Thoughts on Pub Eating

I recently joined some friends for a pub dinner in a tiny but stunningly charismatic pub down in Cobham, called The Cricketers. Low ceilings, open fire, wooden beams, real ales made for just about the archetypal country pub. We retired for some food after a busy evening, and as I was scouring the place for its paper menus with scampi, chicken in a basket, chips and garlic bread, I noticed what was written on the chalk board…

It was during this evening that I realised the great shift that is slowly enveloping the gastropub world. It’s no longer good enough to re-heat some pre-cooked cod ‘n chips at lunch. Consumers want more than a £5 burger for dinner. There are simply no excuses for getting lousy food in pubs any more.

This is an area we’ve touched on before. Tom mentions it in his food gripes, and my day of pub food furthered the observations I’m putting across now. Perhaps it’s the downward spiral that the economy finds itself in that has caused pubs to slowly re-think their moneymaking strategies. Of course, spending money on redevelopment and the improved quality of food might oppose this idea, but for now I’m going to assume that profit maximisation in pubs now needs to include food.

Another massive factor in improved pub eating is the fact that we as consumers expect more these days. It’s simply not enough to throw scraps at pissed punters any more. Food and eating out in general is becoming a highly profitable industry where standards are rising across the board.

The first thing I would stress to any aspiring landlord hoping to own a gastropub is obvious: get the food right. If that means cutting an expansive menu in half, then so be it. Don’t overstretch a kitchen that is likely to have less than restaurant standards in terms of staff, equipment and space. It’s remarkable that some places try to get away with the cheapest, nastiest stuff you’ll see served to you. There is no get-out here: if you’re providing food in a service industry, you have to do it properly.

Another thing to bear in mind is the target audience has to be catered for. Much as I’d like to see pates, steak tartare, venison and beef Wellington on most pub menus, it just isn’t going to fly everywhere. However, consistent with my first pub food directive, you still have to get simple, old-fashioned food right. If a pub serves sarnies, chips and salads, they’d better be good. Because I’ll tell you now, there are fewer unsatisfying dishes than a rubbish sandwich.

A feature that is also important is making enough satisfactory space for people to eat their food. The Cricketers had a large restaurant room adjacent to the bar area of the pub that made the eating experience (whilst a little desolate) exactly as it should be: the surroundings complemented the food. The food in this case was lovely. Some (slightly dry) foie gras to start, followed by pheasant with mash, then an apple crumble to finish. A mixture of classics, homely food, old-fashioned pub grub and a sparkle of continental zest… I think that’s about as good as you’d ever want from a pub meal.

I guess the point of this piece is to firstly inspire any pub-goers out there to demand a little more from your pub grub. Don’t accept some lukewarm chips and a burnt burger for a fiver; expect and pay for more. If you want to get plastered and eat some filth, stop by a kebab place on the way home.

Secondly, it’s to highlight just how important food is to pubs that choose to provide it now. We may be moving away from the days where people would go to the pub then head to a restaurant. Now we just want to do it all under one roof. So pick your food pubs carefully and enjoy.