If you’re planning a holiday in the United Kingdom then you may well be planning a visit to a traditional British pub. It is, after all, something that seems peculiarly British.
As a local, I’d certainly recommend that you do indeed head for a few pubs during your stay. You’ll notice that they vary quite considerably in appearance, atmosphere and character.
We all have our own favourite pubs, from the friendly local that’s hidden away in a back street to the pub that remains popular thanks to its considerable beer garden.
I live in a town that is popular with tourists and hence see many wandering in to local pubs. It’s always interesting to watch their faces as they take in the scene. It must be great to look at scenes such as this for the first time.
You can often see how thrilled they are to be part of a real British establishment. They then walk up to the bar and order a lager.
At this point I often begin chuckling. It must be so much nicer to drink a beer in a nice clean pub than to drink it in that awful place where everyone is dressed cosmetically from the 1970s.
The warm drinks can also be a problem for the drinking weather. So many people drink outside today that the pub or tavern in the UK must cater for all weathers, preferably hot weathers, for the year.
This is where traditional British food has come into its own. We love food and as soon as the weather begins to get cooler people are looking for alternatives to the barbeque. Here’s a look at what you should be looking for in your local watering hole.
What’s on the menu?
First of all you’ll want to see what’s on the menu. Today, menus are a bit tricky and it’s easy to see why. If you’ve never been to this type of restaurant before, then you may have a difficult time figuring out what to order. Here are some things to look for.
• Menu: look for a decent sized restaurant, preferably with a full service kitchen. This’ll make it easier to plan your meals as well as selecting a venue from which to enjoy your food. You’ll also find a variety of different dishes on the menu, so it’s well worth checking the menu so that you don’t have to grope through a sea of red sauce.
• Service: most pubs under this heading are good for breakfast and lunch so you’ll want a place that offers such services. Themed restaurants make this difficult but hopefully you will find the right one by checking the website of the venue or by contacting them to find out.
• Ambience: the general look of the outside of the restaurant should be quite pleasant. The interior with stools and linen tablecloths should be equally as well. You may find that particular areas of the restaurant are well decorated, because this is a thing that restaurant owners take into consideration when they design the interiors of their restaurant.
• Price: not only is the price lower important, but the quality of food served and the quality of service that is provided. This is a big factor in why you should select a good pub. The best you can ever hope to achieve with this is perfect service, excellent food and fast efficient service.
• Aesthetics: in order to appeal to a large audience, a pub should not just have a few songs playing softly in the background. They should create a tone at the right time, with the air carefully directed at the visitors.
• Location: a pub is not only a place to enjoy a few drinks, it should also be close to where you live. By ensuring your pub is close to your house it will encourage your frequent visitors to visit more often.
• Types of Food: there are numerous ways that a restaurant or pub can vary from one another. To make your visit enjoyable you should ensure that you have a choice of food on offer.
• Cover: when you visit a pub you should make sure that you are comfortable and happy. When you do visit one that is not familiar with you, you may feel rather uneasy about the whole experience, especially if you are making your visit for the first time. To ease your fears, you may want to visit one of these pubs with someone knowledgeable about the cellar. This will help you feel more comfortable about the atmosphere, and will take away the stress of worrying about stepping on to fragile and breakable glass.
•humorous pane: if you have a selection of beers available, why not write a few funny verses on the ale labels? You can do this using fountainpen and highlighter. You can also stick a flowery quote on the beer labels to make the reading easier for your visitor.
