Inapub magazine may 2017 issue 65 by inapub

inapub

Issue 65 May 2017 ÂŁ3.95 trade.inapub.co.uk

Get your slice of the pie in Britain after Brexit

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this month What does Brexit mean for you? • Swearing

drink 26 drinks you need for summer • Beer ranging

eat Barbecues • Putting waste to good use

play Star-gazing from the pub roof •The Lions tour

stay Custer, Best or Clooney? Fun with themed rooms

t’s funny how a word that meant nothing to anyone until a few years ago can become one of the most relevant in the English language. Brexit is just that. But while it peppers conversations and commentaries across the country, it is still difficult to predict exactly what it is going to mean for the pub trade. With Article 50 well and truly triggered, we thought it was time to examine what the impact of leaving the EU could be for pubs. Typically, in a trade that has faced more challenges than Anneka Rice in the last few years, licensees are mainly just getting on with the business of running pubs. Where problems may present themselves, such as the prices of imported goods like wine, opportunities will arise with in-bound tourism and British-made products. The best entrepreneurs – whether they thought it was best to leave or remain — see opportunity everywhere. Brexit will not change that. Cheers!

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 How to make online videos • Britain’s Best BDM

time at the bar Pubs that launched pop careers • Your charity work

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

UNFILTERED The new beer from Fullerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. Dry hopped and unfiltered for a fuller flavour. Made with British pale malt and Target hops. Naturally hazy. 4.1% ABV. Serve cold.

DRINKAWARE.CO.UK

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this month.

BARSTOOL EXPERT all you need to know about SWEARING IN PUBS It’s like a morgue in here. Why’s it so quiet? Probably because of that Sam Smith’s ban.

They’ve banned playing Sam Smith tunes? But I love that guy.� No. Well, not as far as I know. The Yorkshire brewer and pub company Samuel Smith’s has taken a hard line on swearing in their pubs.

What the f...� Shh! Keep it down. Do you want to get us barred?

But I always swear when I see the prices of a pint in a Sam Smith’s. Expensive?

No, cheap as chips. Actually far cheaper than chips at a lot of pubs I go to. You’d better keep that potty mouth under control then. They say staff are to give customers a warning and then stop serving repeat offenders.

Well, I suppose swearing isn’t big or clever is it? You say that, but a study by professors in San Diego a couple of years back found that those prone to profanity generally have higher intelligence and a larger vocabulary than those who do not.

So why the ban on clever people like me? Because some take offence. You get more children in pubs these days, plus not everyone wants to hear blue language when they tuck into their beer and nuts.

Steady. Thank you. Sam Smith’s aren’t the first. Rochdale Council has threatened to fine people £100 if they are caught cussing in the town.

But have you ever been to Rochdale? Can’t say I have, but that’s no excuse anyway.

Sounds like another attack on our civil liberties by the easily offended. Not unlike the smoking ban. Yes. And that’s 10 years old in July and never going to change… hey, where are you off to?

Outside. I’m bursting for a curse. Tip: If banning is not your thing, think about a swear box. At least that way a charity could benefit from any slips of the tongue. .

@#$%&!

Sounds like bollocks. I’m not sure if you are being clever or stupid now…anyway, apparently if you are not afraid to use taboo words the chances are you have a higher vocabulary in other areas.

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IN THE TRADE THIS MONTH Alcohol value sales up The value of alcohol sold in the on-trade rose by 1.8 per cent last year, according to CGA Strategy’s Alcohol Sales Tracker. Sales climbed to £24.4bn — more than £400m higher than in 2015. However, volume sales fell 1.7 per cent across the same period. Phil Tate, chief executive of CGA Strategy, explained: “People are drinking less, but looking for better quality.”

TOP STORIES ON TRADE.INAPUB.CO.UK When a scathing TripAdvisor review turns into flourishing sales

BBPA sees opportunity in election British Beer & Pub Association chief Brigid Simmonds says next month’s General Election (June 9) will be a chance to show off the contribution pubs make to society. She said. “We will not hesitate to use the election to highlight both the challenges and the opportunities for brewing and pubs.”

Porter’s pulls off PRS win A renowned venue in Wales is celebrating to the tune of £10,000 after coming out on top in this year’s Music Makeover competition. Porter’s Bar in Cardiff saw off opposition from more than 300 other hopefuls to claim the top prize in the competition run by PRS for Music. The windfall — which comes with expert advice and a launch party from PRS — will be spent on improving sound systems at the venue so they can attract even better acts for their customers.

Trade welcomes Licensing Act review Trade groups have welcomed a House of Lords Committee review of the Licensing Act, which recommended widespread reform including the scrapping late night levies and Early Morning Restriction Orders. Kate Nicholls, chief executive of the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers, said: “They are blunt tools, ineffective for promoting healthier attitudes to alcohol.”

Blog: Knowing the value of everything and the price of a pint Emergency chef’s three common kitchen mistakes 9 things Britvic has taught us about soft drinks The new £1 coin: everything you need to know

Something for the journey A pub is encouraging customers to visit via train by providing treats for the journey home and chipping in for their train fares. The Miller of Mansfield, in Goring, Reading, is offering customers £10 towards their train ticket as well as a goodie bag for the return journey, including home-made snacks and a pub discount voucher. Mary Galer, who owns the pub with her husband Nick, said: “We want to reward customers for using public transport and reducing traffic through our village. “But we also want our guests to switch off, relax and not worry about how much they’re drinking or how they’re going to source a cab home.”

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this month.inapub THE WAY I SEE IT RICHARD SIDDLE

TWEET ALL ABOUT IT

Post Brexit is the time to ask serious questions of your wine supplier Because of our high duty and VAT rates only around 45p in a £5 bottle of wine is actually the wine itself. On top of that, the short-term impact of Brexit on wine prices has come down to the fact that the vote resulted in the collapse of sterling against the dollar and the euro — the two currencies in which the vast majority of wines in the UK are traded. This has meant that wines from key countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Chile and Argentina have already become 15 to 20 per cent more expensive for us to buy. The challenge for everyone post-Brexit, then, will be to work even harder to source the most competitively priced wine for that money. That’s whether it comes from Australia or, as we have seen in recent months, countries such as Romania and Moldova, which are now becoming highly attractive, providing the right quality and volume of wine at the right price points. With this in mind, it is worth checking to see which countries your wine list is made up of and what changes you could make to source and list different wines that are more competitive. Your wine supplier(s) should be on top of this, but if they are not then you need to ask serious questions.

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Your pub is only as good as your beer, do not neglect or expect the worst #beenlinecleaningforthirtyyears #donotneglect @martmolloy CALLED it “Inapub: Ah, line cleans. Love them or hate them, clean lines could be worth around £32,000 a year in profit to a pub.” @BeerChannel All of this can still be spoiled by a dirty glass though! @WinterhalterUK @BeerForThat - pubs need your beer & dessert matching educational material! “Inapub: A pint of Guinness & a... slice of cake? Cake sales in pubs are on the up bit.ly/2nKK9oV” @SchoolOfBooze Coffee beers have become interesting talking points in the US, will we start seeing more of them over here? Facebook: Will Broadfoot Taking 5 mins to have a read through @inapub latest mag — esp the wedding but as we are a licensed venue. It’s great to read what others do! @Elsteadmill

For more on the impact of Brexit on pubs, check out our lead feature on pages 10-12

Richard Siddle is an awardwinning business journalist and founder of wine industry title www.The-Buyer.net

£20m

The cash Heineken will invest in its Star Pubs & Bars estate in 2017

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

Inapub

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Cornish Orchard Cans

Cornish Orchards is showing its can-do attitude by making three products available in a new format. Gold, Blush and Alcoholic Ginger beer now all come in 330ml cans. The company has also launched the limited-edition Keeper’s Meadow Cider (four per cent ABV), which is described as “delicate and Prosecco-like”. www.cornishorchards.co.uk

Carling Premier

To mark the return of its partnership with football’s Premier League, Molson Coors is bringing back Carling Premier. The nitrogenated 4.7 per cent ABV lager was originally launched in 1994, then made a return 10 years ago. Could this time round be the greatest comeback since Liverpool in the 2005 Champions League final? 08456 000 888 option 5

Chimichurri half chicken

Add some Latin flair to your menu with this piquant piece of poultry, fully prepared, marinated, boned and pre-cooked so chefs only need to reheat it to serve. Chimichurri is an uncooked sauce that originated in Argentina and Uruguay and has been part of traditional cuisine for centuries. Serve with a salad, chips or get creative. Buen appetito!

Stuff

What’s new in the pub this month

Peroni Ambra

Want your customers to spend a little more on food? Peroni could have the answer. The brand has launched Peroni Ambra, a six per cent ABV Italian aperitivo, designed to open the palate and stimulate the appetite. Ooh la la. It combines Peroni with Italian Chinotto — pronounced Kee-not-toe — a rare Italian citrus fruit, for a bitter and fragrant flavour. www.asahibeer.co.uk

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this month. Jam Shed

Who said wine couldn’t compete with all those cool craft beer labels? Jam Shed is a new Shiraz from Leasingham winery in South Australia. The name pays homage to the original jam factory, where the winery now stands, and the wine, of course, is packed with rich berry flavours. You could suggest customers drink it with your chorizo dishes, or even an afternoon tea. www.accolade-wines.com

Chocolate Pavé

James Tanner, one half of the Tanner brothers and co-owner of the Kentish Hare pub in Kent, has unveiled an “inspired by” Chocolate Pavé created in partnership with ARYZTA Food Solutions and chocolate maker Callebaut. The dessert is a chocolate brownie base, topped with a milk chocolate praline and chocolate truffle, decorated with chocolate mirror glaze – ready to serve or be customised. www.aryztafoodsolutions.co.uk

Johnnie Walker Aged 18 Years

Like many teenagers, this whisky is going through a phase of change. Johnnie Walker has relaunched its 18-year-old blended Platinum Scotch whisky with a new name and look. The blend of up to 18 different whiskies is said to have sweet fruit flavours and aromas, with a touch of smokiness. www.diageo.com

Wyld Wood

Cider-maker Westons has refreshed the look of its Wyld Wood range to appeal to younger customers. Stats show a growing chunk of those who go organic are aged between 25 and 44 — hence the “brighter and clearer design” emphasising those credentials. Other brands such as Rosie’s Pig have also been given a tweak. www.westons-cider.co.uk

Magners Dark Fruits

In a mega-month for cider launches, Magners is getting all fruity. Dark Fruits is a four per cent ABV cider that is initially being launched in Scotland only. It follows on from the huge success Strongbow has had with its own Dark Fruit variety in the on-trade. www.candcgroupplc.ie

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Britain after Brexit by ROBYN BLACK

It was clear from the moment Marmite went missing from our supermarket shelves that Brexit was impacting on the retail sector but what of pubs? We waded through the policy, translated the jargon and ignored the political posturing to find out. Booze Wines from key countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Chile and Argentina are already 15 to 20 per cent more expensive to buy, due the collapse in sterling against the dollar and the euro that was triggered by the Brexit vote. Indeed, JD Wetherspoon, the pub industry’s biggest wine buyer, told The Times that it is already putting in place contingency plans in case tariffs and the weak pound force the group to find non-EU suppliers. It’s not a bad strategy, says wine expert Richard Siddle. “It is a good time to show your cards and make more demands on your supplier and to think about supporting bigger brands, which have the long-term resources to see through these unsettling times,” he advises. “Think also about more unusual and niche wines to help you hit your margins.”

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Longer-term, things could turn around completely, as “the ability to negotiate free trade deals could make imported wines from countries like Australia and New Zealand cheaper,” says Wine & Spirit Association chief Miles Beale. However, “if we fail to secure a free trade deal with the EU then European wines will be subject to a tariff, which they currently aren’t.” Of course it isn’t just wine that will be affected. In spirits Scottish whisky and English gin could benefit and, as drinkers turn to British products, it could be a boon for real ale too. “Brexit could actually be good for UK producers, so cask could benefit and so could maltsters and hop farms,” says Colin Wilde, managing director of Castle Rock Brewery in Nottingham.

