind them why it’s special. The 400-year-old Townhouse in Stratford-upon-Avon is minutes from Shakespeare’s birthplace and the artwork on the walls keeps that fresh in mind.

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JULY 2017

Be flexible with rates

Be open to all

Nobody wants empty rooms, which means they are essentially worth what people will pay for them. Depending on the day, the month and the season, customers can pay between £70 and £245 at The Townhouse. They are encouraged to book direct with a 10 per cent discount.

At a venue such as The Townhouse it would be easy to sit back and wait for the wealthy tourists to stroll in. It doesn’t work like that though. The pub appeals to corporate guests as well, accounting for about 35 per cent of all overnight bookings and helping it achieve 90 per cent occupancy rates. It has also refurbished the bar to make it more female-friendly.

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stay. squeezing shower gel from a box screwed to a wall like they’re in a public toilet. As we pampered ourselves at The Sheep in Stowon-the-Wold, we discovered the Templespa Bits & Pieces kit. While our ears didn’t need waxing or any buttons need sewing on, it still gave us a lovely warm looked-after feeling.

Think about the design

Get the bed right

Send them off with a decent breakfast

Make your mornings the toast of the town

Touches such as the traditional telephones can be seen around the Brakspear estate but the designs are far from identikit. Admittedly not everyone will have the luxury of an in-house design team but you can provide nice touches alongside practicalities. Neil Hanson, general manager of The Townhouse, says: “We worked closely with the design team, for example we knew we needed a family room so we made that work together.”

Port and biscuits

Make more of your space

Inapub has been lucky enough to stay at some rather grand pubs across the land but never before have we been met with a decanter of port in a room. This is standard across Brakspear’s managed estate and also comes with home-made shortbread. The devil is in the detail.

One trait top operators have in common is making the most of all the space available to them. At The George Townhouse in Shipston-on-Stour, a room that was previously used as staff accommodation has been turned into a luxury suite complete with free standing bath, which brings us to…

Don’t combine bath/shower

Brakspear chief executive Tom Davies has strong views when it comes to bath or showers. It’s one or the other, both, but never a shower head over a bath. He explains: “If it is a shower over the bath it is neither a great bath nor a great shower. If you can have both, great. If not it should be one or the other.”

Splash out on toiletries

The little things can make guests feel especially cared for – nobody feels special

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If there is one thing you need to get right above all else, it is the bed. Make it as comfortable as you can and ensure the size is appropriate to the room. Tom says: “We use Feather & Black beds and we have had very positive feedback. The sheets and duvet must be right too. It is the single most important thing to get right.”

If beds are the most important element in a room then breakfast is not far behind because it is the last impression you get to make on your guests. If you have enough rooms (and Brakspear likes sites with at least 10 rooms) then a cooked breakfast with a chef on in the morning is justified. If you are a small operator, getting up early to make breakfast and being there as the final bell rings at night could soon wear you down.

Breakfast doesn’t have to be for overnight guests alone. The George provides midweek toast and coffee mornings, with visitors able to help themselves to toast using the antique toaster on the bar.

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back-bar business

Got it covered? Jamie Jenkinson, managing director of hospitality insurance specialist Sector Associates, explains what you need to insure against to keep your business safe from disaster.

Insurance for any pub has always been a challenge. The complexities of a business with large amounts of cash, hot surfaces, sharp objects, a transient workforce with access to stock, plus the public coming in and out of your building have pushed premiums up. Yet the actual quality of cover rarely keeps pace with what the business requires. You can also be over-insured as well as under-insured, as hospitality insurance expert Jamie Jenkinson explains. “We see as many over-insured businesses as we see those which are under-insured. It is important to keep your broker up to date with any changes and any significant investments you make in the business. “By doing so you give your insurer no excuses not to pay out should you ever have

to make a claim.”With that all in mind, here are five areas you should consider when renewing your policy.

Business interruption

With good staff at a premium, would you want to keep hold of your team in the event of major damage to the building? Most structural rebuilds take six to nine months, which is an unrealistic time for you to cover the salaries of your employees and your own expenses. Regardless of the damage to the pub, you will have suppliers seeking payments for goods supplied, outstanding staff wages and undoubtedly HMRC popping a note through the letterbox — with no cash coming in to the till. In addition, when you restart the business, it is almost impossible to expect it to trade just as it did nine months ago — unless you increase spend on marketing costs (this should also be covered). Action: Check your policy and make sure you have a minimum of 18 months Business Interruption cover at a level which will pay for staff, loss of earnings and reduced trade when you re-open.

