Tag / local pub

by Stuart Mills

Pub Tales #1

Pub connoisseur John Porter recounts a night in his local pub, ‘Little Windsor’ in Sutton, Surrey…

I took a mate out for a couple of pints the other day to mark the occasion of his birthday.  I avoid the word ‘celebrate’ only because it was a significant birthday and he wasn’t exactly jumping for joy at the move into a new decade.

We picked a local pub to meet in rather that one in the town centre, mainly because it was end-of-exams week for school and colleges, and the high street was awash with excited young people flushed with the joys of life and anticipation of the future. They’ll learn, but it’s not the sort of thing you want when contemplating your mortality.

I won’t claim to be a regular in this particular pub. I was definitely in there the day the Task Force sailed for the Falklands, because I can still remember a bloke claiming to have a naval background explaining how the conflict would play out, using beermats and the salt and pepper shakers as visual aids.

I may have only been in a few time since, but the pub is close enough to home  that I was recognised by a few customers  at the bar, who were interested enough to seek my  views  on Martin Jol’s prospects as Fulham manager, and the chances of Britain ever producing a Wimbledon champion.

I’m pretty sure that neither I, my friend, nor anyone else on the pub said anything incisive or original  enough on either topic to be worth recording here. The point was, we had an interesting chat and my friend was able to put his woes aside long enough to get stuck into the debate.

Funnily enough, as we sat outside finishing our second pint, my son wandered past on his way to meet a few friends of his own in the aforementioned high street. He stopped to exchange a few words, but I formed the distinct impression he was keen to move on.  While he didn’t get home until some hours after me, I’m willing to bet the conversation at his pub wasn’t nearly as good as it was at mine.

 

 


by Stuart Mills

Our Top Picks of Pubs to Watch the Tennis from

Murray Vs Nadal… what better excuse to head down to your local to cheer on the tennis in the sun! Here are our top 5 pubs to enjoy the tennis in.

Number 5: The Northcote, Clapham.

A lovely pub in Clapham, offering a great food menu and a wide selection of drinks. Leave your office early and head down in time to get a round in before the match begins. We recommend trying one of their imaginatively named beers such as Dog Fish Head or Timmermans Strawberry.

 

Number 4: The Famous 3 Kings, Fulham.     

The largest sports pub in London, you can support Britain from one of the three big screens, eleven plasmas or two TVs! We recommend a bottle of Heineken to quench your thirst.

 

 

Number 3: Durell Arms, Fulham.

Watch the drama unfold from this stylish pub in the heart of Fulham. With a large menu of food and drink this is the perfect setting for a long day of tennis-watching. We recommend a pitcher of Bulmers cider from the tap to enjoy with your friends.

 

 

Number 2: The Hand-in-Hand, Wimbledon Common.

With a charming beer garden to enjoy the sun and a vibrant atmosphere, the Hand-in-Hand pub is the perfect spot to enjoy the match. We recommend a pint of Sambrooks Wandle Ale to compliment the *fingers crossed* victory for Murray.

 

 

Number 1: The Common Room, Wimbledon Village.

In the heart of Wimbledon Village, the Common Room hosts large plasma TVs to enjoy the tennis from, and if the sun’s shining take your pint outside to the beer garden during the breaks! We recommend a glass (or jug) of Pimms to aid your cheering!

 

by Stuart Mills

Working to make pubs even better

British people like pubs. It’s as simple as that. They might not go to them all the time, or stick a ‘save my local’ bumper sticker on their car, but every single piece of research I’ve seen in twenty years of working in the industry says that British people would rather have pubs than not. And that’s a brilliant start isn’t it?

Over the years there have been various nationwide campaigns to try and help the pub industry. I absolutely believe we need to keep those up. It’s great to ensure MPs are being badgered by their local communities to take an interest in pubs, in taxation on beer and in how we keep pubs at the heart of British life.

Working together has got to be better than working in isolation. And yet, part of me feels like this group action might also be taking responsibility away from individual publicans, brewers and every single one of us to make pubs better.

Why is it that some pubs are full? Why do some pubs offer all sorts of brilliant extra things to their consumers from quiz nights to dog washing to parcel collection? How have some pubs got it so right, when others are empty?

The answer I’m afraid lies in part with the individual publican. Wherever they are from city centre to tiny village, they’ve made an effort to understand the needs of their local community and then created a space that is enticing and relevant today. You can’t just stick free Wi-Fi in your pub and sit back to watch the crowds come in.

I love pubs, I love this industry and I want it to succeed. So just as you might tell a good friend they’d got it wrong, I’d like to say in the nicest possible way that we could be accused of being stuck in our ways, of being lazy and of not putting our consumers first.

We’re in the amazing position of people wanting pubs. Let’s make the most of it. If each pub in the land did five things to make itself an even better place to be – from improving its drinks offering, to tidying up the beer garden, to getting round to sorting out its website – then we’d be in better shape.

And if every single one of us (instead of just liking the ideas of pubs) actually went to one a month for the next year then that would be a good start. But it would be even better if we took responsibility for helping the landlords and ladies by giving them direct feedback. Tell them what they are doing well, and what they could do better. Don’t just go home and grumble about how useless your boozer is, actually do the un-British thing and complain. You can do it nicely at the bar, or if you feel uncomfortable you can do it here online.

Then we as an industry, and as individuals, have to promise to listen and to act. We have to avoid being defensive, or blaming someone else. We have to hear our consumers out and if it’s sensible try to do something about it. Because if they take the time to tell us, and we all listen, then every single pub in the country will be a better place to be. As the famous meerkat says. Simples.

By Stuart Mills, founder useyourlocal.com, as featured in Host magazine