Pub trends that are less than welcome
Menu pollution is a new threat. This is how one pub hypes what are in fact actually very enjoyable salmon fish fingers: "Scottish salmon digits heavenly dusted in cracked black peppercorns and pan flashed before being nappied with a cream glace built up with a dash of brandy, a touch of mustard and a scattering of green peppercorns." The best pub chefs are usually content to let their food speak for itself and really don't need menu spin to put a gloss on it.
"This year notices have cropped up in quite a few pubs, asserting that smoking is allowed throughout the premises," says Alisdair Aird. "These notices have been produced and promoted by an outfit which gets funding from the Tobacco Manufacturers Association. This flies directly in the face of the main purpose of legislation to prohibit cigarette advertising, which is, of course, to stop the promotion of smoking itself."
Noise pollution (to many readers just as annoying as smoking, if a good deal less harmful) is on the remorseless increase. In last year's edition of the Guide, 52% of pubs had piped music; this year the proportion has climbed to 57%.
Traditional pub games are in grave decline. Last year, 400 of the main entries had darts boards; this year, the number has fallen to 364 a drop of 7% in the proportion of pubs with darts. And bar billiards is becoming a seriously endangered species, offered now by only one in 45 pubs, 12% less than last year. Indeed, pubs with boules now clearly outnumber pubs with bar billiards. Pub trends that are more than welcome
"These days, many have better wines than you'd find in a typical wine bar. In the very best pubs for wine, the choice is superb."
"A return to a very old-fashioned pub virtue: more and more pubs now have daily papers out for their customers."
