A letter has reached Caterer Towers from the much loved Egon Ronay in which he offers his suggestions for the ressurrection of the much loved and currently troubled British pub.
In it he is quite right to say that the British pub is a national institution and it is certainly threatened by a series of bad luck but his solution is already a well voiced arguement; namely turning the pubs catering operations into that of a small restaurant.
While I cannot argue with Ronay that the British pub is a "uniquely British phenomenon", occupying a place in the heart of the British psyche in the same way the bistro inhabits that of the French, great progress has already been made in improving and introducing quality food in the British pub.
Look, for example at The Sportsman in Seasalter, Kent, which picked up its first Michelin star this year.
Gordon Ramsay is expanding his empire with investment in pubs too promising ten pubs this year adding to the Narrow in London's Limehouse, Devonshire House in Chiswick and the Warrington in Maida Vale.
Even the notion that pubs should turn into small restaurants is dismissed by the 2,000 plus sites under the control of Mitchells & Butlers serving in excess of 100m meals a week.
While Ronay's call for a thriving gastropub on every high street is laudable (and even welcome) the economic reality is that it just can't happen. As pointed out today by analysts Horizon there are too many eateries in Britain's mid-market already.
While I can't help but agree with Ronay, the evidence suggests his ideas are not going to happen.
Read the rest of this entry to read Ronay's letter in full.
Sir,
The British pub, a national institution, is threatened by a series of bad luck. Their vast number is gradually reducing, their financial situation deteriorating. The smoking ban is a very serious blow for pubs; the Budget has increased beer and wine prices; the disastrous, late-night behaviour of too many young people is, in the public’s mind, partly connected with pubs; the economic climate is reducing customers’ general spending. Pub groups’ particularly low share prices have no hope of ever again touching the heights they used to command.
And yet this sorry situation should give pubs an incentive, if they only realised it, to achieve a greater reputation than ever. I suggest the answer lies in adding to their existing, traditional operations, modest and manageable catering similar to that of small restaurants. For this the climate is ideal: plenty of young, hard-working British chefs are eager to take charge even of small kitchens, the reputation of ‘British cuisine’ is deservedly increasing without aiming at the annoyingly spreading culinary madness of over-complicated ‘original creations’, most of the overheads are already borne by the conventional pub trade anyway, and the success of the relatively few ‘gastropubs’ shows the evident need. The British pub’s international fame would rise further, helped by the tangible family background of many, and their declining balance sheets would resurrect.
Yours faithfully
EGON RONAY
Comments (3)
Good food certainly does offer the best hope of survival for British pubs in the wake of all the obstacles Egon Ronay has identified. It may interest you to know, however, that in the town closest to my home in Wiltshire there are 10 public houses,9 of them serving meals of varying quality. One serves no food at all but offers a terrific range of well-kept beers and a pleasant haven for smokers in the back yard - it is reputed to be the most profitable of them all.
Posted by Peter Hancock | April 2, 2008 10:09 AM
Posted on April 2, 2008 10:09
Interested to see that the Dog Inn in Wingham Kent was listed by Egon Ronay... he obviously didnt have the experience i did when booking them to do a buffet for my fathers funeral. Having paid them £600 for a buffet for 60 i was disgusted by the cheap assortment of custard creams, bowls of filled rolls, 2 small cafetiers of coffee, large bowl of doritos and little else... no garnish or salad in sight... it was disgusting... and they have refused me any form of refund !" Maybe they just saw you coming !
Posted by Anne Hills | May 15, 2008 7:40 PM
Posted on May 15, 2008 19:40
Having gone for an evening meal at the Dog Inn, Wingham, I have no regrets in registering my disappointment in the quality of food; tasteless and dry is the best description I can offer.Even the waiter said he could do better himself.
Posted by Liz Findlay | June 29, 2008 9:25 PM
Posted on June 29, 2008 21:25