Marston's new pub pie concept

Marston's Pub Company, the company's tenanted division, has launched a new pie concept to help its licensees get into food.

The made-to-order pies, puddings and tarts menu has been trialled at the Joxer Brady's in Stafford.

The pie package, which includes training on preparation and service, signage, a menu design facility and regional marketing support, has been designed by the company's catering and development manager Ben Bartlett.

He believes his back-to-basics approach is what customers have been waiting for and that the new menu is filling a gap in the market, reflecting the best of the region's seasonal ingredients.

The menu at the Joxer Brady's includes shepherd's pie, beef, stilton and onion pie, bread and butter pudding, spiced pear crumble and rice pudding. Bartlett said: "The Joxer Brady's has historically been more of a drinking pub, but with the impending smoking ban we wanted to look at developing their food offering.

"Through the pies, puddings and tarts concept we have established links with local businesses to source the ingredients and have developed bespoke dishes linking to the heritage of the area."

Licensee Sam Swift said: "This has already had a huge impact on our trade and we have received some great feedback from customers. There are quite a few places to grab some lunch in Stafford, however the big difference here is the quality of the produce we use and the focus on preparing every dish from scratch."