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Flood risk

No-one likes to be placed in a flood risk area, but the government risk maps used by insurance companies are updated annually. If your postcode has been included in recent updates and this risk has not been included, your cover may be nil. Action: If there have been floods in your region, check your postcode has not been included in the risk area. If it has, your broker should be able to work with the underwriters to explain the true risk and mitigate changes to the premium.

Fixtures and fittings (F&F)

“

Go around the pub, make a note of everything... pictures and framing can run into the thousands

It is important to recognise the price paid for F&F is rarely the true cost of replacing them from scratch and your insurance cover needs to be at a level that will see each and every item replaced quickly to get you back up and running.

attacks are not just a thing of fiction. Just ask anyone in the NHS. Cyber cover will protect you against losses incurred as you replace the hardware and re-build the years of databases and accounts you have lost. Action: Our advice is that if you are not covered talk to us or your broker, look online – and get covered. Premiums will only increase as more of these attacks make the front pages of the press. And finally, do not just renew without checking what other insurers are quoting – people rarely do with car insurance and yet time and time again pubs renew their business insurance without ensuring that the cover is at the right level and the premiums are the lowest available.

•

For more information visit www.sectoria.co.uk or call 01845 527 428

Action: Go around the pub, make a note of everything… pictures and framing can run into thousands. Include seating, glassware, all the kitchen equipment you have added to over the years — then go online and put a replacement price next to each item. Check your policy, then call your broker.

Terrorist cover

Being honest about risk is the best approach. If you are in a metropolitan area you should consider the risk from other areas — not just fire, flood or building damage. If an attack were to take place nearby could you sustain the loss of revenue for any period of time? What about the cost of a PR company to manage the story and demands of a 24/7 news channels? Action: if you have sites in metropolitan areas, ask your broker if you are covered for terrorist attack and what level of cover you have got.

Cyber-attack cover

It sounds like the world of Jason Bourne or James Bond, but nowadays ransomware

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back-bar business

The Perfect 10

One of the questions Inapub’s digital team is repeatedly asked by licensees is “‘What do I need to be found online?” Through customer research, feedback from operators and general trends in the digital world, we’ve developed a simple scoring system to help. Allow us to introduce The Perfect 10... 1. Google My Business

Quite simply, Google has replaced the Yellow Pages. If you want to find something out, you go to Google. The search engine gives you a free listing that allows you to update your contact details, opening hours and pinpoint your location. Just search “Google My Business” to get started.

2. Website

Whilst your Google listing will give basic contact details, you need a proper website to show off your pub. It’s the modern-day brochure. It helps get your pub noticed when people search for generic phrases such as “pubs near me”. For customers, it is the most trusted source of information.

3. Responsive website

A few years ago it was OK to have a mobile version of your website and a desktop version. With there now being such a wide range of screen sizes, across phones, tablets and laptops, Google prefers you to have a responsive website — one that responds to the size of the screen the customer is using.

4. Up-to-date

Possibly the most obvious, but you’d be surprised at how many pub websites are out of date. From the last special menu you had on (Valentine’s?) to last month’s events, it doesn’t give potential customers a good impression. Plus, updating your site regularly

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gives you a boost in Google’s ranking

5. Links to your social channels

The final piece with regards to your website — make sure you link to your social channels. The most popular section of our training course is how to get rid of old Facebook pages. You can do yourself a massive favour by making it easy for customers to find the real one, straight from your website.

6. Facebook page

The most commonly scored point on the way to the Perfect 10, yet we still find some pubs using a Facebook profile or a group. As a business using a page you’ll be easier to find, reach more people and be able to boost posts and view Insights.

7. Post regularly

Remarkably, we regularly find pubs only updating their page once a month or less. It’s true you shouldn’t post too much (the #1 reason people un-like a page is too much self-promotion) but once a week should be your absolute minimum.

8. Second channel

In 2017 you can’t just rely on Facebook. You need a second channel. We check for an Instagram or Twitter page when we score pubs on the Perfect 10 — it doesn’t matter which, the platforms have different strengths and weaknesses.

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inapub

DIGITAL MARKETING GUIDE

The Digital Team has been working to create an online guide that answers all your questions and we’re giving you a month’s free access to help improve your score. Just email sales@inapub.co.uk with what you’ve scored and we’ll add you to it so you can get closer to The Perfect 10. To find out more email sales@inapub.co.uk or call 0800 160 1986

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9. Keep on posting

As with your website and Facebook page, your second channel needs to be kept up to date. Customers trust pages that are up-todate a lot more than month-old statuses.