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The labour market

Property prices If Brexit can make a major impact on the price of Marmite, what can it do to UK property? Well, just like Marmite divides opinion, so too experts disagree how our departure from the EU will affect the cost of pub real estate. Simon Chaplin, a senior member of the corporate pubs and restaurants team at Christie & Co, says pub prices are at least holding firm for the moment but there could potentially be an impact once the detail of the deal is known. There is also likely to be more investment from overseas in the sector. “The benefit to the UK pub industry is there are a lot of people who want to invest in the UK and pubs are a good bit of real estate that can produce an income. I think we will see more foreign investment in the groups and brands,” he explains.

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Such is the worry over the effect that a stop to the free movement of labour will have on hospitality, some are proposing creating a “barista visa.” Migration Watch UK chairman Lord Green said that the plan would, “meet the needs of pubs and restaurants…by allowing (young Europeans) to come for a strictly limited period of two years to work.” However, while there are around 440,000 EU workers employed in retail or hospitality in the UK, which equates to 7.7 per cent of the workforce, it’s dwarfed by the 640,000 non-EU immigrants who make their living in the sector. So Brexit might not cause the crisis predicted, in this area at least. Tim Foster, co-founder of the The Yummy Collection, which has six pubs in London and the south east, says around a third of his employees are non-British. Yummy has already seen something of a change in applications for work, Tim says — though he’s not pointing the finger at Brexit. “If we put out an advert for bar staff at the Somers Town (pub in Euston) we normally get 300 applications and 75 per cent would be foreign nationals,” he says. “The last one got 211 and only half were foreign nationals. “I think some have just decided to go home. The economies in Italy and Spain are recovering so some are going back for work.”

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The cream rises to the top in these situations. We’ll be doing as much as we can to prosper and adapt

Tourism According to tourist board Visit Britain, 2.85 million people visited the UK in January 2017. Up 11 per cent year on year, it set an all-time record for the month. While no solid correlation between Brexit and these numbers has been drawn, the weaker pound has no doubt enticed many travellers. Joycelyn Neve, boss of the North West-based Seafood Pub Company, has already set sights on enticing the growing tourist market and is working with the local tourist board to create marketing material that appeals to overseas visitors. In the tourist hotspot of Woodstock in Oxfordshire meanwhile, Owain Llwyd Jones of The Woodstock Arms, says he’s looking further down the line: “We’ve had a bumper start to the year and I am intrigued to see what happens. It’s a chance for us to ride the storm — the cream rises to the top in these situations. We’ll be doing as much as we can to prosper and adapt.”

The price of food Food prices, particularly seafood, pork and beef, are up already and ultimately, chefs will face further price hikes on imports due to border measures and possible import tariffs. Currently, 60 per cent of pork, frozen potato products, fruits and vegetables; over a third of beef, and 45 per cent of fishery products are imported into the UK, according to RaboBank Research. And Harry Smit, senior analyst at the firm, says fresh produce and olive oil are the most certain to suffer hikes post-Brexit. Meanwhile in the kitchen, canny chefs such as Adam

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O’Sullivan, of the Water Lane Bar & Restaurant in Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire (who is expecting a 10 per cent price rise on many products following supplier negotiations) and Ernst van Zyl, chef patron at The Hanging Gate in Higher Sutton, Macclesfield (who has seen a five to 12 per cent increase in the cost of seafood) are trying to make the most of what’s on their doorstep. “Brexit means chefs are going to have to work harder,” Ernst believes. “The key is to use cheaper cuts which will go further, making up for dishes which might even make a GP loss. Balance your menu to lessen the blow of absorbing rising costs.”

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FAMOUS FOR

BEING PORTABLE Bronya Smolen meets a travelling licensee bringing the pub to the people

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There’s huge demand for a social hub. I’ve proved the concept is profitable and successful

The loss of so many community pubs across the country is not just a crying shame for the industry, it’s a huge blow for those people who are losing their local. A pub is more than a watering hole, for many it is the bedrock of a community. Which is why Tony Kelly, a former travel journalist from Cambridgeshire, is now the proud landlord of a pop-up pub. He has launched a no-frills project called the Portable Pint, in which he rocks up to places which have lost their locals and replaces the service in the village hall. Tony says: “There’s a huge demand for a social hub. Unless you go to church, there is nowhere for people to meet and chat with their neighbours or other villagers now. “Even if I can organise a Portable Pint event just once a month somewhere, it’s a good opportunity to bring people together to meet and socialise like they used to.” There are no gimmicks, street-food trucks, fancy bar equipment or hipster gizmos. Tony knows that all a good pub needs is some quality drinks, a few bar snacks, but most importantly good chat. He sets up a table in the village hall with some casks of local beer, bottles of Prosecco, wine, soft drinks and scotch eggs. A fantastic reminder that while the extra things your pub can offer make a huge difference,

fuel and conversation are the crux of it all. He continues: “I don’t want to make it a novelty. It’s a bit like an old ale house. “In future I could do more outdoor events, but right now it’s just about taking some good ale into a hall and bringing people together so the community can stay connected. Tony’s first event took place in a village hall in Hadstock, Essex. Hadstock lost its local pub, the Kings Head, last year. The locals are campaigning for it to re-open, but for now they are grateful for a replacement pub service. He says: “If people are having to drive to a pub outside the village then not only might they be restricting how much they can relax, they’re also dividing the community. Not everyone will be driving to that same pub. “Many have commented about how good it is to be able to walk somewhere on a Friday night and chat now.” While the concept of the Portable Pint is simple, the process of setting it up is less so. Tony works six days a week at bars to raise funds and learn as much as he can about the industry. He holds a personal licence, but needs to put in the work to get a temporary licence for each Portable Pint event venue. But he says it’s worth it: “I’ve proved the concept is profitable and successful. This was exactly the sort of evening I had in mind when I set up The Portable Pint — bringing people together to enjoy real ale and conversation in a convivial community setting. “No TV, no electronic games, no background music, not much sign of people on their phones, just the pleasant hubbub of people of all ages chatting to their neighbours and friends.”

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this month.

communities that got their pubs back

Bevendean Community Pub, Brighton, Sussex The Bevy is funded by more than 700 shareholders, and was rebuilt and decorated by an army of volunteers in 2014. It now hosts a choir, a repair café, health checks and free kids’ parties. The George & Dragon, Hudswell, North Yorkshire From closure to CAMRA’s Pub of the Year. It has been some journey since the locals stepped in to save their pub. Fox and Goose, Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire When the owner fell ill, the locals clubbed together to buy the pub and run it as a cooperative with 258 shareholder members. White Horse Inn, Neatishead, Norfolk Saved by a local businessman who was sick of not having a good pub, The White Horse won Norwich CAMRA Rural Pub of the Year 2016 and is home to Neatishead Brewing Company.

The Portable Pint Staff: 1 Cask beers on tap: 2 or 3 per event Founded: 2017 Average price of a pint: £3 Online: The Portable Pint on Facebook

The Black Buoy, Wivenhoe, Essex When it became run-down, 20 Wivenhoe residents decided to turn the tide and purchase The Black Buoy. Now the pub is more popular than ever, with a new kitchen, beer cellar and a bar design.

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drink Alcohol sales in pubs, bars and restaurants rose by 1.8 per cent in value during 2016 to £24.4bn, according to the latest figures from CGA Strategy. This is despite a 1.7 per cent fall in volume sales over the same period, proving all the talk of “weekend millionaires” is more than mere marketing speak. Or, as CGA chief executive Phil Tate puts it: “Against a backdrop of sketchy consumer confidence and economic uncertainty it is a solid performance… people are drinking less but looking for better quality.” Surprising, then, that at the same time Diageo research conducted among 500 licensees found 35 per cent of pubs are failing to “promote or highlight” premium spirits. Say what? Over half of you (56 per cent) don’t display the spirits you serve from a speed rail on your back bar and 43 per cent admit you could do more to improve your range and maximise sales. That’s mind-boggling when you think about it — nearly half of you know you need to be doing more but just aren’t… bothering?

with ROBYN BLACK

Well, let us offer you some assistance. First up, I’d say consider calling in the professionals: Diageo is offering help to those who want it (get in touch or visit its Spirits Revolution website). However, there are also some small changes you can make right this minute that will make all the difference. Declutter your back bar, for example. Create “blocks” of spirits by displaying them by category; double-bank your best sellers; ensure mixers are close to hand and, for goodness sake, ensure you have premium options available for customers wanting to trade up. That last one applies across all your drinks, not just spirits, as those stats we started with prove. They clearly show that premium options need to be made available — and visible — for all your customers across all categories, because it’s not too late. There is still plenty of opportunity for growth in 2017, according to CGA but only if, as Phil says, “operators can curate the right ranges”.

43 per cent of licensees admit they could do more to improve your range and maximise sales... that’s mind-boggling

COMMERCIAL BREAKDOWN BODDINGTONS • Melanie Sykes is the face of Boddingtons More than 20 years on since the original ads, brewer AB InBev has announced Melanie Sykes is returning as the face of the brand once known as the “cream of Manchester”. Do you want a flake in that, luv?

DOOM BAR • British & Irish Lions Building on its grass roots support of rugby in its native Cornwall, Doom Bar will be an official sponsor of this summer’s Lions tour to New Zealand (see p44-45 for more on the Lions).

CARLSBERG EXPORT• The Danish Way Mads Mikkelsen stars in a new £15m TV ad campaign for the recently relaunched Carlsberg Export. The spots will be supported with poster, digital and cinema ads, through this month and into the summer.

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drink. Black Sheep craft canned range

As part of the brewery’s 25th anniversary celebrations, the Masham, North Yorkshire-based Black Sheep brewery has launched its first ever craft canned range by scaling up production of its Pathmaker and Glug M’Glug beer. Pathmaker will also be available in keg to pubs and bars. www.blacksheepbrewery.com

Nelson’s Gold

Made from Wild Knight English vodka and caramelised East Anglian sugar beet, this new drink is described as a “purely English blended spirit drink”. The name comes from the story of Admiral Horatio Nelson’s boat, which reportedly sank carrying a haul of gold worth £500m in today’s money. 01366 327 070

On the bar Jake North, The Bull, Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire

Look out for... Cointreau Blood Orange

“The perfect balance between sweet, bitter and blood orange peels”, this new version of Cointreau can be enjoyed on its own or in cocktails, so why not try the Cointreau Rouge? Put equal parts of Cointreau Blood Orange and cranberry juice in a big wine glass filled with ice and garnish with orange. www.cointreau.com

Aspall Cyder

Suffolk cider producer Aspall is adding a midstrength cider — or cyder, as it prefers to call it — to its portfolio. The new 4.5 per cent ABV drink is simply called Aspall Cyder and is said to have the “refreshing, crisp taste of justbitten apples.” www.aspall.co.uk

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Pearl River

One of China’s biggest beer brands, Pearl River lager, is now available in the UK. Described as “light but hoppy and “not overly bitter” this will match well with the delicate flavours of many popular Chinese dishes including lemon chicken and dim sum. info@kberands.co.uk

We’ve had a massive refurb here and just re-opened. As part of that we launched a cocktail list, which has been really successful for us. There’s another pub and a bar in the area that do cocktails, so we knew there would be a local market for them and, as we’ve got a huge beer range, we thought it would widen our appeal too. We’ve got 12 cocktails on the list, divided into “classics” at £6.95 and “contemporary cocktails” at £7.95. I create a Cocktail of the Weekend as well, which is usually tied to an event. For example, we did one called Red Rum for the Grand National and a green one — the Honeydew Martini — for St Patrick’s Day. Our overall best-seller, though, is the Passion-tini, which is basically a Porn Star Martini but with a nicer name.

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VISIT WWW.FEVER-TREE.COM/MENUS FOR MORE INFORMATION

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drink.

drinks everyone will be ordering this summer 1

Friels

The Pimm & Proper

On a lazy, sunny afternoon in a beer garden, the most exhausting activity can often be deciding between beer and cider. Save your customers the quandary with this hop-infused vintage cider. It comes in cans to appeal to the craft crowd and, according to maker Aston Manor, is “fruity and crisp with a refreshing, smooth finish”.

