News

Health

Calorie labelling: Trade warns pub food quality will take a hit

22-Feb-2016 By Nicholas Robinson

While groups concerned with health matters argue all pub and restaurant food menus must have calorie content labelled on them, Nicholas Robinson finds out why that’s not as simple as it sounds

Craft beer

Bath Ales converts third pub to Beerd craft beer bar

22-Feb-2016 By James Evison

South-west brewery and operator Bath Ales has converted one of its Bristol venues into a Beerd craft beer bar.

Longshot close to snapping up three more sites for the Bel & The Dragon

22-Feb-2016 By James Wallin, M&C Allegra

Longshot is close to securing three new sites for its Bel & The Dragon vehicle and is planning one opening for the brand every quarter for the next three years, according to the Publican's Morning Advertiser's sister title M&C Allegra.

Grantley Arms reopens with ex-Gherkin chef

22-Feb-2016 By Nicholas Robinson

The Grantley Arms in Wonersh has relaunched with chef-patron – former head chef at Searcys – Matt Edmonds at the helm.

Food Safety

Britain’s fruit and veg supplies ‘overlapped by drug cartels’

22-Feb-2016 By Nicholas Robinson

The countries supplying Britain's fresh fruit and vegetables are overlapped by drug-smuggling gangs, an expert in the field has revealed, following warnings that operators may have long-since been at risk of many types of food fraud.

Bar snacks

New nuts brand just for pubs

22-Feb-2016 By Nicholas Robinson

Founders of the new premium snack firm Edgar's Choice, which has been developed specially for the pub trade, are aiming to get their products into 1,000 pubs within a year. Nicholas Robinson finds out if it's a good idea or just nuts.

Vegetarian

Meat off the menu: consumers opt for veggie dishes over health fears

18-Feb-2016 By Nicholas Robinson

More consumers are shunning meat in favour of vegetarian alternatives, with concerns about health as the main reason, new research from a NatCen Social Research survey claims.

Consumers demand more food information

18-Feb-2016 By Nicholas Robinson

Your customers want to know more about their food than ever before, leading consumer research released by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has revealed.

Star Pubs & Bars pumps a further £75,000 in chef training

18-Feb-2016 By Nicholas Robinson

Star Pubs & Bars will pump £75,000 into its food chef consultancy programme, rolling it out to 100 licensees, following its success in 36 pubs in 2015.

New opening

Fuller’s opens newly built pub on the Thames

17-Feb-2016 By Nicholas Robinson

Fuller’s has opened its latest new-build pub on the River Thames, the Sail Loft on Greenwich Reach, with room for 300 customers and a nautical-themed menu designed by ex-Duck & Waffle chef Jacek Zywa.

London pub donates Valentine’s Day takings of almost £10,000 to charity

16-Feb-2016 By Daniel Woolfson

A London pub has given the entirety of its Valentine's Day takings to charity.

Law change allows licensees to claim back duty on alcohol used in cooking

16-Feb-2016 By Emily Sutherland

Changes to UK law now mean that publicans will be able to claim back duty on alcohol used in cooking.

Enterprise pub enjoys 1,000% growth in food sales

16-Feb-2016 By Daniel Woolfson

A pub that was transformed into a destination dining venue reported a 1,000% growth in food sales over two years.

Content sponsored by the authentic Italian cheese firm Galbani.

Calorie labelling: Pub chains must “spell out” content

15-Feb-2016 By Nicholas Robinson

Pub chains must “spell out” calorific content clearly to consumers, policy makers have been urged ahead of the Government’s upcoming childhood obesity strategy.

TOP 50 GASTROPUBS

VIDEO: The Staith House's John Calton talks Top 50 Gastropubs

15-Feb-2016 By Daniel Woolfson

John Calton, chef patron of North Shields gastropub the Staith House, was named Gastropub Chef of the Year at the Top 50 Gastropubs awards last month.

