IN BRIEF
News in brief
Archives for December 1, 2005
BAR TALK from 01/12/2005
How did the first weekend of the new licensing regime go?
The Publican unites with Pubs Week to celebrate pubs
The Publican is teaming up with National Pubs Week to showcase the annual event to the pub trade and pub-goers.Under the Proud of Pubs banner, The...
Daily Mail's pub mole
ploy is pathetic: Martin by The PMA Team JD Wetherspoon chairman Tim Martin has dubbed the Daily Mail 'pathetic' for sending an undercover reporter...
Ann Mary gets Kings Arms back on its feet
The team at the Kings Arms at Litton, in Somerset, is the latest to be picked out for The Publican's Proud of Your Staff initiative.When Ann Mary...
70 pubcos end upward-only rent agreements
reviews as part of a new code of practice on leases and tenancies drawn up by the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA).
Licensing@aol.com ...
Be sure to send in your change-of-address details Q I received both my paper and card personal licence a week ago. They both state the name of the...
PubChef Awards - Meat
Provenance seems all the rage as consumers demand to know more about the source and supply of their ingredients. Nowhere is this better illustrated...
Famous Eaters - Father Christmas
Each month we look at famous people - past and present - who love their grub
My Shout - Stamp Duty
Barry Gillham takes a looks at the effect of stamp duty reform and finds the new system unfair It is two years (to the day!) since Stamp Duty Land...
PubChef Awards - Desserts
For diners with a sweet tooth, the dessert section of the menu is probably the one they most look forward to, and our finalists seemed keen to...
Trade Secrets - Winning Ways - The Dartmoor Union, Holbeton, Devon
Mark Taylor talks to manager Sue Constantine and head chef Ollie Luscombe of the Dartmoor Union in Holbeton, Devon, recently named Dining Pub of the...
Oriental Food - Spicy skewers and belting bar snacks
New oriental food products
Meet the Merchant - Bibendum
Bibendum 113 Regents Park Road London NW1 8UR www.bibendum-wine.co.uk On-trade enquiries: 0207 449 4100; tradesales@bibendum-wine.co.uk Fine wine...
Oriental Food - Top tips for delicious dishes
Top tips for oriental dishes
Battle of the Chefs - Salad Days
Battle of the chefs is sponsored by Pom' Alliance. Our chefs used French Charlotte and Amandine potatoes, increasingly popular salad varieties, which...
BBC unfair to target Best's doctor
It was inevitable, given the media frenzy over '24-hour drinking', that George Best's doctor, Professor Roger Williams, should be asked for his views...
NEWS IN BRIEF from 01/Dec/2005
Column of food nibs
Business Ideas - Deals to draw diners
Continuing our regular series, Mark Taylor looks at more ideas hosts have devised to swell their coffers One-hour lunch promise Where: The Digger's...
Property round-up
The Wheel Inn, near Lymington, is a freehold public house located in the New Forest National Park. The detached property occupies a prominent...
Oriental Food - Traditional platters with a twist
Dave Howarth, trading director for Woodward Foodservice, suggests offering variants of traditional pub foods with a twist - such as pork, chilli and...
Coffee - Coffee and whisky matches
From the peaty Islays, which work well with heavy-bodied coffees from Indonesia and the Middle East, through to the light, heathery Speysides, which...
Oriental Food - Climb aboard for Oriental excess
Taking culinary ideas from China and Japan could bring some much-needed custom into your pub, says Richard Fox Ask most Westerners to name an...
Pubs prove critics wrong - Editor's Comment
Licensees who stayed open longer should pat themselves on the back for a job well done Andrew Pring, Editor We warned you the eyes of the press would...
THE GUV'NOR - Alison arter of the Bayview Inn in Widemouth Bay, Cornwall
Alison Carter The licensee of the Bayview Inn, Widemouth Bay, Cornwall, says that if it wasn't for hosts, pubs would not be as friendly - and Jesus...
Check your licence so you know what's what
When the paper copy of your new licence, and the summary, arrive, it would pay you to sit down and study it carefully. What the local licensing...