Nothing says summer like a jug of alcoholic fruit salad (a.k.a. Pimm’s) — except, perhaps, a gently fizzing G&T. So why not combine them into one clever cocktail? Pour 25ml of Pimm’s and the same of gin (brand owner Diageo suggests its Gordon’s version) over ice and top with tonic. Serve with cucumber wheels and mint sprigs. Roger that?

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Mudhouse Sauvignon Blanc

Rosie Pig’s Rusted Wheel

As we’ll be spending this summer enjoying the Lions tour against the All Blacks, we think this wine is particularly appropriate. Not only does it hail from Marlborough, New Zealand, it is also the official wine of the British & Irish Lions and counts Welsh winger George North and former All Blacks star Sean Fitzpatrick among its brand ambassadors. Find out what the latter has to say about wine and that upcoming Lions tour on p44-45.

Anyone remember cherry drop sweets? If you were a fan, we recommend this new addition to Rosie Pig’s Festival Cider range from Westons. The whole brand

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“

Why not bring a bit of Caribbean sun to our not-quite-soglorious British summers with a classic rum punch?

Summer’s Haze: putting together two of the drinks trade’s top trends — gin and cloudy cider

has also got a new look and is now a permanent edition to the portfolio, following its success as a limited edition last summer. This variant is an unfiltered, medium-sweet cider with “nostalgic notes of cherry drops”.

Piña Bro-lada

A Piña Colada. For men! Don’t worry, there’s no difference from a normal Piña Colada but we were inspired by last summer’s campaign from Malibu, which celebrated the “malibros” — chaps who love Malibu and aren’t afraid to show it. Be ready with your version for national Piña Colada day on July 10. Whatever next? Women drinking beer?

Reggae rum punch

Gin & Haze

Mojito Sixty Six

“Rum will be popular this summer as it provides a good base for light and refreshing cocktails and is perfect for sharing with friends in pitchers,” says Nick Williamson, marketing director at Campari UK. With that in mind, why not bring a bit of Caribbean sun to our not-quite-so-glorious British summers with a classic rum punch? For Nick’s version, combine Wray & Nephew overproof white rum with grenadine and orange, lime and pineapple juices. Garnish with lime and liquid sunshine.

A combination of gin and Thatcher’s cloudy cider, Haze, this is a refreshing cocktail that combines two of the drinks trade’s biggest trends: gin and cloudy cider. Alternatively you can skip the gin and stick to the cider, pairing it with aromatic curries, to tap into another big pub trend: drink and food matching.

Let’s hear it for the bros: embrace your inner Floridian and grab a Piña Bro-lada

MAY 2017

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The Mojito remains the UK’s number one cocktail, so it would be foolish to take it off the menu altogether. Instead, try ringing the changes with this version from Halewood International.

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Funkin with the classics: recreating Dick Bradsell’s Bramble just got a whole lot easier thanks to Funkin’s Bramble Cocktail Mixer — just add gin

“We differentiate by using a highquality dark rum, like our Rum Sixty Six, and upgrade the sugar to demerara for a richer flavour, which complements the more complex rum flavours,” says a spokesperson for the company. To make it, muddle lime wedges, sugar and mint leaves in a glass, then add crushed ice, 50ml of the rum and a splash of soda water.

Sheppy’s Bicentennial

Sheppy’s will be launching two new ciders in time for this year’s sunnier months, including the Bicentennial: a medium-sweet sparkling cider made from bittersweet apples. The drink will make a great accompaniment to summer barbecues and light dishes, says the company’s head cider maker, David Sheppy, who is also promising a new cloudy cider in time for the summer.

MAY 2017

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Limoncello Long

The Bramble

This summer why don’t you dust off that bottle of limoncello cluttering up the back bar? Importer Continental Wine & Food suggests combining its own limoncello brand, Beltion, with fresh lemon juice, caster sugar, soda and ice for a refreshing long drink. Bellissimo!

Originally created in the mid-1980s by the bartending legend that was Dick Bradsell, this has become a cocktail classic. It’s a mix of blackberries, lemons and gin and, as of this summer we predict we’ll be seeing a lot more of them, thanks to the launch of a version from Funkin, which will make them very easy to execute indeed. Funkin Bramble Cocktail Mixer can be simply added to gin to recreate one of the most popular gin cocktails of all time or add it

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21/04/2017 02:17 14:35 26/04/2017

to some red wine to produce a British twist on Sangria (garnish with wheels of orange).

Bud Light

America’s favourite beer has hit UK shores recently complete with a multimillion-pound launch campaign. It’s been tried in the UK before but times have changed and we predict this time around brewer AB InBev might just have hit the sweet spot for younger drinkers with this 3.5 per cent ABV “fresh, clean” lager.

Gin n Bit

Gin is still very much in, so why not offer a simple twist on a G&T by substituting tonic for bitter lemon? This version, from spirits specialist Hi-Spirits, mixes its Scapegrace gin with bitter lemon, garnished with an orange wedge. Just add all the ingredients to ice in a tall glass, stir and serve.

Big Drop Milk Stout

Zero alcohol beer is becoming a thing — AB InBev is pushing its zero per cent portfolio and Heineken has launched a 0.0 per cent version of its eponymous lager (see #26) — but if you want to offer your customers something a little different as well, then we suggest this full-flavoured brew from

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the UK’s first brewer dedicated to making beer below 0.5 per cent ABV.

Old Mout Strawberry & Pomegranate

Winner of the favourite new brand accolade at last year’s Inapub People’s Choice Awards, voted for by pub-goers themselves, this fruit cider brand has been a huge success for owner Heineken. Available in four flavours, this one has just been reformulated and renamed (it was Pomegranate & Strawberry) to attract cider fans who “want to take their taste buds offroad this summer”, according to Heineken UK cider director, Emma Sherwood-Smith.

Apple Mint-Tiser

Pravha

Naturally, soft drinks are an important part of your drinks offer on hot days, so give customers something a bit more special than the usual options with simple mocktails such as this no-alcohol slant on a Mojito from Coca-Cola European Partners. Pour 50ml of cloudy apple juice, add five torn mint leaves, ice and top up with Appletiser. Garnish with a mint sprig.

A lighter pilsner for the summer months, this brew comes from the same stable as Staropramen and, at 4 per cent ABV, is more suitable for a long session in a beer garden as well. Brewer Molson Coors describes it as having, “a level of sweetness that is light and inviting, with hints of bitterness providing balance”.

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BOOST CIDER SALES THIS SUMMER WITH TOP TIPS FROM DIAGEO Katie Hunter, Innovation Commercialisation Manager at Diageo, shares her five top tips for maximising cider sales this summer:

Maximise fridge space – Flavoured cider is in growth, tap into this opportunity by increasing the total amount of fridge space dedicated to your fruit cider offering

Drink fit for an Earl: DaVinci Gourmet offers an English twist on iced tea

Earl Grey & Elderflower

A lovely British twist on iced tea using one of the new botanical syrups launched this month by DaVinci Gourmet. Just brew a cup of Earl Grey and pour it over two pumps of the elderflower syrup. Stir and cool before pouring over ice to serve. Spiffing.

Kopparberg Fruit Lager

Bad Apple

Range – Ensure that you stock a variety of ciders with different flavour profiles to cater to different palates and regularly review your fruit cider range to include innovations Events – Cider is well suited to summer events such as barbeques and sport screenings, so capitalise on these events where possible Staff training – Run tasting sessions with staff to ensure that they can confidently provide customers with recommendations based on their needs Formats – Stocking a range of different formats such as bottles, cans and draught options, helps you make the most of every occasion in your pub, whether it’s relaxing, more up-tempo or outdoor

Having brought fruit to the cider market, the Swedish cider maker is now doing the same for lager with this brew, which was launched last year. It is aimed at the same market (those pesky millennials) as Kopparberg’s fruit cider range and the company hopes to introduce more of them to the beer market.

Carlsberg’s contribution to the burgeoning craft cider market, this “tangy and crisp” cider brings draught cider into the modern world with what Liam Newton, vice-president of marketing at Carlsberg UK, calls its “eye-catching font and glassware”.

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Pepsi Max Ginger

Northern Connection

Launched just two months ago, this claims to be the first cola flavoured with ginger to hit the UK market. Britvic says 16 per cent of the 16 million UK cola drinkers out there also buy ginger-flavoured drinks and we say it also goes brilliantly with rum, so on both counts it will more than justify its place in the fridge.

According to research company The Food People, apple and rhubarb are two big flavour trends tipped for this summer. Make sure you’re on trend by serving this simple cocktail made with Franklin & Sons Cloudy Apple & Yorkshire Rhubarb variant. Put 35ml gin, 15ml fig liqueur and 15ml lemon juice in an ice-filled glass and top with the aforementioned Franklin & Sons.

Blossom Hill Spritz

Gin Gina

Following a rebrand from Blossom Hill Fruit Bloom, brand owner Treasury Wine Estates is rolling out a 275ml bottle exclusively to pubs and bars. Blossom Hill Spritz is light, bubbly and fruity and both flavours (Elderflower & Lemon and Raspberry & Blackcurrant) should be served over fruit in an icefilled tall glass.

A drink so sophisticated “it wears a three-piece suit to do the weekly shopping”, according to Orangina owner Lucozade Ribena Suntory, this summer tipple is a simple blend of Orangina and gin. Serve a Gin Gina like a Tom Collins: in a long glass with plenty of ice, and garnish with orange peel.

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Britvic says 16 per cent of UK cola drinkers also buy gingerflavoured drinks and Pepsi Max Ginger also goes brilliantly with rum 26 MAY 2017

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drink.

Jägermeister Manifest

Heineken 0.0

This is a posh version of standard Jägermeister, based on the original secret recipe but with added botanicals, a little more time spent maturing in oak and slightly heftier on the alcohol (38 per cent ABV as opposed to 35 per cent ABV). Jägermeister Manifest is not designed to be served as a shot, either, but either in cocktails or neat for sipping and savouring. Fancy.

With 50 per cent of adults in the UK now claiming they moderate their alcohol consumption, the market for low- and no-alcohol brews is booming. Bearing that in mind, it comes as no surprise Heineken is entering the market, then, with this zero-alcohol version of its eponymous lager. Feedback during testing was “overwhelmingly positive”, according to the brewer, and it’s just 69 calories to boot.

Manifest destiny: this Jäger was made to be mixed or savoured, not shot

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WITH PRESS, DIGITAL AND POS SUPPORT, ROOT56 IS THE PERFECT MIX FOR SUCCESS THIS SUMMER

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drink.

Find your range by ROBYN BLACK

When it comes to beer ranges it seems UK pubs are going for quantity over quality. Don’t believe me? Check out the recently released Beer Quality report from Vianet, which suggests that UK pubs have an average of three beer taps too many, costing the industry a whopping £73m per annum. “Promoting quantity over quality is unsustainable,” says Vianet’s product manager, Mark Fewster. “Unless demand is consistent then quality will suffer, affecting sales and customer satisfaction. “When it comes to deciding how many taps you will have on the bar, the biggest gamble you can make is on selling a whole cask within three days.”

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“That means serving more than 20 pints of that same beer every single day.”

Too many beer taps

Marston’s, which has also been doing a lot of work in this area, is itself launching a report on beer quality this month. “Ranging is the easy win in terms of improving beer quality,” confirms Thomas Winter, on-trade category manager at Marston’s Beer Company. His data also shows most pubs have too many taps on the bar, and by crunching the numbers he has come up with a matrix to show how many beers you should be offering, based on how many pints you currently sell. “If a pub is selling less than 2x9G a week, then we would suggest not offering cask at all,” he says. “If that’s how much you are selling then have one hand-pull on the bar. If you are

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“

Pale ales might get all the air time but research shows amber beers continue to have a better rate of sale

selling 4x9G then have two hand pulls; 6x9G is four hand pulls and so on.” And on those hand-pulls, choose the beers you serve by style — not by ABV, price or anything else. “What you really want to avoid, for example, is having four golden beers on tap at the same time,” Thomas says. “And be careful not to fall into the trap of offering one pale ale, one golden beer and an IPA thinking they are all different. Our research found that to customers, even those that consider themselves knowledgeable about beer, these are all the same style.” As a rule of thumb, if you are only going to offer one beer, then an amber ale would be the one to go for. Pale ales might get all the air time but the research shows that amber beers continue to have better rate of sale.

