The Bamburgh, South Shields, Tyne & Wear

Since reopening after major refurbishment in September 2005, the Bamburgh has increased its food offering and introduced a no-smoking area.

The busy Greene King-managed pub, on the seafront at South Shields, has a wide food menu, a regular lunchtime meal deal and a curry club three evenings a week.

The Bamburgh also caters for its senior-citizen customers by offering them a Monday-to-Thursday lunchtime meal deal. The offer costs £3 for a selected menu of half-sized portions of dishes such as scampi, cod & chips, or steak.

Manager Graeme Jack says: "A lot of older people don't want a full meal, so we let them order a half-sized portion, plus tea and coffee. Couples in their 60s and 70s come to us two or three times a week."

As the pub caters for children, Graeme says that a lot of grandparents come along for lunch with their grandchildren.

"We don't make a lot on it, but as we use half gammons in the mixed grills, we don't have to buy in ingredients specially. We still do our "two meals for £6.95" lunchtime deal for those with bigger appetites.

"We've gone around the residential homes and invited parties of senior citizens to come to the pub by coach. We ask them to phone and pre-book, and when they come, we cordon off an area for them."

The service provided by the Bamburgh goes one step further, says Graeme.

"We have a couple of elderly gentlemen who live on their own and come in every day with their own plates, which we fill with food and cover with foil for them to take home. It's a bit like a 'meals on wheels' service in a pub."