10. TripAdvisor Score: 4+

The final piece of the puzzle and the most divisive. Whatever your opinions on the platform, time and again customer research shows that customers do look at your

25/05/2017 09:37

reviews. By claiming your account and managing your reviews, you can show off your customer service skills on negative reviews and thank customers for their kind words. This engagement encourages more reviews, which will improve your score

The Results

How do you stack up? The average from the thousands of pubs we’ve already audited is 4.2/10.

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time at the bar

TOP

WINE BLUFFER S TERMS The words you need to know to impress your wine drinkers 1. Dry

5. Buttery

Technically a “dry” wine is one where all the sugar from the grapes has been converted to alcohol but, as with all things wine, it’s a bit more complicated than that in reality. That’s mainly because people often interpret the fruit flavours in wine as “sweet” even if the wine has very little sugar left in it.

Buttery — or some prefer the term creamy — wines taste that way due to a process called malolactic fermentation, which gives a softer, richer texture. Most red wines in the world undergo this kind of fermentation but it is a white wine — Chardonnay — that is best known for it.

2. Sweet

6. Balance

In the weird but wonderful world of wine, the term “sweet” never, ever refers to quaffing wine but almost exclusively to dessert wines. The insider’s term for these wines is “stickies”,so if you want to sound like you really know what you are talking about then use that instead.

If you ever find yourself stumped when it comes to describing a wine, calling a wine “balanced” is a complimentary catch-all term for those awkward moments.

3. Tannin If you’ve ever swirled a slug of wine around your mouth and been left with that dry feeling on your gums, then you’ll know what tannins are.

7. Corked Let’s be clear: if the cork itself breaks or looks shoddy in some way the wine is still not “corked”. A corked wine is one that has been infected with a trichloroanisole, or TCA for short, and is easily identifiable as the wine itself will smell of damp cellars or wet dog.

4. Minerality

8. Acidity

Some of the best wines in the world (Chablis and Sancerre, for example) are lauded by experts for their “minerality.” In layman’s terms you might recognise it as reminiscent of wet stone, crushed rock or even chalk.

Three primary acids are present in wine grapes — tartaric, citric and malic — but you don’t really need to know that. Suffice to say you can measure a wine’s acidity by how much your mouth waters after a sip and/or how much your lips pucker when tasting it.

9. Bouquet If someone asks about a wine’s bouquet then what they are really saying is: what aromas can you get from the wine? What’s its “nose?” Or, put more simply, “what does it smell like?”

10. Woody When people talk about wine that is “woody” they generally mean one that had been aged in oak — you might also detect it as flavours of vanilla, coffee or even smoke.

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Pop star Belinda Carlisle was set to perform an acoustic set at a Birmingham pub to raise funds for two great causes. The 1980s star will make the one-off appearance at Peach pub The High Field in Edgbaston on Saturday, July 15. Ticket receipts will be donated to the singer’s Animal People Alliance charity and the UK branch of Her Future, which provides shelter, education and decently paid employment to survivors of human trafficking. The event also includes a vegetarian or vegan meal and a silent auction. Sarah Robinson, general manager of The High Field, said: “We are thrilled to be joined by Belinda Carlisle and to have this unmissable opportunity to listen to her music in such an intimate setting.”

THE COLLECTION TIN What pubs around the country are doing to help good causes A pub fun day raised £600 for a three-year-old with cerebral palsy. The money raised by The Swan in Thornbury, Gloucestershire, will go towards the £80,000 the parents of Ezzy Hodge are trying to raise to help her receive specialist care in America. It is hope the treatment could lead to her taking her first steps. Staff from pubco Admiral Taverns cycled 160 miles from Cheshire to Scafell Pike in the Lake District, then climbed to the summit. Their endeavours raised £15,000 for the British Heart Foundation. The company has raised £70,000 for a number of causes in the last four years.

Greene King’s fundraising for Macmillan has reached a significant milestone, with £3m raised since they first partnered five years ago. In May 1,000 pubs across the country raised as much money as possible by hosting cake sales, raffles, quizzes, family fun days and more. A host of British brewers have got together to create a beer in memory of murdered MP Jo Cox. Get Together beer was created for the Get Together event in June. Brewers involved included Arkell’s, Adnams, Cliff Quay, Elgoods, Fullers, Harviestoun, Joseph Holts, Joules, J W Lees, Marstons, Palmers, St Austell, Theakstons, Thornbridge and Woodfordes.

Pub group Nicholson’s has teamed-up with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) to help prevent drowning around the UK. The company has 20 waterside pubs and is doing its bit to educate staff and customers about safety around the water. Every year about 190 people die in rivers and off the coasts of the UK and Ireland. The RNLI’s Respect the Water campaign will educate people in the pub about what to do in an emergency, including floating and resisting the natural urge to swim immediately on falling into cold water. Throw bags will also be provided to pubs by the Thames. The pubs will donate 50p from fish meals on a limitededition menu to the charity.

