Paul Bailey's Beer Blog - Is a cheap and cheerful pub lunch too much to ask for?
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I've been meaning to write a post on this particular topicfor quite some time now, and whilst I encounter its effects more often than Iwould like, for some reason I keep putting off trying to get to grips with it. It’shigh time then that I broached the subject and came clean, about what hasbecome a real bugbear of mine. I am talking about the increasingly divisivesubject of an affordable pub lunch, something that many of us will have takenfor granted but which, in these changing times, seems to have morphed intosomething completely different. I don’t often get the chance to enjoy a pint or two atlunchtime, what with me still working three days a week, but when I do wellit’s a welcome treat. That applies equally to whether it’s somewhere familiar,and close to home, or a place further afield, such as on a visit to a new town,or different location. Those who know me will be aware that, on such occasions,I like to partake of a little solid refreshment, to accompany that provided bythe liquid enjoyment of a couple of pints.It's an old habit, and one that relates to a dislike ofdrinking on an empty stomach. I’m not sure where that came from, although Isuspect it is due to me not wishing to miss my lunch. However, leaving asideany sarcastic comments from the likes of Cooking Lager about my waistline here,for what it’s worth, is my reasoning behind this. There's probably not a lot oftruth in the saying that solid food helps soak up the beer, when consumed reasonablyclose together. Personally, I think that it’s more the case that alcohol isn’t absorbedquite a fast when food is present. So, all those Friday lunchtime sessions, of a few pints withone’s colleagues, probably have a lot to answer for, as none of us wanted toreturn to the workplace feeling half-cut, and a quick roll or sandwich at thepub, may well have helped maintain a sober demeanour. Pub-grub wasn’t thatsophisticated in those days, and a toasted sandwich, a scotch egg, pork pie, orsomething from the hot cabinet, usually sufficed. Fast forward 40 years or so,and unless I'm out for a meal with the family, or it’s a business occasion –incredibly rare these days, I still prefer a light snack at lunchtime. Pre-filledrolls remain the best option, and whilst these are really readily available in boththe Midlands and the North, the opposite applies in London and the south east.In these parts of the country, the simple sandwich hasceased to exist, and if it is available, the description simple, no longerapplies. Instead, the hungry trencherman is served a filling, between thick-cutslices of artisan bread – nothing wrong with that so far, but when its embellishedwith some type of greenery, ranging from few springs of rocket to a full-blown,and largely unwanted salad, complete with a fancy dressing that’s going toaffect the taste of the beer, that’s a different matter. Even that is notenough for certain establishments, so why not chuck in a handful of crisps for goodmeasure? No thanks if I want crisps, I will buy a packet, end of! Somepubs go a stage further and insist on offering chips with a sandwich as well. All these unwanted “extras” bump up the price,so much so that it’s not uncommon to be looking at £7 to £10 for a simplesandwich, especially in some of the posh “dining pubs” in the southeast. Thetrouble is, it is increasingly rare to find any pubs in this part of thecountry, where a simple sandwich or a filled roll is available.Contrast this to the West Midlands, an area I have visited on two separate occasions,these past couple of years, where cheese rolls (cobs) are readily available inmany pubs (often from under a plastic cover, on the bar), and priced at just £3.00each. In addition, full-blown meals can also be obtained at bargain prices. Onour tour of the Black Country, local pub man, Stafford Paul and I enjoyed a lunchtimemeal of steak pie/faggots, chips, mushy peas, and gravy, for just £5.00 ahead, at the Vine, at Brierley Hill, (the landmark Batham’s Brewery tap). Theprevious year, participants on the “Proper Day Out” in Birmingham, had a choiceof two pubs to eat in, (Barton’s Arms, plus Hen & Chickens), both serving someamazing Asian food. Admittedly not as cheap as at the Vine, or in Sheffield’s FatCat – see below, but still at prices far lower than we encounter, in this partof the country.The aforementioned visit to Sheffield, took place just undertwo years ago, and prior to meeting up with local pub connoisseur, SheffieldHatter, and adopted son of the city, Retired Martin and I enjoyed an equally goodvalue lunchtime meal of steak pie, with potato wedges, mushy peas, andgravy, for just £5.50, at the city’s legendary Fat Cat pub. Onecould expect to pay double these prices for this type of pub-grub in the southeast, and in some places triple. It's unclear why there should be this disparity between the high priceof pub food in the south compared with the relatively low cost in the north, but it clearly exists, as theexamples shown above, prove. What is of more concern, is the way thisdivergence continues in the way it does, with the two areas of the country almostin blissful ignorance of what is happening in the other. The emergence of posh,high-end dining pubs has almost certainly help to skew the disparity, although withmuch of my argument resting on the relatively small number of northern pubs Ihave experienced in recent years, I may of course, be totally wrong.
Footnote: “Drinkers and diners have expressed theirsadness following the sudden closure of the Barton's Arms in Aston. Theleaseholder announced it was shutting the landmark pub and restaurant onWednesday (Jan 31) citing spiralling energy and business costs.” Birmingham Mail 1 Feb2024
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