Rotation revolution

It seems pubs also have issues around the rotation of beers, with most licensees rotating brews too often. Marston’s found, for example, that the average number of pub visits per person per week is around two, with 53 per cent of people sticking to the same beer all year round. “Rotation is important in many outlets but it shouldn’t be too frequent, as consumers need a substantial length of time to try new things,” agrees Andy Wingate, category controller for on-trade at Heineken. “Keeping a brand on for two to three

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months is usually the ideal amount of time for an outlet’s customers to try the brand.” These days there’s also the temptation to “over-emphasise craft”, he says. “Vast numbers of drinkers still want something they know and love and don’t want to go on that voyage of discovery.” That’s not to say it has no role at all – 75 per cent of drinkers have yet to try craft, so there is good opportunity for growth in this area — just be careful not to overdo it, as it remains a very small part of the market. “IPAs and Pilsners are the most popular styles in this part of the market by a long way,” says Andy. So start with one of those and see how it goes. With craft cans now growing in popularity it might be that you decide to start your journey into craft from the fridge rather than on draught — in which case, take some lessons from the off-trade. “Keep fridges tidy with good blocking, range more premium lines in the hotspots — such as the top shelf — and make it easy for consumers to see what’s on offer with multiple facings on most lines,” Andy advises. And so back to where we began — Vianet’s report, which found that 98 per cent of licensees think beer range is a big influence on the identity of a pub. They aren’t wrong, but when it comes to beer ranging, it seems to us that equal weight should be given to the 60 per cent of drinkers that would prefer a smaller range of beers served perfectly than a wider choice.

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PROMOTIONAL FEATURE

Craft a winning line-up Craft beer is here to stay, local breweries are booming and imported beers are growing, so how do you ensure you have a winning range? Sam Fielding, new beers brand unit director at HEINEKEN UK, shares some insight and advice with Inapub’s Robyn Black Isn’t craft beer just a passing fad? We absolutely don’t think so. There’s an exciting resurgence in different styles of beer globally and it taps into our interest in authentic, local products and more exciting flavours. It’s just for hipsters, though, isn’t it? Fewer than one million people buy beers exclusively in the craft area. That leaves 13 million adult beer buyers yet to try it, many of whom form a group we call “beer curious”. It can be an intimidating sector, not just for drinkers but licensees too, and it’s part of our job at HEINEKEN to dispel some of the myths and simplify the category to help our customers’ businesses grow.

lagers, pale ales and IPAs account for 90 per cent of beer sold, so we’d suggest starting with at least one of those. Then think about the burgeoning imported beer market, especially beers from the US, New Zealand or Australia and, of course, local brews as well to create even more interest. Tell us more about your latest launch, Maltsmiths. This was a really exciting project that will help pubs and bars tap into the trends we’ve talked about. We launched two beers into the on-trade in March: a Bavarian-style Pils and an Americanstyle IPA, brewed at our pilot brewery, Wee George, up at the Caledonian Brewery in Scotland by our Maltsmiths brewers, Alex and Sarah (below left).

Can anyone stock these new wave beers? Yes — if you build it, they will come. The first step would be deciding if your customers are beer curious, beer connoisseurs or both. For the first group think about offering a familiar style:

Any final advice? Make these sorts of beers visible to spark interest and sales. Display them near the till, in the centre of the bar, at the top of the fridge and promote them on tables, in menus and on boards. Also, engage your customers with things like beer and food matching.

WATCH THIS...

Check out our Facebook Live chat with Sam on the Inapub Facebook page for more ideas and advice.

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

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eat Once upon a time, my face blew up to the size of a hippo’s (you can laugh). I keep a photo of it on my phone to scare people from time to time. But it was my first experience of what it was like to have a serious allergy. While my case was sorted with some steroids and a few hamster-cheek-related jokes, allergies aren’t always so funny. And for some reason, until you know someone with one, it’s hard to truly realise how difficult and serious the situation is. But this is a good-news story. While my reaction was, thankfully, not food-related, I’m always happy to see a pub with awareness of allergies. Chefs often joke with me about

with BRONYA SMOLEN these people being their worst nightmare, but actually most are more than happy to cater for them. A few top chefs have even started to develop menus that are naturally gluten-free. They say it makes them more creative, plus customers order more courses, as they’re not so stuffed with heavy food. I share my face-explosion story with you because recently it has been Allergy Awareness Week, and the number of pubs that got involved was fantastic. Proof that it’s worth the mini-heart attack your chef has every time an egg, milk and gluten-intolerant customer confidently walks into your bar — but when they leave with a smile on their face it’s worth it. Keep up the good work all.

Apparently people are lying about liking sushi and craft ale

Is your kitchen making these three common mistakes? Relief chef and kitchen consultant James Cathcart tells us the most common reasons a kitchen is failing:

Alarming amounts of people have admitted to eating food they hate, to appear “more cultured”, according to a survey*. More than one in ten Brits (14 per cent) lied about their food preferences and 29 per cent said they had claimed to be “foodies” despite hating a number of on-trend food items. Among the top 20 foods Brits have lied about liking were sushi at number one, followed by dark chocolate, then steak served rare. Craft ales came in at number six. *Source: Mediterranean cruise company MSC Cruises UK, 2017

Shouting chefs and low staff morale Make sure staff are rewarded and incentivised. Bad kitchen layout If your chef has to keep walking up and down to fetch ingredients they use daily, rearrange the kitchen to save them time. Misunderstanding of protocols and systems If staff aren’t fully aware why a kitchen does something in a certain way (e.g. portioning the butter) then they won’t do it.

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HAM & EGG IN A CHIP Jon Furby, chef & director Sign of the Angel Lacock, Wiltshire Egg

We confit the egg yolk in duck fat to seal it. Then it can be placed in the chip after the ham.

Ketchup

It comes with home-made ketchup, to complete the twist on a real classic. Customers like surprises or something that’s a bit different, we want them to feel like there’s a present with each dish.

Chip

Ham hock

The pigs are from Downland farm, reared 300 yards from the pub. We slow-cook the ham hocks in cider. When they’re cooked, I flake it with Shepton Mallet honey (from Somerset) and the mix is placed into both sides of the chip.

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We use a starchy potato so that it’s solid when you cook it. I use a whole potato for each “chip”, core it with an apple corer on both sides for the egg and ham to fit in. We cook the potato for four minutes and fill it with the ham and the egg. We then pané the whole thing by dipping it in breadcrumbs twice to get a nice coating and frying it for about a minute.

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Selling the sizzle by BRONYA SMOLEN

The price of meat is on the rise. Uncertainty and fear have been pushing up the cost of beef and pork especially, as Brexit looms. But that can’t stop a great British pub barbecue. James Linder, licensee of The Eagle in Norwich, Norfolk, has been boosting his summer trade with barbecues for three years now — but thinks the secret to success is to offer them privately. Instead of putting on a communal feast

for all comers, James books out his barbecue area to parties. He charges £12 per head for a standard menu including a sausage and burger each plus various salads. He says: “Our top tip is to have just one sitting where just one chef is required to cook all the food up at once. If you keep the barbecue running you need two or three staff out there for hours. “I think pay-as-you-go barbecues are not the best way to do it. The most you can really charge for a burger on a barbie is £6 — well, I’d rather customers order off my food menu and spend £10, so I can hit a better GP through sides like chips and salad. “If you are going to book private barbecues though, I recommend having a rule that only one or two staff can confirm the booking. This limits the chance of a double booking or other errors.” James has a varied vegetarian and vegan

Great on the griddle Mark Turnbull, chairman of the Q Guild of Butchers, offers this guide to choosing meat for the barbecue. Lamb Choose a cut off the bone. Spatchcock lamb is butterflied with the bone removed, which will allow it to lie flat on the grill and cook evenly. Beef Along with burgers, steak is the obvious choice for barbecues. Choose a cut with a lot of flavour — rump and flat iron are both tasty and economical choices. Marinade or season well and cook from room temperature. Pork Sausages won’t be marinated, so choose a product that contains flavourings within the casing. You could go traditional with leek or Bramley apple; or spicy with jalepeño and cheese. Sausages like kielbasa and bratwurst are ideal for smoking and are proving a popular choice for pubs and restaurants serving a barbecue menu.

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offer on his barbecue menu, something he says is increasingly important. In fact, often even the meat eaters can’t help but tuck into a falafel too — so make sure you have spares. He adds: “It’s also important to prepare for weather possibilities. If a party books a barbecue we keep our function room upstairs free in case they need to move inside. Plus we have covered areas outside.”

Crafty cuts

Handily in these times of turbulent prices, barbecues can make good use of the cheaper cuts of meat. Laurence Bowes, operational director of Hush Heath Estate & Winery, has just helped develop a new barbecue-style menu for their pub site St Bart’s Brewery, near the London meat Mecca of Smithfield Market. “For me the best thing on the menu has got to be the smoked brisket,” he says. “It’s a cheap cut of meat but it’s about cooking it slowly and treating it with respect. With meat prices on the rise you’ve got to be smart — things like fillet steaks are getting expensive, so it’s about cheaper cuts, which taste superb on the smoker.” The pub uses apple wood from the Hush Heath Estate farm in Kent to smoke the

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Safety first Luke Davies, Star Pubs & Bars food manager, points out that seeing and smelling food being cooked is a great encouragement for customers to eat and drink. However, as always, health and safety can’t be ignored. Luke’s advice is to:

• • •

Position the barbecue away from anything that might catch fire, such as fences or parasols Never leave the barbecue unattended Use oven gloves and tongs

“The same law regarding food safety applies inside and outside the kitchen, so make sure you have a safe method of transporting, storing and checking food is cooked through,” he says. “Your food safety management system will need updating with full details of your barbecue risk assessments and HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) plan.

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meat, saying it imparts a unique flavour.

Get your pound of flesh

Chris Wheeler, head chef at Stoke Country Park’s Humphrey’s restaurant in Buckinghamshire and ambassador for trade body AHDB Beef & Lamb, is obviously passionate about meat quality. He explains how quality can actually result in better GPs: “Quality Standard Mark meat, for example, is of such a high standard for the whole carcass, that you could use an alternative cut for a more competitive price. “The tenderness will still be the same and you will achieve a great GP. Customers like to know where meat comes from and about the welfare of the animal. This can help licensees promote a barbecue.” Even the best quality meat benefits from some additional flavour. Chris tips saffron and fresh mint marinade to be a big hit this summer, saying: “The saffron brings a little spice and Moroccan feel to the dish, whilst the mint brings summer freshness.”

Sabarosa Flatbreads

An exotic treat made easy with Heinz

Don’t skimp on the bread

Speciality Breads’ managing director Simon Cannell encourages licensees to bear in mind the rest of the barbecue offer. He says: “Barbecues are a special occasion — but whether it has an ethnic twist, is cooked slow, features unique cuts of meat or a full pig, quality bread is always needed. It’s pointless going to the effort of marinating and barbecuing quality meat then serving it in an uninspiring bun.” To offer a point of difference to licensees this year, Simon has helped develop a new product‚ Sabarosa Flatbreads. They can be lightly grilled on the barbecue and loaded with any meat, or served with dips. Come rain or shine, EU or UK, there are plenty of ways your barbecue can turn a meaty profit.

Sometimes you don’t need hours of marinade and a million spices to make something taste good. Kraft Heinz suggests this handy sauce hack, so you can spice up refreshing watermelon using what’s already in your cupboard.

•••

Ingredients 1 watermelon Dried chilli flakes Heinz Sticky Korean BBQ Sauce Method 1. Quarter a watermelon then cut into triangular slices. Season with salt, pepper and chilli flakes. 2. Grill over coals or griddle for 7-10 minutes. 3. Serve with a dipping sauce of Heinz Sticky Korean BBQ Sauce

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Please drink responsibly. 1: International Wine & Spirits Review, 2014. 2: GB. Nielsen Total coverage, defined iced coffee brands, value sales, weekly data to 13/08/16.