Great Pub Chefs - Well in Hand - Tom Kerridge
Tom Kerridge has taken the plunge and opened his own pub. He's worked hard to create the right atmosphere and it certainly seems to have paid off,...
Punch might sell 1,000 Spirit pubs
Punch Taverns is prepared to sell on up to 1,000 of the pubs it has acquired from Spirit Group.Having committed Punch to converting 750 Spirit pubs...
Hewitt defends smoking ban exemption of private clubs
Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt has defended the government's plans to exempt private members' clubs from the proposed smoking ban.During a debate...
The Surgery - How can I make sprouts more interesting as a Christmas side dish?
The Surgery's tips on making sprouts more interesting
Battle of the Chefs - Top of the Pots
Two chefs from a West Sussex inn use French Charlotte and Amandine potatoes in this month's head to head. Alison Baker reports Think of two young,...
Coffee - Products
Nescafe goes for machines
Pub Review - The Blagdon Inn, Taunton, Somerset
In need of a break and some decent food? Then take the Taunton exit (J25) off the M5, pick up the Trull road out of town and you will find this 400-year-old Somerset longhouse in three miles.
PubChef Awards - Pub Classics
These dishes have stood the test of time, becoming enduring favourites on the menus of British pubs. To stir things up a bit, our category finalists...
Book Review - Wild Flavours - Mike Robinson
Book review - Wild Flavours - Mike Robinson
Charles Wells to offer franchise agreements
by John Harrington Bedford pub operator Charles Wells is offering all new and existing licensees the chance to become franchisees after a successful...
Get creative with ways to trash the ash
A smoking ban is on the way. Two options now remain - the Government will either outlaw smoking in pubs that prepare and serve food or impose a...
New York: Tour Operators
Winners who went on PubChef study tour to New York
Food Study Tour: New York - Apple Turnover
PubChef teamed up with Kitchen Range Foods to offer two licensees an inspirational food-study tour to New York. Jo Bruce reports on how they got on...
Coffee - Hot top tips
Jeremy Torz, director of Union Coffee Roasters, reveals the following tips for creating a successful coffee offering 1 For the smaller, more personal...
Opinion - Jo Bruce, Editor
New laws are meat and drink to licensed trade The arrival of the new licensing laws not only heralds a new era in drinks retailing in the on-trade...
Coffee - Where have you bean all my life?
If you haven't yet discovered the pulling power of hot drinks in pubs, it's time you woke up and smelled the coffee, writes Graham Ridout In the past...
Coffee - Great Expectations
A pub sector study by Nestlé FoodServices has shown that more than 80% of consumers said coffee played a part in the overall enjoyment of the...
Beer and Food - Match that!
The Beer and Food category at the PubChef Awards went down a treat with Susan Nowak, the editor of The Beer Cook Book. Culinary history was made in a...
Wine - The Douro region
In my experience, there isn't a wine growing region anywhere on the planet to touch the Douro. It's pretty enough on the Spanish side of the border,...
Uncertain future for staff as Punch wins race for Spirit
Some 40,000 pub managers and staff face an uncertain future following Punch Tavern's swoop on Spirit Group earlier today.While Punch expects to...
Two councils issue 33% of 24-hour pub licences
by Lucy Britner Two rural district councils have issued a third of the 24-hour licences granted to pubs in England and Wales. West Dorset and North...
Making the grade - doing up a listed building.
Refurbishing a listed building is no easy task. But, as Ewan Turney discovered, 18 months and £170,000 later, the Hewas Inn at Sticker, Cornwall,...
Punch devises 'show-pubs' as model smoke-ban solutions
by Tony Halstead Punch is to develop smoke-ban 'solutions' at three pubs in Scotland to help its lessees combat the effects of the smoking ban. The...
Walkabout Bournemouth toasts licence bid court success
A Walkabout pub in Bourne-mouth has won back its licence after taking steps to reduce violence at the venue. Magistrates granted the paperwork after...
It's do or die for ManU
by Lawrence Dutrieux Sir Alex Ferguson has to endure a do or die ride on Wednesday night in what's become a Uefa Champions League roller coaster for...
