Save our Pubs

It is sad to read that so many pubs are closing. Yet many other pubs are thriving.

The pubs that are doing well have clearly worked out a magic formula which seems pretty clear to me. You want a pub that is characterful, has real atmosphere, good quality food and drink at the right price. When I was doing my research on pubs across the Mendip Hills, they all delivered on these key points. That’s why I short listed them. I clearly had a different dining experience when I went to the Ring O Bells in Compton Martin compared to the Hunters Lodge up on Priddy, but both pubs delivered against those key points. I don’t want each pub to look like the other, but I do want to be confident that the food and drink is going to be right for the money. Hunters Lodge doesn’t really have any signage outside and you’d pass it without really knowing it was a pub or even open. That is pure character and I love it for being so honest.

So why are so many pubs closing? I think the obvious one is money. It costs a lot to run a pub in terms of energy costs, food costs and staff costs. Then there is the pinch so many are feeling with the cost of living. Going to the pub isn’t cheap and we can all save money by staying at home. But what sort of life is it to not ever go out to the pub?

Habits have also changed. We are obsessed with coffee. Some coffee shops are challenging the role of the pub as a community meeting point. Some coffee shops try very hard to create that mix of character and atmosphere but its typically been ‘designed’ and is very retail focused.

So don’t complain when your favourite pub shuts down if you haven’t visited them for months.We need to cherish the amazing and unique nature of English pubs in particular.

When lock downs were happening I really missed pubs, much more than coffee shops. In fact the last place I visited the day before the first lock down in England was the Swan Inn  at Rowberrow. My friend Max said that day, we might not be in a pub for a while. She was right. Which is why I made the most of that visit.