A Cumbrian couple have transformed their love of pub food into a business with the launch of a new website.
Directors Sharon Wood and Jon Green are taking to the roads of Cumbria to urge publicans and pub food consumers to register on the site, www.enjoyyourmeal.co.uk, to help promote the best that great local pub food has to offer.
Sharon and Jon, from Penny Bridge in Cumbria. used to run a hotel and holiday home. Sharon said: "Every day we were inundated with requests from guests about the best places to eat locally, the majority of whom had booked online. When we sold the holiday home we moved to a new village and also struggled to get good unbiased advice about the best places to eat. We looked online, but were none the wiser "
They believe the enjoyyourmeal.co.uk website will fill a gap in the market with an impartial reflection of the best pub food available. The site encourages a community of referrers to post opinions on their favourite pubs. Website visitors can search the directory and choose pub food which has the best references. There's also an online forum called 'The Snug' for publican and customer discussions about all the latest pub food issues.
Jon said: "On websites like eBay, sellers rely on customer referrals which they only achieve if they provide an excellent service. It would be nice to think that such a simple idea as enjoyyourmeal.co.uk will have a similar impact in encouraging excellence in the pub food industry too.
"Both Sharon and I love pub food because it caters for all tastes and can often represent great savings on some restaurants. But the website is more than just a labour of love for us - it's a serious business proposition too. Food sales are the fastest growing sector in the pub industry. More and more people are using the internet to help them make lifestyle choices."
The website has been launched in Cumbria first - with other areas in the UK to follow. Publicans are encouraged to add their pubs to the site's free listing service Every referrer is entered into a free monthly prize draw to win £50 towards a pub meal.