News

Pubs and restaurants bounce back in June

19-Jul-2011 By Mark Wingett, M&C Report

Pub and restaurant groups reported a rise in like-for-like sales in June, due to the half-term holidays and the "World Cup effect".

CGC searches for great Italian-style food

15-Jul-2011 By Lesley Foottit

The Craft Guild of Chefs is helping Lactalis McLelland, producer of Galbani cheese, on its quest to find the UK's most inspired creators of Italian food.

Shibden Mill is Yorkshire's Favourite Pub

14-Jul-2011 By Lesley Foottit

The Shibden Mill is Yorkshire's Favourite Pub 2011, as voted for by hundreds of consumers. The Halifax freehold, owned by Simon and Caitlin Heaton,...

FSA cuts costs by 35%

14-Jul-2011 By Lesley Foottit

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has cut its expenditure by 35% in the last year. The Annual Report and Consolidated Accounts 2010/11 revealed that...

Pilling and Stanley to open at the Courthouse

13-Jul-2011 By Mark Wingett, M&C Report

Restaurateurs Steve Pilling and Simon Stanley are set to open a new restaurant and bar at the proposed Courthouse development in Manchester.

Slug and Lettuce launches Sunday brunch

12-Jul-2011 By Lesley Foottit

Popular high street brand the Slug and Lettuce has launched a new brunch menu for Sundays. From 9am to noon customers can enjoy "sluggish Sundays"...

Brunning & Price ramp up pub-restaurant operation

11-Jul-2011 By MA reporter

The Restaurant Group (TRG) is to ramp up the roll out of its Brunning & Price (B&P) pub-restaurant operation.

Nestlé Toque d'Or champions crowned

11-Jul-2011 By Lesley Foottit

Defending champion the College of Food, University College Birmingham, has scooped the Nestlé Toque d'Or title for the second year running. The...

Great steak is pub benchmark, claims top chef.

11-Jul-2011 By Lesley Foottit

The benchmark of a good food pub is a great steak, according to top chef Marco Pierre White. The chef says people will travel to a pub with a "good...

Breakfast sales boost at Barracuda

08-Jul-2011 By Michelle Perrett

Barracuda Group, has revealed that the introduction of breakfasts has led to a 35% increase in like-for-like sales across its estate during the 9-12...

Orchid opens 11th Dragon site

06-Jul-2011 By Lesley Foottit

The Orchid Group has reopened its 11th Dragon site, a traditional pub with a Thai restaurant in Essex. The Rayleigh Lodge in Rayleigh formerly...

Lancaster pub in Hellmann's competition final

06-Jul-2011 By Lesley Foottit

A Lancaster licensee is in with the chance of winning a trip to New York after making the final of a Hellmann's Vinaigrettes competition. Colin...

Rochdale rolls out Food Hygiene system

06-Jul-2011 By Lesley Foottit

Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council has rolled out the Food Hygiene Rating System, following more than 150 local authorities in England. The Food...

Yorkshire pub breaks record with 100lbs fish & chips

04-Jul-2011 By Lesley Foottit

A Yorkshire pub has reclaimed the record for serving the world's largest fish and chips with the dish weighing in at over 100lbs.

Booker locks down prices for summer

29-Jun-2011 By Lesley Foottit

UK food and drink wholesaler Booker has locked down food prices for pubs for the summer. Discounted products include Chef's Larder tuna chunks in...

View from the Summit - A lessee's personal opinion

29-Jun-2011 By Gerry Price

Enterprise Inns long-serving lessee Gerry Price shares his views on yesterday's Tenanted Pub Company Summit.

Seafood shortage means worries for pub favourite

28-Jun-2011 By Lesley Foottit

Pubs are facing rising seafood prices with shellfish catches declining by up to 50% over the past six months. Leading scampi suppliers have warned...

DBC appoints director of new sales

21-Jun-2011 By Lesley Foottit

DBC Foodservice has appointed Jo Elder as director of independent and new business sales. She will report to Tony Rowlands, newly appointed sales...

Peter's drive to get pies in pubs

21-Jun-2011 By Lesley Foottit

Peter's Food Service is inviting wet-led pubs to buy or lease a branded pie cabinet to kick-start a food offer. The Pies for Pubs scheme aims to...

Northern Ireland rolls out Hygiene Rating System

20-Jun-2011 By Lesley Foottit

Councils in Northern Ireland have launched the Food Hygiene Rating System, seven months after it was rolled out across the UK. All food-led venues...

Milestone brings back pub cookery classes

20-Jun-2011 By Lesley Foottit

Sheffield gastropub the Milestone is bringing back its cookery school due to demand. The sessions will be held at Blood, Sweat and Beers' new...

Yates's gains 11,000 customers through promotion

20-Jun-2011 By Lesley Foottit

High street brand Yates's relaunched its website earlier this month alongside an offer for a free cheeseburger every time a new member signed up....

Derby pub wins carvery unit

20-Jun-2011 By Lesley Foottit

Licensee David Shaw, of Punch pub the George Cross in Derby, has won the Publican's Morning Advertiser's Pub Carvery Competition. The competition...

Shops make way for cafés, pubs and restaurants

17-Jun-2011 By Mark Wingett, M&C Report

Just under a third of independent high street stores are now cafes, pubs, restaurants and takeaways rather than traditional retailers, according to a...