Food

British pork could vanish from pub menus

15-Feb-2016 By Nicholas Robinson

Home-grown pork could disappear from UK pub menus if the trade, as well as the wider food sector, doesn’t stop buying imports, pig big wigs have warned.

Leicestershire pub creates ‘unbeatable’ burger challenge

12-Feb-2016 By Daniel Woolfson

A Leicester pub that recently made headlines with a massive 3,500-calorie Christmas eating challenge has created a new ‘unbeatable’ burger challenge for its customers.

Food

Soil Association and Carbon Trust to launch sustainable catering standard

11-Feb-2016 By Nicholas Robinson

The Soil Association (SA) and the Carbon Trust have joined forces to develop a sustainable catering standard for the pub trade.

‘Death threats’ force pub to remove foie gras from menu

11-Feb-2016 By Daniel Woolfson

A pub was forced to remove foie gras from its Valentine's Day menu after it claimed staff were threatened by 'vegan activists'.

‘Authentic Cuban’ menu overhaul for Revolution Bars Group

10-Feb-2016 By Daniel Woolfson

Revolution Bars Group has overhauled the food offer across its eight Revolución de Cuba sites with a new 'cantina' menu focused on 'authentic' Cuban cuisine.

Whitbread to launch new Beefeater concept in Birmingham

10-Feb-2016 By Daniel Woolfson

Whitbread is set to launch a new all-day dining concept for its Beefeater pub restaurant brand in Birmingham next month.

'Tinder for licensees' to be launched by Enterprise and BSF

08-Feb-2016 By Daniel Woolfson

Enterprise Inns and British Street Food are set to launch a new ‘matchmaking’ app that will allow Enterprise licensees to connect with street-food vendors and arrange residencies.

Technology

Toby Carvery launches customer loyalty app

05-Feb-2016 By James Evison

Toby Carvery has just launched a new app to offer multi-tier rewards to its customers with the aim of increasing customer loyalty.

Pub food

M&B to expand Sizzling Pizza & Carvery brand

05-Feb-2016 By James Evison

Mitchells & Butlers has announced plans to convert a further ten sites into Sizzling Pizza & Carvery businesses by summer 2016.

Gluten-free report

Evolution in eating: how gluten-free catering is driving change in the pub sector

05-Feb-2016 By Daniel Woolfson

Gluten-free has proved to be one of the most enduring food trends to hit the UK eating-out sector so far this century. A rising number of operators have moved to accommodate the considerable number of customers who now omit gluten — a protein found in...

Consumer trends

Pubs missing out on oriental food opportunity

05-Feb-2016 By Daniel Woolfson

UK pubs are missing out on considerable growth in the oriental food market, according to new research.

Food Safety

PODCAST: How to avoid food fraud in your pub

04-Feb-2016 By Nicholas Robinson

Paying closer attention to your staff’s working history, especially before hiring them, could help prevent a catastrophic incident of food fraud in your pub, a leading food safety advisor has advised.

Food Safety

Food fraud ‘very real danger to pubs’

04-Feb-2016 By Nicholas Robinson

Food fraud and crime are very real and growing dangers to operators serving food, who should have strong preventative systems in place, a group of experts in the field have warned.

News Analysis: Food Safety

‘Multimillion-pound fines’ for unsafe food operators

04-Feb-2016 By Nicholas Robinson

Diners need to know the food they are eating at your site is safe but some experts fear budget cuts could see a reduction in safety measures. Nicholas Robinson investigates

Health and safety

Wetherspoon apologises after customer claims 'a rat ran up my trouser leg and stole a chip'

03-Feb-2016 By Emily Sutherland

Wetherspoon has apologised to customers at its Albany Palace branch in Trowbridge after a diner complained that 'a rat ran up his trouser leg and took a chip out of his hand'.

Investigation launched after horrified diner finds shard of glass in chicken burger

03-Feb-2016 By Daniel Woolfson

An investigation has been launched after a diner at a London pub discovered a ‘giant’ shard of glass inside a chicken burger.

