If you'd like to try a new place to eat and drink, but don't know where to go, Wiltshire Life has the answer in the form of its handy pocket pub guide, free with the November issue.
Britain has lost 28,000 pubs since the 1970s. When CAMRA was formed in the early 1970s, Britain had 75,000 pubs. The number is now fewer than 50,000, with more beer drunk at home than in the pub. But it is not all doom and gloom, and there are many wonderful thriving pubs in Wiltshire. Of course, there is more to a pub than just beer these days. Today, the food offered in our hostelries has never been more important as a way of keeping these businesses afloat, and consequently our pubs are providing us with higher quality and ever-more creative dishes.
It is down to us to support our pubs in Wiltshire, but one of the questions that always rises to the fore is which ones and where? Our guide should help you.
It is true to say one man’s awesome alehouse is another man’s ‘back of beyond’, and perhaps a woman’s ‘no go’ zone, so what exactly makes the perfect pub? It is an age-old question. For me, a good pub is a country inn, somewhere in a gorgeous location, which is spruce but still retains its character, has quirks but great service and, of course, offers great food and drink.
Running a good pub is about having confidence in your team. Landlords who gather the right front of house staff, who look for great personalities and good skills, are heading for glory. The pub business is about people, after all.
Whatever your idea of the perfect pub – whether you want an inn where the whole family feels comfortable (donkey in the garden, colouring book on the shelf, and a child-friendly menu), a place for a quiet tête-à-tête, or space for a larger party of adults to have a reunion – we hope we have found it for you in this guide.