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26/04/2017 13:30 16:35 03/04/2017

Dining from the by BRONYA SMOLEN

“

We pickle old vegetables, bread waste is turned into croutons or breadcrumbs, leftover Sunday roasts are turned into soup for staff

38 MAY 2017

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dustbin

Londoners have been paying £15 per dish to eat a pile of garbage. This isn’t us having a dig at edgy hipster food fads. This is the tale of how fish heads, stale bread, flat champagne and sugar beet pulp made their way into Selfridges and became trendy... and all for a good cause. Dan Barber is an American chef, writer and academic leading the way on food waste and sustainability. In February this year he took over Selfridges London’s rooftop kitchen for six weeks with 35 big-name guest chefs and served a menu made from ingredients that would usually be thrown out or ignored. The project was called WastED. As well as chefs including Tom Kerridge, Gordon Ramsay and Marcus Wareing, he teamed up with suppliers including Beavertown brewery, Chase Vodka and Tesco to source “waste” for the menu, which changed daily. Suddenly, food that at first glance seemed like it belonged in a dustbin became steaming hot. Seriously, getting a table at WastED was not easy. Drinking a cocktail of flat champagne, pineapple run-offs, chamomile & milk sounds strange and ridiculous, but reviewers raved. More important though, is the premise of the project: cutting waste. The amount of biodegradable waste (including food) sent to landfill in the UK in 2015 was 7.7 million tonnes. That’s enough to fill 35,000 jumbo jets. According to food waste charity UK Harvest, one third of all food produced is lost or wasted, half of all fruit and vegetables are wasted and eight per cent of the

greenhouse gases heating the planet are caused by food waste. Dan Barber isn’t the only chef to care about these facts. Brendan Barwise is head chef at the Sentinel Brewhouse in Sheffield, Yorkshire, and has been working with The Real Junk Food Project (RJFP) since he helped open the pub in 2016.

Junk food, but not as we know it

RJFP is an organisation which helps businesses gather food destined for waste and sell it on a “pay as you feel” basis. The pub holds monthly sell-out events where customers pay five pounds for a ticket plus four beers, then pay what they want for the food on the night. The pub profits from the drink and ticket sales only. Brendan says: “The food comes from supermarkets and local suppliers. For example, when Ocado can’t deliver an order for any reason, food goes back to the warehouse and is effectively considered waste — so we are sometimes seeing 10 pallets of perfectly good food. “Everyone who works at the event is a volunteer, and all the profit from the food goes back into the project. “It’s a great night, there’s a talking point and customers can bond over the sharing food. We serve up a lot of curries,

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Pic: Amy Lance

eat.

Pic: Clerkenwell Boy

tray bakes, beer can chicken. I’ve also done things like scotch eggs and cauliflower croquettes — it all depends on what’s available from waste that week. “It’s also taught me more about day-today waste. We pickle old vegetables, bread waste is turned into croutons or breadcrumbs, leftover Sunday roasts are turned into soup to feed the staff. “I also have limited space and only one freezer, so we’re really careful with over-ordering.”

bit much, there are other ways to tackle waste to the business’s benefit. Rob Freight, compliance officer at St Austell Brewery was shocked after a four-week trial found that just three pubs produced nearly a ton of food waste. Now, all the food waste from the brewery’s 20 managed houses is sent to an anaerobic digestion plant to produce gas for energy, and this saves them money. They are working towards a zero per cent landfill contribution. Rob says: “I would estimate it costs us half the price that it did before to get rid of our waste like this. So it’s cheaper but it’s also the right thing to do, we have a social responsibility. “You do need the space to recycle waste like this because you’ll need extra bins outside the pub, but this isn’t a problem at our sites. We have also delegated Green Champions in each site, who are in charge of making sure the team keep on top of their wastage. Even small things like moving the food bin into the centre of the kitchen have made a difference.” It’s certainly food for thought.

Booze bin

From top: WastED Kitchen’s sugar beet rosti and fish& chips; diners at the Real Junk Food Project; discarded veg ready to be turned into Real Junk Food

The drinks industry has got involved too. Chase Vodka supplied waste from its distillation process such as spud mash and spent botanicals to the WastED kitchen. Meanwhile, Glasgow-based brewery Jaw Brew has created a blonde beer named Hardtack, made with leftover bread rolls. The brewery found the bread could be mashed without adding fermentable sugars, to create a low-alcohol beer which is now being sold in a number of pubs around Glasgow. If lettuce-butt salads and juice pulp burgers sound a

Dish ideas from the WastED Carrot-top jam Sugar beet pulp rosti

Waste rarebit with stale ale bre

p38-39 waste management.indd 39

Cod head kedgeree ‘Rescued’ veal nuggets with ash

mayonnaise

‘Fish and chips’ with salmon ribs , fried sardine bones, cod skin & seaweed Bloody Mary with b-grade pas

trade.inapub.co.uk

Kitchen

sata

Cordial made from fruit off-cut

26/04/2017 16:33

Unmissable Live May - July 2017 BRITISH & IRISH LIONS TOUR

MON

Watford v Liverpool

TUES IPL: Delhi v Hyderabad

MAY 2017

Royal Ldn 1-Day Cup: Yorkshire v Lancashire

3 WED Royal Ldn 1-Day Cup: Hampshire v Middlesex IPL: Kolkata v Pune

IPL: Mumbai v Bangalore IPL: Pune v Gujarat

THURS

FRI

SAT

SUN

MON

EFL: Semi Finals

West Ham v Super League: Tottenham Hudd'sfield v Castleford EFL: TBC IPL: Delhi v Gujarat

Man City v Palace EFL: League One Final Day

Super League: SPFL: Warrington Inverness v v St Helens Premier Hamilton League Darts Super Rugby: x2 Games Super League: Catalan v PGA Tour Golf: Wells Fargo Leeds Champ'ship Super Rugby: Rugby: x5 Games Semi Finals Champ'ship Royal Ldn Rugby: 1-Day Cup: Semi Finals TBC PRO12 1st ODI: Rugby: TBC England v Top 14 Ireland Rugby: TBC IPL: IPL: Bangalore v x2 Games Punjab

Liverpool v S'hampton

Arsenal v Man Utd EFL: Champ'ship Final Day

Chelsea v M'brough

WORLD CUP 2018 QUALIFIERS

TUES IPL: Punjab v Kolkata

WED Royal Ldn 1-Day Cup: Essex v Sussex

THURS

FRI

SAT

SUN

MON

Challenge Cup: TBC Premier League Darts

ATP 1000 Masters: Madrid IPL: Gujurat v IPL: Mumbai Dehli v Punjab

IPL: Hyderabad v Mumbai

West Brom v Chelsea Challenge Cup: TBC Spanish Grand Prix

3rd Test: West Indies v Pakistan Royal Ldn 1-Day Cup: Nott'shire v Durham

La Liga: TBC Royal Ldn 1-Day Cup: TBC

IPL: Dehli v Pune

Man City v Leicester

Palace v Hull

Stoke v Arsenal

West Ham v Liverpool

EFL: TBC SPFL: Rangers v Hearts Champions Cup Final

PGA Tour Golf: The Players Championship

2nd ODI: England v Ireland

ENG v SA INT'L CRICKET

European Tour Golf: Open de Portugal

Fight Night: Kal Yafai v TBC

Chelsea v Watford

ATP 1000 Masters: Rome

Tottenham v Man Utd La Liga: TBC IPL: Pune v Punjab IPL: Dehli v Bangalore

Super Rugby: Super Rugby: x2 Games x2 Games HSBC Rugby Sevens: Paris

IPL: x2 Games

LPGA Tour Golf: LET Buick Championship

THURS

FRI

SAT

SUN

MON

TUES

WED

THURS

FRI

SAT

SUN

MON

TUES

WED

THURS

ICC Champ Trophy: Australia v Bangladesh

World Cup of Darts PGA Tour Golf: The Memorial Tournament

ICC Champ Trophy: England v New Zealand

European Tour Golf: Nordea Masters

JUNE 2017

ICC Champ Trophy: England v Bangladesh

ICC Champ Trophy: Australia v New Zealand

British & Irish ICC Champ Lions v Trophy: India Provincial v Pakistan Union Team Super League: Hull v Wigan

British & Irish Super League: Super League: World Cup Lions v Blues Leigh v Wigan TBC Qualifiers: Scotland v ICC Champ ICC Champ ICC Champ England Trophy: Trophy: India Trophy: Pakistan v New Zealand World Cup v Sri Lanka South Africa v Bangladesh Qualifiers: Azerbaijan v Northern Ireland PGA Tour Golf: FedEx St. Jude Classic

World Cup Qualifiers: Republic Of Ireland v Austria

ICC Champ Trophy: Sri Lanka v Pakistan

World Cup Qualifiers: Serbia v Wales

British & ICC Champ Irish Lions Trophy: v Highlanders Semi Final Royal Ldn 1-Day Cup: Play-Offs

U.S Open Golf ICC Champ Trophy: Semi Final Challenge Cup: Quarter Final

European Tour Golf: Lyoness Open

ICC Champ Trophy: Sri Lanka v South Africa

Canada Grand Prix British & Irish Lions v Crusaders Super League: Catalan v Hudd'sfield

ICC Champ Trophy: India v South Africa

ICC Champ Trophy: England v Australia

SAT

SUN

MON

TUES

WED

THURS

FRI

SAT

SUN

MON

TUES

WED

THURS

FRI

SAT

2nd Test: British & Irish Lions v New Zealand

ICC Women’s World Cup Cricket: India v Pakistan

JULY 2017

Royal Ldn 1-Day Cup: Final Super League: Catalan v Leigh

ICC Women’s World Cup Cricket: Sri Lanka v India

Super League: Super League: 3rd Test: TBC British & Irish Wakefield v Lions v Castleford New Zealand 1st Test: England v South Africa European Tour Golf: Irish Open PGA Tour Golf: The Greenbrier Classic

European Tour Golf: HNA Open de France PGA Tour Golf: Quicken Loans National

Keep the sports showing Keep the drinks flowing Once you’ve got the momentum, it’s unstoppable

ad page2.indd 40

Austrian Grand Prix T20 Blast: Essex v Surrey

ICC Women’s World Cup Cricket: England v Super League: Australia Catalan v Wigan T20 Blast: Birmingham v Nott'shire

T20 Blast: Nhamp'shire v Yorkshire

T20 Blast: Sussex v Hampshire ICC Women’s World Cup Cricket: Australia v India

T20 Blast: British Grand Prix Middlesex v Surrey T20 Blast: T20 Blast: Super League: Lancashire v Glamorgan v Yorkshire Somerset Wigan v Warrington Super League: TBC 2nd Test: England v South Africa European Tour Golf: Scottish Open PGA Tour Golf: John Deere Classic ICC Women’s World Cup Cricket: England v West Indies

Call 08442 414 659 26/04/2017 17:03

Unmissable Live May - July 2017 BRITISH & IRISH LIONS TOUR

MON

Watford v Liverpool

TUES IPL: Delhi v Hyderabad

MAY 2017

Royal Ldn 1-Day Cup: Yorkshire v Lancashire

3 WED Royal Ldn 1-Day Cup: Hampshire v Middlesex IPL: Kolkata v Pune

IPL: Mumbai v Bangalore IPL: Pune v Gujarat

THURS

FRI

SAT

SUN

MON

EFL: Semi Finals

West Ham v Super League: Tottenham Hudd'sfield v Castleford EFL: TBC IPL: Delhi v Gujarat