VIDEO: Stephen Harris of the Sportsman talks Top 50 Gastropubs

02-Feb-2016 By Daniel Woolfson

The Sportsman, in Seasalter, Kent, was last week named the top gastropub in the country for the second consecutive year at the Estrella Damm Top 50 Gastropubs Awards.

Food safety

Consumers' health 'put at risk' through Government budget cuts

01-Feb-2016 By Nicholas Robinson

Complaints from consumers about food quality and safety have reached a high following Government budget cuts to local authorities, which has resulted in councils failing to carry out enough food safety inspections, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has...

Foodservice distributors

JJ Foodservice dives into seafood tie-up

01-Feb-2016 By Nicholas Robinson

Wholesaler and supplier JJ Foodservice has announced a sourcing and supply chain agreement with fish distributor Unique Seafood.

Ex-Duck & Waffle chef to head kitchen at new Fuller’s pub

01-Feb-2016 By Daniel Woolfson

A chef who previously worked at acclaimed London eatery Duck & Waffle has taken on the role of head chef at new Fuller’s pub the Sail Loft, Greenwich.

Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour ‘loves’ British pub grub

01-Feb-2016 By Nicholas Robinson

American Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour is a big fan and connoisseur of classic British pub grub, recent reports have claimed.

Eating-out operators will need ‘bank of goodwill’ to weather another recession

01-Feb-2016 By Daniel Woolfson

Operators need to consolidate a ‘bank of goodwill’ with customers to ride out another financial crisis, a leading analyst has warned.

London pub chef wins Great Sausage Roll Off 2016

28-Jan-2016 By Daniel Woolfson

The chef of a west London pub has been crowned the winner of this year's Great Sausage Roll Off.

Top 50 Gastropubs

Who are the movers and shakers on the Top 50 Gastropubs list?

28-Jan-2016 By Daniel Woolfson

This year’s Top 50 Gastropubs saw a massive influx of 17 new entries – more than ever before. On top of that, several pubs climbed unexpectedly up the list. Here are the most notable movers.

Top 50 Gastropubs

‘Good use of dead space’ snaps the Windmill Gastropub award

28-Jan-2016 By Nicholas Robinson

The launch of a revenue-boosting gourmet burger shack and shepherd’s hut seating area secured the Windmill, Clapham, the Business Innovation of the Year Award at the Estrella Damm Top 50 Gastropubs.

RARE BURGERS

Pub’s rare venison burgers fall foul of food standards investigators

28-Jan-2016 By Daniel Woolfson

An Oxfordshire pub has been hit with a one-star food hygiene rating after environmental health officers deemed its rare venison burgers could not be proved safe to eat.

training

Star reveals location of first managed pub for training staff

28-Jan-2016 By James Wallin, MC Allegra FS

Star Pubs & Bars has revealed the location of its first managed pub in Nottingham, the Eagles Corner.

Horizons survey

YouGov poll shows customers ate out more but spent less this Christmas

27-Jan-2016 By Daniel Woolfson

The number of people eating out over Christmas rose marginally this year but average spend dropped, a poll by YouGov and Horizons has revealed.

Top 50 Gastropubs

'Ready Steady Cook' chef takes gastropubs newcomer of year award

27-Jan-2016 By Nicholas Robinson

Celebrity chef brothers Chris and James Tanner have swiped the title of Newcomer of the Year at the Estrella Damm Top 50 Gastropubs 2016 for their Kent-based pub the Kentish Hare.

Top 50 Gastropubs

Double whammy for Freemasons at Top 50 Gastropubs

27-Jan-2016 By Nicholas Robinson

Front-of-house manager Agnieszka Tyczka of the Freemasons at Wiswell, Clitheroe, Lancashire, brought home the gastropub’s first award of the day at the Estrella Damm Top 50 Gastropubs.

Pub chefs face off in parliamentary award finals

27-Jan-2016 By Daniel Woolfson

Pub chef finalists in the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) and All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group’s Parliamentary Pub Chef awards faced off in a tense cook-off.