GRS makes space for new big pubs.
GRS makes space for new Big Pubs GRS Inns, the wholly-owned subsidiary of Punch Taverns, has unveiled plans for up to a dozen openings of its new...
Think before you move in next door, says host
by John Harrington Residents who want a silent night should think twice before they move next to a pub. That is the message from licensees who...
People: Back to basics
A new interactive training CD is helping publicans on a budget train their staff. Phil Mellows reports.More than ever, publicans have to be confident...
Pub Review - The Puffing Billy - Exton, Devon
Although it describes itself as a pub/bistro, the Puffing Billy is still very much a gastro pub, and an above-average one at that.
Why are we working harder for less cash?
Edward and Leanne Plumber built an extension at JPs bar, near Borehamwood, to help increase food trade, but now find they have less money for...
Cannon takes fresh aim
It's the freshness of the local produce served from Andrew Cannon's kitchen at the Victoria Inn in Salcombe, Devon, that pulls in the diners. MARK...
New York menus feed inspiration
PubChef recently headed to New York on a foodstudy tour. PubChef editor Jo Bruce gives tips on six places that are worth checking out: Shake Shack...
Punch and Oldham clash in wake of five pub closures
A row has erupted between Punch Taverns and Oldham council after it shut five Punch pubs on the first day of the new Licensing Act. Punch accused the...
Chefs set to face payments probe
by Lucy Britner Customs officers are poised to launch an investigation into 'back-handers' allegedly made to chefs by suppliers. Independent tax...
PubChef Live - Mutton's on the button
The mutton revival continues as the meat returns to trade kitchens. It was the focus of attention at this month's PubChef Live. Mark Taylor reports...
Syndicate re-opens under strict conditions
Britain's largest nightclub has re-opened just one month after it was closed by magistrates following police claims of violence and disorder. The...
Letting off Steam - Will you change your food offer as a result of the new licensing laws?
This month we ask licensees if they plan to change their food offer as a result of the new licensing laws Kevin Simpson, licensee, the Hill,...
Not just a time for traditional fare
We take a look at what's on offer on some of the UK's pub menus at Christmas time this year Tony Ellis, head chef of the Dinton Hermit, Ford,...
TV footie infringement earns host a hefty fine
by John Harrington A Bolton host has become the first this season to be fined for showing live Premiership football during the Saturday afternoon...
Wine - Pub Profile - The White Hart, Lydgate
The White Hart 51 Stockport Road Lydgate Saddleworth Oldham Greater Manchester OL4 4JJ Tel: 01457 872 566 The tale of the White Hart is, in many...
Craft Talk - Surviving the hectic Christmas period
Craft Guild of Chefs member Michael Harding gives fellow pub chefs some wise words to help survive the hectic Christmas period. At Christmas, staff...
In the Hot seat - Tom Kerridge
Opinions from Chef Tom Kerridge
LETTERS page from 01/12/2005
How will my B&B cope with the smoking ban? and others including licensing letters.
Winners who did it their way
Eight awards were presented at the second annual Morning Advertiser Responsible Drinks Retailing event last week, honouring those who had made the...
Notice period is crucial for TENs
There have been a number of problems surfacing over Temporary Event Notices (TENs).
Chef's CV - Tom Kerridge
Chef's CV - Tom Kerridge
The Surgery - Making Steak and Chips healthier
The Surgery's tips on making steak and chips healthier
Ramsay claim sparks furore
Pub chefs have rounded on Gordon Ramsay after he claimed that women can't cook. Ramsay has launched a national campaign to get women back into the...
Brits beat Aussies in BBQ contest
Three pub chefs helped place Britain as the top international team in a world barbecue competition. Ben Bartlett, catering development manager of...
Customers confused over licensing laws
Confusion about the new licensing laws among pub customers is causing trouble for licensees across the country.One week into the new licensing...
Ramsay talks a load of b*ll*cks
During his current F word series, Gordon Ramsay revealed he has a low sperm count. The three-Michelin starred chef, who nevertheless has four...