Man City v Palace EFL: League One Final Day

Liverpool v S'hampton

Arsenal v Man Utd EFL: Champ'ship Final Day

Chelsea v M'brough

WORLD CUP 2018 QUALIFIERS

TUES IPL: Punjab v Kolkata

WED Royal Ldn 1-Day Cup: Essex v Sussex

THURS

FRI

SAT

SUN

MON

Challenge Cup: TBC Premier League Darts

ATP 1000 Masters: Madrid IPL: Gujurat v IPL: Mumbai Dehli v Punjab

IPL: Hyderabad v Mumbai

West Brom v Chelsea Challenge Cup: TBC Spanish Grand Prix

3rd Test: West Indies v Pakistan Royal Ldn 1-Day Cup: Nott'shire v Durham

La Liga: TBC Royal Ldn 1-Day Cup: TBC

IPL: Dehli v Pune

Man City v Leicester

Palace v Hull

Stoke v Arsenal

West Ham v Liverpool

EFL: TBC SPFL: Rangers v Hearts Champions Cup Final

PGA Tour Golf: The Players Championship

2nd ODI: England v Ireland

ENG v SA INT'L CRICKET

European Tour Golf: Open de Portugal

Fight Night: Kal Yafai v TBC

Chelsea v Watford

ATP 1000 Masters: Rome

Tottenham v Man Utd La Liga: TBC IPL: Pune v Punjab IPL: Dehli v Bangalore

Super Rugby: Super Rugby: x2 Games x2 Games HSBC Rugby Sevens: Paris

IPL: x2 Games

LPGA Tour Golf: LET Buick Championship

THURS

FRI

SAT

SUN

MON

TUES

WED

THURS

FRI

SAT

SUN

MON

TUES

WED

THURS

ICC Champ Trophy: Australia v Bangladesh

World Cup of Darts PGA Tour Golf: The Memorial Tournament

ICC Champ Trophy: England v New Zealand

European Tour Golf: Nordea Masters

JUNE 2017

ICC Champ Trophy: England v Bangladesh

ICC Champ Trophy: Australia v New Zealand

British & Irish ICC Champ Lions v Trophy: India Provincial v Pakistan Union Team Super League: Hull v Wigan

World Cup Qualifiers: Republic Of Ireland v Austria

ICC Champ Trophy: Sri Lanka v Pakistan

World Cup Qualifiers: Serbia v Wales

British & ICC Champ Irish Lions Trophy: v Highlanders Semi Final Royal Ldn 1-Day Cup: Play-Offs

U.S Open Golf ICC Champ Trophy: Semi Final Challenge Cup: Quarter Final

European Tour Golf: Lyoness Open

ICC Champ Trophy: Sri Lanka v South Africa

Canada Grand Prix British & Irish Lions v Crusaders Super League: Catalan v Hudd'sfield

ICC Champ Trophy: India v South Africa

ICC Champ Trophy: England v Australia

SAT

SUN

MON

TUES

WED

THURS

FRI

SAT

SUN

MON

TUES

WED

THURS

FRI

SAT

2nd Test: British & Irish Lions v New Zealand

ICC Women’s World Cup Cricket: India v Pakistan

JULY 2017

Royal Ldn 1-Day Cup: Final Super League: Catalan v Leigh

ICC Women’s World Cup Cricket: Sri Lanka v India

European Tour Golf: HNA Open de France PGA Tour Golf: Quicken Loans National

Keep the sports showing Keep the drinks flowing Once you’ve got the momentum, it’s unstoppable

ad page2.indd 40

Austrian Grand Prix T20 Blast: Essex v Surrey

ICC Women’s World Cup Cricket: England v Super League: Australia Catalan v Wigan T20 Blast: Birmingham v Nott'shire

T20 Blast: Nhamp'shire v Yorkshire

T20 Blast: Sussex v Hampshire ICC Women’s World Cup Cricket: Australia v India

Call 08442 414 659 26/04/2017 17:03

play with MATT ELEY Sunshine on the terrace. Kids running in the garden. Fruit Shoots all round. One for the road? Keys behind the bar. Why not, I’ll leave the car behind. Bowl of water for the dog. Apologies, I just came over all Fast Show nostalgic but it is the time of year when the sun starts to shine on the trade. One leading multi-site operator told me recently that there is no greater marketing device for pubs than sun. He and many more operators were rubbing their hands with glee

when the start of the Easter holidays were blessed with an unseasonal heatwave. But while you can’t do much to control the weather, you can control the environment you provide by making it as welcoming and as safe as possible. The tips below should help but also make sure you are well stocked up on everything from drinks to sun tan lotion — it might just provide another revenue stream.

Keeping little ones safe in your outdoor areas isn’t always child’s play Commercial insurer NFU Mutual receives two claims a week involving children at properties such as pub garden play areas. With the holiday season on the horizon, it might be time to take preventative action, so here are seven tips to help keep your outdoor areas child-friendly.

Invest in a professional play inspector

Take a child’s-eye view of your premises

Look to make sure “staff only” areas are well signposted and secured and that winter maintenance tasks are completed and maintenance equipment put away.

Make sure your first aid is up to date

3 4

Take a look both at your equipment and at the number, and provision, of trained staff.

Make sure last year’s signs are still up Make sure your safety information signs — for example, “parents must supervise their children in this area” — have not been damaged or disappeared over the winter.

42 MAY 2017

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Do your homework on external suppliers

Check for slip and trip hazards Uneven paving and moss can be hazardous. Also, take a close look at all your outdoor furniture to make sure it’s fit for the months ahead.

It’s vital play equipment is properly maintained and inspected, so splash out and get it done professionally. The Register of Play Inspectors International will provide you with a list of qualified people.

Hiring in a bouncy castle, for example? Make sure your checks are up to date and you have copies of documents such as insurance and inspection certificates.

Remind staff there will be children about Brief staff on the need to be vigilant about children running around during food and drinks service; to pay particular attention to items that are damaged or faulty, and not to be afraid to intervene if a child’s behaviour is unsafe or spoiling other people’s enjoyment.

NFU Mutual says the most common claims involve broken bones and cuts from falls from climbing frames, slides, trampolines, bouncy castles, rides and monkey bars. Other claims have involved goal posts, planters, barbed wire, stages, other children and… llamas.

trade.inapub.co.uk 26/04/2017 23:39

European Rugby Champions Cup final

Rugby Union’s biggest club competition will be decided in Edinburgh. After success in 2016, can Saracens prevail again? May 13, 5pm, BT Sport or Sky Sports

Bank holidays

Gareth Wheatley and Emma Aldershaw, The White Hart, Stanley, Derbyshire

May 1 and May 29

Since taking over the Punch pub in August 2015, Gareth and Emma have put live events at the heart of this community local’s offer. Emma says: “It was a wet-led old man’s drinking pub and we started with a family-friendly August bank holiday event to show what we were about.” Since then its reputation has spread and the pub has been recognised as one of the top 10 dogfriendly pubs in the county. Trade has been driven by events such as race nights and live music, the latter being run every month. Recently guests got to perform with a live band, allowing customers to take over the vocals in what was essentially a live karaoke night. Gareth says: “We weren’t sure if people would go for it but straight away people got up and had a go. It was really popular and we streamed it on Facebook Live for those who couldn’t be there.” Emma adds: “We will definitely do it again but probably not for another six months or so because we don’t want the novelty to wear thin.”

Don’t forget these dates because your Mondays could be a little busier than usual.

Happening this month Europa League final

Liverpool missed out on Champions League football after losing the Europa League final last year. Who will make it in 2017? The Champions League final follows on June 3. May 24, 7.45pm, BT Sport

National Vegetarian Week

Show the herbivores you love them by offering them a little more than just a mushroom risotto this week. May 15–21

FA Cup final

Louis Van Gaal was sacked shortly after Manchester United won their first postFergie trophy. This year’s winner will be hoping for better luck. May 27, BT Sport

Let me entertain you

Premier League finale

Chelsea will be looking to triumph and three teams will be consigned to the Championship. Sky will be reporting from the grounds and showing live action. May 21, 3pm, Sky Sports

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

26/04/2017 23:40

by MATT ELEY

reasons you can score with the Lions tour The squads have been picked, the phoney war is under way and it won’t be long before the real action starts in New Zealand. A British & Irish Lions tour comes but once every four years. Here are six reasons you can make the most of it.

Early starts

Ratings

Breakfast

Keeping them in

Going soft

On paper the 8.35am kick-off times don’t look great for pubs, but how much money would your business usually make at that time of the day? Open the doors and you are already one step ahead of the competition.

You should have plenty of interested customers. The First Test against Australia in 2013 attracted 900,000 viewers, according to Sky. That’s equivalent to a top Premier League game.

Of course many rugby fans will want a pint (Doom Bar is the official beer sponsor for the tour) but those who do and those who don’t will no doubt want to eat at that time of day. If you get them eating early the chances are you can prolong their time with you.

As alluded to above, if you get the offers right you can keep customers in even longer. Themed breakfasts, meal deals and perhaps offers on New Zealand wine could all do a job. You could also offer discounts if a certain number of tries or points are scored or if a chosen player gets on the scoresheet.

For all those who want to start on the sauce early, there will be plenty of others who would prefer a soft drink, especially now that one in five adults drink no alcohol at all. Amy Burgess, trade communications manager at Coca-Cola European Partners, says: “For occasions when people are going to be in the pub for a long time, operators should consider focusing on their soft drinks selection, as many people will opt to alternate between alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks throughout the day.”

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26/04/2017 23:56

play.

NEW ZEALAND ALL BLACKS vs BRITISH & IRISH LIONS TEST FIXTURES

Mud House man Sean Fitzpatrick welcomes George North as a fellow ambassador

SATURDAY JUNE 24 8.35AM First Test SATURDAY JULY 1 8.35AM Second Test SATURDAY JULY 8 8.35AM Third Test All matches live on Sky Sports 1

Inapub with Sean Fitzpatrick Former All Black captain Sean Fitzpatrick is an ambassador for Mud House Wine, the Kiwi brand that is the official wine of the British & Irish Lions. What better reason for a quick chat about all things rugby and wine?

More sport

Sky are keen to point out there is plenty more sporting action this summer, some coming on directly after the rugby. Damian Saunders, strategy & commercial director at Sky Business, says: “Both the ICC Champions Trophy and England’s opening Test match against South Africa coincide with the rugby as does PGA Tour golf, so there really is lots on offer to help landlords put on bumper summer weekends of sport for their customers.”

Given that the Lions got absolutely smashed the last time they came to New Zealand (in 2005, losing all three tests), what are your predictions this time around? I would have thought pre-autumn that they would struggle to win a test, but since the Irish beat the All Blacks last November they have that belief in themselves and that’s really important. Also, look at the depth of the talent that’s there in the home nation teams.

What’s your favourite memory of playing the Lions? Not every All Black gets the chance to face the Lions, so it’s always special. But I think the third test in 1993 at Eden Park when we were 10 points down but came back to win 30 to 13 and take the series, would be it. How did you become a Mud House ambassador? I’ve lived for 14 years in the UK but I always drink New Zealand wines and I do enjoy a Mudhouse Pinot Noir, so when they announced they were sponsoring the Lions and approached me it seemed like the perfect fit. Where do you like to go to enjoy a glass of vino and the rugby? I love to watch the rugby in a pub. I’m a regular at both The Carpenters Arms in Windsor and The Cow in Notting Hill.

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26/04/2017 23:56

A night at the by MATT ELEY

astro pub

Many a pub customer has stood in a beer garden staring into the abyss above, looking for answers that can’t be found in the bottom of a pint glass. Pubs are starting to tap into this sense of wonder by running events that make the most of the sky at night.

Located near London’s consciously cool Brick Lane area, at first glance The Culpeper is not an obvious meeting place for amateur star-gazers. However, when you consider that its name honours the 17th--century herbalist and astronomer Nicholas Culpeper, the link comes into sharper focus. The pub also has a roof terrace (with herb garden, naturally), which provides the

perfect vantage point for the astronomy events it hosts every two months. Inapub joined around 30 other guests to take in the moon, The Plough, Jupiter and several lights that were either shooting stars or, more likely, aeroplanes passing over the capital. The events are organised by Seb Jay of Dark Sky Telescope Hire, who provides the telescopes, and commentary about what can be seen. He says: “The primary part of the business is hiring out the telescopes but we also do private star-gazing events where we go to people’s back gardens or good spots such as Hampstead Heath. “This is the only star-gazing night we run from a pub rooftop in London.” Judging by the numbers that turn up — this was sold out weeks in advance — he may soon be doing more. After an introduction on the roof and a chance to look at the moon in close-up while the night is still light, we all head down to dinner.

