Hot Topics - Burning Issues facing the industry today

The smoking issue smoulders on

The PMA Team, the Morning Advertiser's news editor, thinks that the imminent ban on smoking in pubs could actually have a positive affect on pubs serving food

How much is there to fear from the smoking ban due be imposed on all pubs serving food in 2009? For a pub with a substantial food offer, the smoke ban presents few headaches. A number of pubs that have already converted to non-smoking report increased sales.

Many industry experts believe that a tipping point has arrived where smokers are so reduced in number - 26% of the total population - that the needs of non-smokers need to be placed first. Put simply, a smoke-free environment is more likely to attract non-smokers to dine than a smoky one.

The big growth area in the UK pub trade is food, which has risen from 10% of the sales mix, to around 25% in a single decade. Estimates claim the pub food market is growing by a chunky 6% each year.

In California a smoke ban was imposed six years ago and now smokers make up just 16% of the population, a similar pattern is expected to occur in the UK.

Even the mighty JD Wetherspoon has realised it needs to ban smoking and ramp-up food sales to avoid a strategic cul-de-sac. Interestingly, its first two non-smoking pubs - in Exeter and St Albans - have seen record food sales (40% of the sales mix compared to the company average) and company records for wine sales.

The company has learned vital lessons from California, though, and is looking after its smokers with well-heated external patio areas. Its chairman Tim Martin believes an all-out ban will still be the inevitable outcome if the Government applies logic to this issue. But whatever the outcome, pubs that have a substantial food trade are harnessed to the part of the pub market that will continue to enjoy exponential growth.

Great training ground for chefs

Max Gosney examines the growing attraction of chefing in pubs as they increasingly improve the quality of their menus to equal, if not surpass, that of restaurants

Pubs offer an excellent career path for chefs according to those training chefs. John Pratt, hospitality workforce development manager at Westminster Kingsway College in London, says:

"Around 50 out of 500 graduates at Westminster Kingsway go straight to pubs but I expect this figure to grow over the years as pubs become increasingly food-focused. Many gastro pubs serve food at least equal to that in restaurants."

Cornish brewer St Austell has set up its own pub cookery course in co-operation with its local catering college, Cornwall College, which aims to groom chefs of the future.

"I think the pub sectoris increasingly attractive to graduates," says Paul Drye, catering development manager at St Austell.

"The gap between pub and restaurant is narrowing and a pub kitchen is a far less austere environment."

Six tutorials, held at St Austell's William Cookworthy Training Centre, will offer a practical approach to menu planning, traditional pub grub, children's food, vegetarian menus and fast food. The course aims to counter a reduction in the quality of NVQ trained chefs, according to Paul.

"We designed the course to fill in the gaps some of the graduates have when they complete their catering course."

However, the NVQ system has come under heavy criticism from chefs and industry figures. Tony Goodger, of the Meat & Live Stock Commission, says: "It's a scandal that many students are leaving colleges as fully qualified chefs without ever having cooked raw meat. "For gifted graduates the rewards of opting for a pub rather than a restaurant environment can be great.

Twenty-somethings Andrew Tyrell and Stephen Williams passed NVQ qualifications at Westminster Kingsway College's catering course under two years ago and already run the kitchen of award-winning London gastro pub the Coach & Horses in Clerkenwell, London. Stephen says pubs offer a rewarding working environment:

"At a pub you are free from the restraints of a restaurant. We're not part of a machine and can put a new dish on when we want to."

Gastro pubs may even replace restaurants as the automatic choice for tomorrow's super chefs says Michelin-starred restaurateur Jean-Christophe Novelli. Says Novelli: "Working in a pub is the best way of developing a career in the catering trade. Pub chefs have to create menus on a tight budget and are free to create their own menu ideas. I'd recommend all young people do it."

Getting them to eat their greens...

Childrens' food is a big issue at the moment and high on the political agenda. Eileen Steinbock, Brakes head of health and nutrition, suggests how healthy can also be tasty on kids' menus

Childrens' diets are coming under closer scrutiny as we move towards the implementation of the Public Health White Paper, Choosing Health, which identifies halting the rise in childhood obesity as one of its key targets.

The most important thing to remember when planning a healthier childrens' menu is variety, as a range of different foods and nutritional requirements need to be included to create a balanced meal.

One of the simplest changes pubs can introduce is adding more vegetables to dishes. While baked beans are a firm favourite and can count towards the recommended five vegetables a day, children should be encouraged to eat a variety of other veg. Vegetables add colour and texture to the meal as well as vitamins, so be innovative with your serving ideas by cutting them into shapes, or making carrot or bean bundles.

Why not use child-friendly items such as cherry tomatoes, baby Brussels sprouts or little Romanesque cauliflower florets. As a handy tip, a child's portion is enough to fit into a child's hand, so it gets bigger as the child grows. The five-a-day campaign (five portions of fruit and vegetables per day) is a big message for healthier eating. Currently in the UK children eat on average less than two portions. Mixing vegetables in dishes is a great way to disguise the vegetables and they still count as a portion - lasagne with a vegetable layer would be good idea. Fruit as part of a dessert is also beneficial; if children love ice cream why not ensure it comes with lots of fruit. Portion sizes for fruit are about hand sized too.

Childrens' menus have become dominated by "childrens'" foods such as burgers or pre-formed shapes, but it is good to offer smaller portions of some adult dishes to the menu instead. Lots of these popular "childrens' foods" are traditionally fried; try to keep these to a minimum on the menu. Make sure that if you are frying then use clean oil at high temperatures to ensure fat absorption is controlled. Pasta is very popular with children and can be a healthy option. Roast meats are a good childrens' choice and generally healthy, especially when served with veg.

Additives are a concern to parents, particularly artificial colouring. Although you want meals to be attractive this should be done using the natural colour of fruits and veg in dishes, avoiding ingredients containing artificial additives.

Regional variety adds value to menus

Jane Wakeling, regional food and drinks manager for Food from Britain, looks at how the increasing interest in sourcing locally is set to affect pub food

The public's interest in regional food and drink is growing. People now want to know more about how the food on their plate arrives, where it comes from and how it is produced. Traceability is quickly becoming a desirable, and indeed fashionable, culinary characteristic.

This isn't just true of shopping in supermarkets; there has also been a shift in consumer attitudes when eating out.

Increasingly pubs are realising the potential in serving meals made from quality local produce.

By doing this pub chefs are not only supporting their local economy and celebrating what Britain has to offer, but also helping customers to place their orders with confidence, knowing that what they are served can be traced back to the farm.

This growing interest