Eating in British pubs

[Dom Tuk]

Why is dining out in british pubs such an insipid and uninspiring affair these days. They have jazzy menus, but anyone can see that in their postage stamp sized kitchen all that they cook is the chips, boil the spuds and veges and prepare the salald (ie take it out of a packet). The main course is all in frozen packs which are just microwaved. Is it the same in other countries and does anyone actually believe that the 'thai chicken with rice' in their local british pub does not come out of a frozen pack?

[Ethel]

There are two main suppliers, Brakes being the most famous.

It means wherever you go in the country you get the same food.

Bad enough when it's 'cheap' pub grub, but according to Saturday's papers the more up-market restaurants are buying in pre-prepared meals as well.

I'm fed up with it.

I would much rather have a small choice of freshly cooked meals than a mile long menu of frozen 'ding' meals.

A good indication of what you are getting is to ask for the meat of fish to be served without the sauce. If they can't - it's a ready meal.

[JamesEverton]

It depends where you live. My part of West London is now festooned with gastro pubs where the standard of food is on the whole pretty good (although, pricey). However lots of people in the area are bemoaning the demise of the local boozer, where you can get a decent, reasonably priced pint and a cheese balm cake from under a perspex cover on the bar.

[Octavius]

I was down in the New Forest over Bank Holiday, and what I found most annoying � forgetting the standard of food � was that the �pub� atmosphere is being lost as all the pubs we went to were laid out to look more like restaurants and the stench of vinegar almost unbearable. I�m all for pub snacks and a bit to eat during the day, but now they are all just cheap restaurants. Bring back the pub, thats what I say.

[JudgeJ]

The biggest problem with the quality of food and service in many British pubs (and indeed restaurants) is the level of pay the employers are prepared to offer. (I know there are some good exceptions, but I�m talking in general terms). They cannot expect to employ the services of skilled catering staff when they offer just �5 per hour. Unfortunately catering is seen by many people as a job you do when you cannot find anything else and that will not change whilst the pay is so poor.

Similarly, in order to cut costs, establishments buy in mass produced pre-prepared food. How many pubs do you know which peel, wash and cook their own vegetables? How many prepare their own main courses from scratch? Visit the continent and you will see fresh produce being delivered daily and this is prepared on the premises.

Alas the economy of this country is now so geared up to paying minimum wages (and so ensuring maximum profits) that the notion of providing some skilled labour at a higher rate has gone out of the window in some industries, probably for good.

[JudgeJ]

And I'm afrid, Octavius, another thing that is gone forever is the "boozer". Most pubs are owned by big "PubCos" these days and they see more profit in selling two steak and chips and a bottle of wine, than in selling two pints of bitter and a Babycham. Many independently owned pubs are in rural locations where the village boozer simply cannot survive by selling beer alone. The only exceptions are the city-centre vertical drinking establishments - and I think I'd prefer to drink vinegar rather than spend time in one of those!

[jake-the-peg]

I'd have to partly agree with the Judge - the standard of food is linked to the standard of the staff the pub's preparded to pay for.

All businesses are geared to extract the maximum profit from the business and that's normally the highest price and the lowest quality that the public will stomach.

It's what the free market gives you - if there were no regulations at all it probably wouldn't even be safe to eat.

Not sure about the unprofitability of boozers though - certainly 10 years ago when my wife worked for a brewery these were some of the most profitable - there's a lot of profit in heavy drinkers. And there doesn't seem much shortage of them out my way - is it the London boozer that's endangered?

[nickmo]

http://www.camra.org.uk/ for the Campaign for Real Ale may have some news of interest about 'locals' and of course good beer, and with that should follow good food too.

Campaigning site for the 'rescuing' of local pubs is at : http://www.communitypubs.org/ - they have action packs and advice if anyones' local is about to turn into a multiples pub.

[Octavius]

I�m afraid I do not agree with this generalisation and mini-rant. The standard of food is linked to the price the pub chain are prepared to pay for it and has nothing to do with service staff. I know from personal experience that one major pub chain only employs 1 person to run their kitchen as this is all that is required � and this is exactly as Dom Tuk describes. The �waiting staff� are generally the bar staff who bring out the food in between serving at the bar. Standard and quality of food is not the fault of lowly paid serving staff, but the originator the food supply in the first place and hence the pub chain.

[Ethel]

I firmly believe it was a huge mistake to make pubs 'open plan'.

Years ago there was a bar for darts and men in 'working clothes', a lounge, a snug, a smokeroom. ...

Whole families could go to the same pub and not see each other - but you knew they were there if you needed them.

Bring back the proper pub!!!

[mccfluff]

In my student days i worked as a 'chef' in a S&N pub and as ethel said the food was pre prepared and brought in from either brakes or bookers, portions were halved to make the gp higher and the most cooking i did was to make a beer batter to coat the fish when we did fish and chips. however i have also worked in a local pub where we made everything from scratch and i actually cooked real food not chicken ding, so there is hope but you have to look hard to find the few gems remaining!

[wallis1007]

There is a local boozer near me that does food. For about a fiver you can get a proper main course ( ie. fresh food and home cooked ) not the best in the world but its real food. On the other side of town there is a pub that will happily charge 30 pound for for the same thing, only defrosted and nuked. I know wich I would rather have.

[kev100]

I'm nearly 200 years old and I remember when the landlady at my local used to do a home made stew with a crust on it for half a crown, it was flockin brilliant and a cracking portion.

My mother used to say about me, that lad can eat 20 taters more than a pig and even I used to struggle with this pie

The stuff they dish up today is pure rubbish, people have lost all track of what real food is

[spudqueen]

We have three pubs in our village, one concentrates on food, though it is all cooked on the premises, they make their own burgers etc, the second one has a wine bar feel to it but again they make their own food and the third one is a real local pub, again it does food and it's all it's own, they even have a curry night on a Wednesday when they bring in a local Asian lady to do proper currys. I suppose we're lucky here, but I do know what you mean about it all being frozen food as if I should ever step into a Brewers Fayre etc (not usually through my choice!) it is all very 'samey'.

[Gef]

Don't know where you live Dom but get a life. If I want good beer I go to a good pub. If I want good food I go to a restaurant. Luckily, there are a few places that manage to put the two together but I really don't see the point of your question.

[alijangra]

I actually think that the standard is a bit higher in Scotland, especially in the Aberdeen area. There are lots of places that do real traditional food (except chain pubs eg Weatherspoons, Lloyds and Yates etc).

[Dom Tuk]

Hey In a pickle...long time no see. Just today in our quest to find a pub to organise a Eng Swe match view...found this great website www.beerintheevening.co.uk. its promises to be a good source of info. still getting used to it.

[shammydodger]

I love Brewers Fayres, Whacky Warehouses and the like. They allow for all the nasty screaming kiddies to be coralled in one place, while we dedicated boozers and lovers of good pub grub can seek out the better places in comfort and relative peace.

A general rule of thumb: if the sandwich board declares two meals for the price of one, steer well clear.