Star-crossed lovers

Over the meal and the wine that come with the £35 ticket, guests talk about what brought them to the event. Some are locals who support what the pub does, others have travelled from far and wide for a special occasion. Most come as a pair, with one of them having bought the ticket as a romantic gesture. Some have a degree of astronomical knowledge but the content is pitched at a beginner’s level. Nicolas Tréguer, Culpeper director, said: “With all our events, the main message for us is to simply share knowledge and experiences with people who are interested in a certain subject, whether they come from around the corner or from further afield. It’s just a case of opening the conversation to those who want to talk about it. “It’s important that the events we host really speak to who we are, which is why Nicholas Culpeper’s multifaceted career is the perfect inspiration.” After dinner Seb gives the guests an

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27/04/2017 00:28

There’s a star man, waiting in the sky… Seb Jay sets up his telescope on The Culpeper’s roof

“

The main message for us is to simply share knowledge and experiences with people who are interested

Starry starry pubs The Culpeper is not the only pub to have a name inspired by the world of astronomy. Here are some of the other favourites.

overview of what we might expect to see — essentially constellations that bear little resemblance to the objects they are named after. It gets some laughs and prepares people for the second trip to the roof. With the night settled in and winter warmer cocktails being passed around to further enhance the atmosphere, the customers wrap themselves in blankets and snuggle closer to each other and the telescopes. Seb later explains that decent kit with lenses can be bought for around £1,000, for any pubs keen to invest in more than the occasional night. However, there is one enemy that neither Seb nor The Culpeper can do much about. As he uses his high-powered laser pointer to show us Jupiter glowing just above the high rise buildings that jag into the skyline, clouds descend, screening what had been a near perfect view. “If we have a clear night we can always see something,” says Seb. “When it’s cloudy you don’t get to see much at all. The moon can just about get through the clouds.” It seems fitting that a night gazing at things so far out is eventually curtailed by something beyond our control.

The Astronomer, London The Fuller’s pub is a short walk from The Culpeper in Spitalfields. It was originally called Astral House, then became the Shooting Star before its most recent name change. The Man on the Moon The Moon features heavily in pub names, with other variations including the Half Moon and The Moon & Sixpence. The Seven Stars, Robertsbridge, East Sussex The Harvey’s pub has been around for centuries and is supposedly one of the most haunted in the country. Its name derives from the Seven Sisters constellation. The Plough The Plough is the fifth-most common name for pubs. Signs sometimes depict the constellation rather than the agricultural reference. The Rising Sun Edward III had a rising sun as his emblem, which meant that there were plenty of pubs that followed suit during his 14th-century reign.

MAY 2016 p46-47 astro pub.indd 47

27/04/2017 00:28

stay 11

Good night, sweet themes by MATT ELEY

American dream: the Custer room at The George

If I were going to book a room at The George in Backwell, Bristol, I’d be intrigued by Clooney, Custer and Pudding & Pie but I’d end up opting for Best. What could await in a room named after the legendary footballer, party animal and Miss World fan? Get it wrong and themed rooms of this sort could veer towards the tacky. Get it right, and you could create a talking point that ensures customers come back. They must have got it right at The George because pub owner Alastair Scott has continued the approach at his latest venture, The Castle in Spofforth, near Harrogate. He explains: “We were struggling with a design for the rooms at The George and we wanted them to be individual, so we thought of this as the solution. I visited several places and I thought they were a bit Disney. I’m not a fan of the term ‘themed’ – this is

MAY 2017

p48-49 themed rooms.indd 48

more of a design direction.” The direction he has taken at The Castle — there are nine letting rooms above a pub that was extensively refurbished and extended before it opened towards the end of last year — goes with the name. The rooms are named after castles, such as Edinburgh, Leeds and York. Not all of the design directions are obvious though.

Getting them talking

The design and furnishings in the York room – the four-poster that looks good enough to lick — tip a wink to sweet-maker Rowntrees,

trade.inapub.co.uk 27/04/2017 00:43

stay.

The Castle Spofforth, North Yorkshire Rooms: Nine Rate: £89-£129 Occupancy: Currently 40 per cent (rooms only opened in January) Online:

www.thecastleinnharrogate.com

which was founded in the city. The room is popular with younger guests, while older visitors prefer the floral prints in Spofforth. The remains of that castle are just a few hundred yards from the pub. Bamburgh, with its Union Jack headboard and driftwood features, is proving the most popular of the nine rooms, but all create conversation. Alastair adds: “It’s lovely when you hear people say ‘I loved that room and I’m looking forward to staying again’. Some like to keep with the same room and others want to see them all. Groups of people can enjoy showing each other their rooms.” Of course, creating the rooms is not without its problems. It is much easier to source and get a deal on a batch of items for nine identikit rooms. “There is a limit to how many rooms you would want to,” says Alastair, who also owns The Square & Compass in nearby North Rigton. “Even down to the bathrooms we have different tiles in them all. “But it isn’t that difficult to find what you want on the internet these days, it’s just time. It’s worth it because it is different from a corporate room.” That individuality, attention to detail and the fact that all of the rooms are furnished and equipped to a high spec ensure the Castle is well fortified against ever being described as tacky.

Spirit of Scotland: The Castle’s Edinburgh room

HOW TO SPREAD THE WORD Accommodation and online experts met with pub bosses for the industry’s first Profitable Beds event a few weeks ago. Talk was focused on communicating your offer with guests. Here are a few tips we picked up. REWARD DIRECT BOOKINGS “If people book directly with you, do they get something for that such as a drink on arrival? When they arrive, ask if they would like to book a table.” – Alex Bufton, Guestline RESPOND TO REVIEWS “People used to tell a friend, now they tell the world. Respond to reviews and comments in the same way as you would to a person speaking to you in the pub. � Francine Heywood, GuestRevu THINK ABOUT OVERSEAS MARKETS “Twelve per cent of searches on Stayinapub are from outside the UK” –Paul Nunny, Stayinapub

Good enough to eat The Castle’s confectioneryinspired York room

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BE SEEN ONLINE “Four out of five people prefer to book online. Google prefers the word ‘hotel’ so use this to make sure you appear on searches. Make sure your website is responsive and user-friendly when in mobile. Do the customer journey yourself.” –Ed Davies, Inapub

27/04/2017 00:43

back-bar business

Best in the business by MATT ELEY

Meeting of minds: Paul discusses venue transformation with licensee Andrena Smith-Bowes

I clock Paul Wishart before he spots me. We are due to meet in one of his competitors’ pubs, ahead of a day out in trade to see how the Business Development Manager (BDM) of the Year operates. When he arrives he looks across the bar, then paces around the room. I vainly assume he is looking for me. He’s not.

As he tells me when I introduce myself, he is taking the chance to see what another pub on his patch is up to. It’s why he arrived half-an-hour early. Knowing what’s going on in your area — he covers Glasgow, Edinburgh and the bits in between for Greene King — is just a small part of one of trickiest jobs in the trade. He also has to be that bridge between licensee and pubco, he needs to be a sounding board, an idea generator, somebody capable of being creative and, at times, tough. So what does Paul, who has more than 10 years’ experience in the role, think are important attributes? “You have got to be honest with people and tell them what you can and can’t do. If you can’t do what they want, you need to explain why. The relationship has to be about shared interests and working together professionally. “Also, never blame anything on your company. Because, from the licensee’s perspective, you are the pubco or least the first point of contact.” From a practical point of view this means he arranges appointments to see his business partners — Greene King is one of a number of pubcos to move away from the term “tenants” — every four to six weeks. Three or four days a week will be on the road and in pubs and the others will be admin days with the occasional head office duties thrown in. Most BDMs split their pubs into three categories: the best, the reasonable-to-good, and those that will be finding things tougher. However, Paul insists it is important to spend time with those not obviously in need of as much support. “I speak to the guys at the top just as much because there is always more you can do and because I can also learn so much from the way they operate.”

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Paul Wishart CV November 2016: Wins ALMR BDM of the Year June 2015: Joins Spirit, which is almost immediately taken over by Greene King 2007-15: Senior BDM with Iona 2002-2007: Area manager with Belhaven 1994-2002: General manager, Dean Entertainments

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You have got to be honest with people and tell them what you can and can’t do. The relationship has to be about shared interests and working together trade.inapub.co.uk

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One such person is Andrena SmithBowes. She runs six pubs in Scotland, four of which are with Paul and Greene King. One of these, The Terrace in Corstorphine, Edinburgh has been transformed from being a wet-led boozer with dingy rooms into an open-plan pub with contemporary design, craft beer and food now comprising 30 per cent of sales. Andrena tells Inapub how it has become a place where all ages meet. It has been future-proofed and she is not shy about giving Paul credit. “When he entered the BDM of the Year it was obvious to us he would win,” she says. “He is so good. His phone is never off and he is always available.” Another major project last year saw The Elizabethan in Dunfermline reborn. It was a sports pub popular mainly with football fans but is now a welcoming community pub with food, wine and coffee as important as the beer. Although the pub is trading significantly better, Paul grumbles that the men’s toilets should have been given more attention and

that the coffee machine isn’t in precisely the right location. Perhaps it is this attention to detail that has helped him become BDM of the Year. Organised by the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers (ALMR), the award is considered to have one of the most rigorous judging processes in the industry. Previous winners have gone on to great things, including Stonegate’s managing director Simon Longbottom, the first ever BDM of the Year back in 1996. So what does the lad from Kirkcaldy who started as a glass collector make of it all? “When I was starting out I always wanted to be an area manager. “At first it was a status thing but now it isn’t that at all. I want to help develop and grow businesses. “The biggest challenge is people and finding the right ones to work with. I am not an expert in anything but I can do a lot of different things.” Now there’s a sentiment that could equally apply to being a licensee. Perhaps that is why Paul and pubs work so well together.

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back-bar business

ways to make your pub a movie star

Shooting video to bring your business to life on social media is now within the reach of every licensee. According to Facebook, people watch more than 100 million hours of video on the site every single day, while on Twitter tweets with videos increased more than 50 per cent in the first half of 2016. If getting a piece of this action sounds daunting, it needn’t be — engaging videos can be made easily and quickly on your smartphone. Here are a few pointers to get you started. Action!

Know what works on which platform

Consider why you’re posting

Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are all great places for video, but you can’t necessarily put the same thing on each one. The maximum video length on Facebook is 120 minutes. In comparison Instagram is just 60 seconds and Twitter recommends 30 seconds. What’s more, your customers interact with each platform differently. Instagram is very visual while people are more open to opinions and analysis on Facebook. As a general rule, stick to posting short, rough and ready videos to most platforms. If you want to create something longer and more complex, pop it on Facebook.

A short film with a simple and powerful message, from the Facebook page of The Church in Birmingham’s jewellery quarter. (Images courtesy of Paul McHale at Dead Eye Film)

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Like every post on your social media pages, you need a goal. Are you trying to advertise an upcoming event or plug your

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Smartphones, social media and people anywhere what they’re missing in your pub

latest drinks deal? Choose an aim and do your best to measure it. It’s worth placing a “call to action” at the end of the video or in the caption — something like “buy tickets to our next wine tasting event from the bar” is enough to get customers to respond. Use Facebook Insights to see how many people watched your video or clicked on your link, and learn what content works best.

inapub

For in-depth information and ideas about using video on social media then why not sign up to our Digital Marketing Guide? It offers a step-by-step solution to anything from setting up Facebook adverts, improving your Google presence, dealing with Trip Advisor reviews and boosting your Twitter following. Plus you won’t miss a trick; the guide is updated regularly to include the newest functions and updates from each social media platform. To find out more email sales@inapub.co.uk or call 0800 160 1986

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Go live

Keep it simple

Going “live” on Facebook or Instagram is a nice way to interact with followers. You could take your customers on a “behind the doors” tour of the pub, or film the chef cooking the daily special. If a big sports final is on and the pub is packed with atmosphere then it’s another good opportunity to broadcast live. When your video goes live on Facebook, your followers will be notified. This is a handy way to grab their attention. Whatever you are doing, make sure it is exciting to keep your audience’s attention.

video mean you can now show

DIGITAL MARKETING GUIDE

Download a video app

You don’t need a fancy kit to start sharing video. By simply using your smartphone and an app, you can create engaging and professional looking video posts. We recommend downloading the app Cameo, for really simple editing which you can add captions to. Or Splice, for slightly more advanced editing. The best way to teach yourself to edit video is to play around. Make home videos, film your cat or your walk to the pub and if you have some technically savvy bar staff to hand, don’t be afraid to ask them for help.

