Chris Maclean: In praise of a proper pub

It's time to stand up for pubs. Proper pubs. Pubs that stand for something traditional, decent, honest and true.

In the debates raging at the moment you hear all sorts of advice on how pubs can face the challenges confronting them. The smoking ban, barley prices, the economy, alcohol related disorder and a host of other issues are having an effect. But many are simply suggesting that diversification is the solution. There is a polarisation between traditional pubs, seen as dinosaurs, and pubs that, in my opinion, have almost ceased to be pubs in their pursuit of alternative methods to attract customers. "Why don't you do food", "Why not put on entertainment" or "why don't you open longer hours" are all proffered as ways to respond to the challenge. For some pubs this route has certain appeal. But it cannot be suggested that food is a universal solution.

Here at the Railway we've food in our restaurant in the poshest sense. Today, for example, we are offering "Sesame and poppyseed tuna, nori and cucumber salad, chilli & soy bean jelly cubes" as a starter (£6.93) ~ I've no idea what half of that means. But a couple of weeks ago a licensee was bending my ear about the universal appeal of 'cheesy chips' telling me that "garlic bread was the future ~ but no more". Food has its place. But not everywhere. And here you cannot eat in the bar. The bar is a space for meeting and drinking. The bar is special.

My anxiety is that we've almost forgotten what pubs are for. We feel kind of embarrassed when we defend what we do. Imagine a conversation between a licensee and a customer;

"So tell me ~ what is it you do in the Dog & Duck?"

"I sell drinks"

"And?"

"And nothing"

"So what do the customers do?"

"They drink"

"And?"

"And nothing"

"So they just get pissed then?"

"No"

"So what do they do?"

"They enjoy themselves"

"How?"

It almost falls outside people's comprehension. Some have a real inability to understand what such a pub really is or why people might go there. People have many and various reasons for using pubs. Sometimes it is to eat, sometimes to listen to music, to watch the football, to play in a quiz or for a family outing. Pubs, in their many guises, try to satisfy those needs. But one of the most pressing needs is simply to enjoy the social encounters we crave.

I have a real affection for traditional pubs. Pubs that understand their origins. Pubs that understand their role within their communities. Pubs that preserve and maintain the tradition while others seek short term gains.

Give me a proper pub where I can have a conversation with people without the blare of music in my ear or the smell of fancy food.

It is these pubs that need defending. These pubs that cannot be treated as one amorphous lump with the others.

These pubs are special and deserve not only our support but, perhaps as importantly, our respect.