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

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PLATE OR SLATE? Where the nation’s publicans stand on the really big questions Megha Khanna, Abhinav Saxena and Gaurav Khanna, The Gladstone Arms, Borough Market, London

Kernel. We are not tied, so we try to buy through microbreweries.

Megha, her husband Abhinav and brother Gaurav, recently took on The Gladstone Arms as their first pub. The well-known music venue faced an uncertain future until locals saved it by obtaining an Asset of Community Value order. Just a few weeks after they re-opened the pub, terrorists killed eight people in the area in one of the worst atrocities the capital has seen. Nobody at the pub was hurt but they opened the doors late to provide sanctuary and food for people looking for safety. Two months on, the pub is now finally returning to a semblance of normality.

Background music or silence is golden?

Plate or slate? MK: Mainly plates but it isn’t your standard main course plate, it’s small plates. AS: Slate can be something different, but a plate is reassuring. We have different portion sizes, so we have plates that work for that. We have a slate for a sharing option, there is room for it. We also do bowl food for lunch.

Cocktails or cask ale? MK: Both. We do a range of cocktails that are proving popular. AS: We have two cask ales, which we change regularly. We also have lots of craft beers from breweries around here such as

MK: Definitely not silence. We like background music and if we don’t have that we have live music. The only time we will turn off the music is when we really want people to leave!

Cash or Apple Pay? MK: As long as it’s money, it’s OK. People prefer doing contactless these days. About 90 per cent of payments we get are by card.

Pork scratchings or Michelin Stars? MK: Michelin Stars. We don’t have them now but it is certainly something to aspire to. It would be great to get one at some point. We don’t sell pork scratchings.

Live sport or big-screen ban? MK: Big-screen ban. We don’t want to be a live sports pub. There are plenty of those and all respect to them, but it isn’t the feel we want. It is all about people coming together for the love of live music.

Family-friendly or keep the kids at home? MK: Family-friendly but we have a licensing restriction that you can only bring kids here until 8pm. We are definitely family and dogfriendly because it is all about the locals, especially at weekends.

Shabby chic or a design shrine? MK: The whole thing we are going for is a marriage between the two. It was very shabby chic before we took over, so we did some renovations to uplift it as it was a little tired. We have light furniture that we can move around to change the space.

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time at the bar

HAIR OF THE DOG Tales of the unexpected from the wonderful world of pubs Pub carpet pays off for but also who you are really happy You know those people little bit sick with envy? secretly make you feel a are. Ho e Meet Nick and Zo ed ite Horse in the aptly nam Wh The of s The tenant oping the sco r afte er rich m £1 , are Quidhampton, Salisbury ns Millionaire Maker. jackpot on the EuroMillio ment when et on the spur of the mo Nick only bought the tick r to a shop. returning a carpet cleane top of important it is to keep on It just goes to show how those annoying chores. It will come as no great surprise to any tenants that the Hoares have opted to give up their 100-hour weeks in preference to a life of relative luxury. Good luck to them!

Bristol boozer buries hatchet Sticking with Roy Larner – and why wouldn’t you? The man’s a hero after getting stabbed eight times to save the life of others. His bravery has also led to the ending of a dispute between his beloved Millwall and Bristol City. Some 20 years ago City fans allegedly stole a sign from the Millwall team coach, which has been hanging up in The Three Lions in Bristol ever since. Landlord Sean Donnelly said the pub wants to give it back to Roy. “We would now like to return this to the Millwall hero, who has earned this memento back — what a man,” he told The Mirror.

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Trade responds to terror The tragic terror attacks in Manchester and London have shown how communities and the pub trade can rally round for the greater good. Tens of thousands were raised to buy emergency service staff a drink in both Manchester and London. While one of the enduring images from the London Bridge attack was a man being led from a pub as terrorists struck, keeping his pint firmly in his hand. A brewery in Sweden has created a beer in honour of 47-year-old Millwall fan Roy Larner who fought back against the terrorists. Frequency Beer Works has produced “Fuck you, I’m Millwall” in reference to his shout in taking them on at The Black and Blue restaurant.

Beats a card For most dads a trip to the pub fo r a pint or two wo be the perfect wa uld y to mark Father’s Day. So we doubt ther e will have been many happier chaps than Paul Lightfoot who enjoyed just that… but in a pub nam ed in his honour. His kids nominated him in a co mpetition run by London br ewer and pubco Fuller’s. Pa ul won for being a “super da d” and saw the Turk’s He ad in Twickenham re named The Lightfoot Ar ms. Sounds like he’s got pretty super kids as we ll.

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