UK diets impacted by price rises

16-Jun-2011 By Mark Wingett, M&C Report

Nearly half of UK consumers said that their diet had changed in the last two years, with 41% blaming the rising price of food.

Choose your own steak and seafood pub open

16-Jun-2011 By Lesley Foottit

A Suffolk pub has reopened as a steak and seafood house where customers can hand-pick their own dinner. Louise and David Anthony took on Greene King...

Drake & Morgan to launch fifth pub

16-Jun-2011 By Lesley Foottit

London operator Drake & Morgan is getting ready to launch its fifth site — the Drift at London's newly developed Heron's Tower — on 4 July....

Kerridge Great British Menu victory

14-Jun-2011 By Lesley Foottit

Michelin-starred pub chef Tom Kerridge has been crowned one of four winners of BBC Two's Great British Menu after winning the main-course round. He...

Pubs and restaurants report fall in May

14-Jun-2011 By Mark Wingett, M&C Report

Pub and restaurant groups reported the first fall in like-for-like sales this year in May, as they suffered a post-Easter and Royal Wedding hangover...

Hellmann's launches magazine and salad competition

13-Jun-2011 By Lesley Foottit

Unilever Food Solutions has launched a Hellmann's online magazine and competition to help pub chefs capitalise on salads this summer.

Brakes and Shepherd Neame launch BFF competition

13-Jun-2011 By Lesley Foottit

Foodservice supplier Brakes has teamed up with brewer Shepherd Neame to launch its Best of British chef competition, as part of British Food...

Livebookings launches TV ad for Bookatable.com

13-Jun-2011 By Lesley Foottit

Livebookings has launched a TV ad campaign to further push its consumer reservations website Bookatable.com.

Brakes Group scoops eight gongs at BFFF

10-Jun-2011 By Lesley Foottit

Foodservice supplier Brakes Group swept the board at last night's British Frozen Food Federation (BFFF) awards winning eight gongs.

EBLEX names Best Steak Pie winner

10-Jun-2011 By Lesley Foottit

EBLEX has crowned the winner of England's Best Steak Pie competition — Dunkleys of Wellingborough, Northamptonshire.

JW Lees names Food Pub of the Year

09-Jun-2011 By Lesley Foottit

North-west brewer and pub operator JW Lees has named its Food Pub of the Year in its Pub of the Year awards. The Ship Inn at Wincle near...

Felicini owners take on first gastropub

08-Jun-2011 By Mark Wingett, M&C Report

Sheffield restaurant group Felicini is opening its first gastropub — the Pointing Dog in Cheshire next month.

Business boosters: takeaway pizza and kids eat free

06-Jun-2011 By Lesley Foottit

PubChef takes an indepth look at innovative ideas for driving food and drink sales at your pub.

Bilton's Got Talent: award win for Yorkshire chef

03-Jun-2011 By Jo Bruce

Tim Bilton of the Butchers Arms in West Yorkshire has been named Pub Restaurant Chef of the Year in the Craft Guild of Chefs Awards 2011.

Food origin more clearly labelled in retail

01-Jun-2011 By Lesley Foottit

The majority of retail meat and dairy products now feature origin labelling, food minister Jim Plaice has announced. A survey looked at labels on...

Pub and butcher team up to make pies

01-Jun-2011 By Lesley Foottit

A West Yorkshire microbrewery has teamed up with a local butcher to create homemade steak pies. Nookie Pies are now on the menu at J Brindon Addy...

Gastropub team's takes on second pub

30-May-2011 By Lesley Foottit

The team behind an award-winning Cambridgeshire gastropub has launched another outlet nearby. Owner of the Red Lion at Hinxton, Alex Clarke, has...

Surrey pub hit with fine over rat-infested kitchen

27-May-2011 By Adam Pescod

The owner of a pub in Surrey has been hit with a £4,515 fine after failing to deal with a rat infestation in his kitchen. Kevin Healy, owner of...

Brakespear pub wins Good Food accolade

26-May-2011 By Lesley Foottit

A Brakspear pub has been named a regional winner of The Good Food Guide's Restaurant of the Year Award. Orwells in Shiplake near Henley won the...

No growth likely in eating out sector

24-May-2011 By Michelle Perrett

Growth is unlikely in the eating-out market during 2011, with 2012 likely to be a difficult year as consumers seek value. That's the prediction of...

Pub catering butchery Bluefields launches

19-May-2011 By Lesley Foottit

Independent catering butchery Bluefields Group has launched into foodservice and invested in Ben Burgers.

Peter's drive to make pasty food of Wales

19-May-2011 By Lesley Foottit

Pasty baker Peter's Foods is leading a campaign to get the corned beef pasty recognised as the offical dish of Wales. It will be petitioning for...

Pub food market to polarise

18-May-2011 By Mark Wingett & Michelle Perrett

The UK's food market will polarise over the next four years as outlets migrate towards a premium or value offering.

Whitbread appoints pub restaurant COO

10-May-2011 By Mark Wingett, M&C Report

Whitbread has continued the reorganisation of its pub restaurant division with the appointment of Peter Blake as chief operating officer.

MSC promotes sustainable seafood for pub menus

05-May-2011 By Lesley Foottit

The Marine Conservation Society has today (5 May) launched its most comprehensive advice yet to help pub chefs source sustainable seafood.

Young's opens Oliver Twist pub

03-May-2011 By Lesley Foottit

Young's has re-opened an 18th century London pub, famous for its mention in Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist. The Coach and Horses in Isleworth has...