If you don’t feel up to creating a 60-second video with multiple shots, then don’t. Instead, why not try Boomerang? Boomerang is an app owned by Instagram, which takes a burst of photos and stitches them together into a mini video which plays forward and backward. It’s great for moments like someone pouring a drink, melting cheese on a grill or clinking glasses together. Get creative.

Expect viewers to watch with no sound

Social media is often used on the move. People don’t like turning on their sound when they’re on a train, for example. This means you need to use images, subtitles and captions to tell your story. Make sure your video is as picture -ed as possible or give viewers a good reason to turn their sound on.

HOW TO BE A SOCIAL MEDIA SPIELBERG ALWAYS FILM IN LANDSCAPE VIEW �...not portrait, unless you are filming for Snapchat, Instagram or Facebook Live PUT YOUR PHONE ON AIRPLANE MODE so that it isn’t interrupted by calls TRY AN APP SUCH AS FILMIC PRO (up to £8.99 in the Apple App or Google Play store) for professional camera settings, to improve picture quality.

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PRS for Music crowns Porter’s Bar in Cardiff as its Music Makeover Pubs 2017 winner. More than 300 pubs from around the UK entered to win the £10,000 Music Makeover along with a bespoke music consultancy and exclusive event featuring PRS for Music members. Entries were received country-wide from Glasgow to Cornwall. The calibre this year was extremely high, making it a tough choice for our judges to pick from the five finalists — all could have been worthy winners. Winner – prize value £10,000 Lewis Morgan, Porter’s Bar, Cardiff 2nd place – prize value £5,000 Kevin Abbott, The Anchor Inn, Wingham Work has already begun to assist with the implementation of the winners’ prizes and prepare for the exclusive launch event in Cardiff. PRS for Music would like to thank all this year’s entrants, it’s been our best year yet.

Lewis Morgan, assistant manager and in-house sound engineer – Porter’s Bar, Cardiff

“We’re delighted, surprised and humbled to be the winners of this year’s Music Makeover. We will use this fantastic prize to give back to all the artists and good people who are the lifeblood of not only this venue but also this city. Thank you so much PRS for Music!” Lewis Morgan, Porter’s Bar, Cardiff

“I was really impressed with the entry from Porter’s Bar due to their passion, knowledge and understanding of the Music Makeover competition. We can’t wait to see what the £10k Music Makeover will achieve in their fantastic venue and I have no doubt that they will be one of the leading live music Nigel Elderton - PRS Chairman venues in Cardiff.” Kevin and Michelle Abbott, owners – The Anchor Inn, Wingham PRS for Music is a society of around 125,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers – its members. It represents the rights of these members by licensing organisations to play, perform or make available music. It then distributes royalties to those members and societies fairly and efficiently. www.prsformusic.com

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POP CAREER LAUNCH PADS TOP

Pubs where the stars set off on their musical careers

1. The Dublin Castle, Camden, London

6. The Casbah, Liverpool

2. The Jericho Tavern, Oxford

7. The Clissold Arms, Muswell Hill, London

Madness The north London freehouse has staged greats from Blur to Amy Winehouse — who occasionally helped behind the bar. But it was local lads Suggs and co. who really put it on the map. The pub was recently awarded a PRS plaque for its part in the Nutty Boys’ success.

Supergrass Another venue to receive that coveted PRS plaque. This was in recognition of the launchpad it provided 90s songsters Supergrass, which sounds Alright to us. 3

3. Welcome Inn, Eltham

Status Quo Who started out here? Only the bloody Quo that’s all. They gigged at the pub back in 1967. Sadly Quo’s Rick Parfitt died last year, and the pub is also gone, with the plot developed into homes. Let’s have a drink, it’s Marguerita Time…

4. The Leadmill, Sheffield

Pic: Warofdreams

Pulp As far back as 1980 a teenager called Jarvis Cocker took to the stage at this popular venue in Sheffield. He took a while to hit the big time but 15 years later pretty much everyone would know at least some of the words to Pulp’s biggest hit Common People.

Pic: Ewan Munro

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5. The Hawley Arms, Camden Town, London

Amy Winehouse Back in Camden Town, this was another Winehouse haunt. So much so, that it became known as the Amy Shrinehouse. Other noughties stars would also spend more time drinking here than performing.

The Beatles OK, so it was more of a coffee bar than an out-and-out pub but it deserves a special mention. It gave some young upstarts from Liverpool the chance to try out some tunes whilst The Cavern was only allowing jazz acts. They became The Beatles, and in an unexpected twist, coffee would become very popular in pubs.

The Kinks Local lads Ray Davies and friends started out here in 1960 before penning Lola and You Really Got Me. They returned in 2010 to witness a room dedicated to them. These days the gastro pub is more likely to serve up a casserole than rock ’n’ roll.

8. Canal Bar, Manchester

Oasis You could pick one of many pubs or bands in Manchester, such is the city’s significance to our musical heritage. This is one, next to the legendary Hacienda, is one of the spots where the Gallagher brothers honed their craft.

9. The Crown, Birmingham

Led Zeppelin Been a long time since it rock ’n’ rolled, with this venue also having closed its doors. Back in the day it was the cradle of rock royalty including not only the Zep but also Black Sabbath and, er, UB40.

10. The Old Blue Last, Shoreditch, London And here’s one where you might just unearth the stars of the future. It has already provided a platform for Florence & The Machine, Klaxons and Mumford & Sons.

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Two boys were treated to a special day out for helping their mum successfully battle breast cancer. The White Horse in Quorn, Leicestershire, treated Harrison and Alfie Russell to a helicopter flight over Leicester City’s King Power stadium, followed by a tour of the stadium for the whole family. The trip was funded by White Horse Wishing Well — an organisation set up by David Keatley-Lill, licensee of the White Horse pub, and 17 locals, to benefit families and projects in the area. The organisation has also recently raised £1,000 for a local girl with a neurological illness who needed a specialist bike. David said: “Our aim is to continue raising funds for similar experiences and projects for families in need.” Harrison and Alfie are pictured about to embark on their helicopter flight with mum Samantha.

THE COLLECTION TIN What pubs around the country are doing to help good causes Hogs Back Brewery has created a life-size fibreglass hog, covered in painted hops, as part of a local charity campaign. The pig named Hopped Hog is one of 60 “Haslemere Hogs” on display in the town in Surrey. They will remain on show for three months, before being auctioned off for four local charities. Steamin’ Billy pubs have raised more than £2,000 for Cancer Research UK with a Jolly Day Away for customers, suppliers and staff. Guests went on a tour around the Steamin’ Billy pubs in Leicestershire, sampling food and drink for free, in return for a charity donation.

Trade charity Hospitality Action, is throwing a Big Fat Birthday Quiz to celebrate its 180th year. The event will be hosted by former Inapub cover star Mark “The Beast” Labbett, as seen on ITV’s The Chase. It will help with the charity’s goal to raise a record sum in its anniversary year. Tickets are on sale at www.hospitalityaction.org.uk/events The Stanley Arms in Wesham, Lancashire, raised £300 at a pub quiz as part of a £10,000 donation to Aiming Higher, a charity for disabled children and their families. The pub also held a raffle. The Maltsters Arms in Tuckenhay, Devon, raised more than £7,000 for Comic Relief by handing the pub over to its locals. Landlords George and Alison Scott-Welsh let a team of local volunteers take over the pub for a day. They were tasked with feeding diners, pulling pints and clearing tables. Anyone attending the event as a customer paid £20 a head for a three course dinner, with profits going to charity. The pub also raised funds through an auction of promises.

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 Karen Errington

The Rat Inn, Hexham, Northumberland Karen Errington owns The Rat Inn with her partner and head chef Phil Mason. After running a popular restaurant for five years, the couple took over the pub in 2007 to fit better with their family lifestyle. The Rat Inn has since gained a reputation for great food and has won several awards

Plate or slate? Plates all the way, preferably white ones. Have you ever tried picking a slate off the table? It’s like finding the end of the Sellotape! And they’re not nice to eat off. We once had a guest chef who brought a load of his own slates along and I was nearly crying by the end of service, you just can’t get them off the table.

Cocktails or cask ale? Cask ale. We do a few cocktails — I like a

dry Martini but not much else. Cask ales have a lot of personality, you have to look after them and we respect them a lot.

Background music or silence is golden? I’m not going to comment on the average age of our regulars but we often end up turning off the music anyway — it plays through the WiFi, which interferes with their hearing aids! But generally we have it at a pretty low level, it’s just nice for when it’s a bit quiet and whispery.

Wear what you like or uniforms for the staff? I used to issue uniforms but people leave and it’s too hard to keep track. Now I just give them an apron and tell them to wear jeans and a white or black top. It’s nice because it brings a bit of personality.

Brass or chrome fittings? We’re quite a traditional pub so I’m going with brass, we’re a historical place. To the untrained eye it might look tatty, but to me it’s full of stories.

Live sport or big screen ban? We’re very much food-orientated, so sports don’t go with the setting, plus we just have a tiny bar. If there was a really big match on TV, like England in the World Cup final or something, then we’d find a way to show it. Plus, most people have tablets these days and they watch things on that via the WiFi if they’re desperate.

Dress up or dress down? I’m pretty casual, so I think people should come however they are most comfortable. I do get the odd phone call asking about a dress code and I’m always flabbergasted!

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time at the bar

HAIR OF THE DOG Tales of the unexpected from the wonderful world of pubs Beers with the boffins Don’t be alarmed but the men in white coats part are coming. This May, as of t Pin led cal ve iati of an init entists sci ng risi erp ent ce, ien Sc labs and are emerging from their in the d lan the oss into pubs acr blic pu of l tiva fes est larg ’s world science talks. It runs from May 15 to 17 ’s most , and some of the nation ing, ear app brilliant minds will be ing ryth eve s cus dis pint in hand, to to nce cie ros neu and ms from ato with the technology and medicine tie and foo al usu locals. Beats the ? ely sur ts, X-Factor ban .uk go to pintofscience.co If you want to get involved,

Not satisfied? Well, people like you never are... We all love a good TripAdvisor comeback story but one landlord is taking it to the next level. Gerry Price of The Inn at West End, Woking, Surrey has been forced to defend himself as, “no Basil Fawlty” after a series of pithy replies to bad reviews have made him something of a local celebrity. The pub has an average rating of four-and-a-half but the handful of bad reviews have caused Gerry to: “Laugh! Thank Goodness I had my incontinence pants on,” and to call out one reviewer for saying the exterior of the pub is too, err “pubby”. Just don’t mention the war, eh?

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Urinals fit for a future king The Royal Wee made an appearance at The Tally Ho in Royston, Hertfordshire, last month, when the Duke of Cambridge nipped in to use the loo while attending an emergency as part of his job as an air ambulance pilot. The heir to the throne’s visit to the throne room led to speculation in the red tops that he was “too posh to pee outside” but we at Inapub Inn think that they’re just being pee-vish.

Soldier's sweethea rt still

hanging out

As experienced bar flies there isn ’t much we have the pubs of this n’t seen in great land. An elegantly dres sed mannequin suspended from ceiling was a ne a w one though. W ell it was to us, bu customers at fam t not to the ous freehouse Ca nny Man’s in Ed Morningside. inburgh’s Apparently she has been hangin g around since (May 8 1945). Sh VE Day e was bought in by a Canadian forc es man who joined a giant conga with the sophisticate d lady. Sadly, he left her behind and she has been waiting for him to return ever since .

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