Is a cheap and cheerful pub lunch too much to ask for?

I've been meaning to write a post on this particular topic for quite some time now, and whilst I encounter its effects more often than I would like, for some reason I keep putting off trying to get to grips with it. It’s high time then that I broached the subject and came clean, about what has become a real bugbear of mine. I am talking about the increasingly divisive subject of an affordable pub lunch, something that many of us will have taken for granted but which, in these changing times, seems to have morphed into something completely different.

I don’t often get the chance to enjoy a pint or two at lunchtime, what with me still working three days a week, but when I do well it’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 by the liquid enjoyment of a couple of pints.

It's an old habit, and one that relates to a dislike of drinking on an empty stomach. I’m not sure where that came from, although I suspect it is due to me not wishing to miss my lunch. However, leaving aside any 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 of truth in the saying that solid food helps soak up the beer, when consumed reasonably close together. Personally, I think that it’s more the case that alcohol isn’t absorbed quite a fast when food is present.

So, all those Friday lunchtime sessions, of a few pints with one’s colleagues, probably have a lot to answer for, as none of us wanted to return to the workplace feeling half-cut, and a quick roll or sandwich at the pub, may well have helped maintain a sober demeanour. Pub-grub wasn’t that sophisticated in those days, and a toasted sandwich, a scotch egg, pork pie, or something 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-filled rolls remain the best option, and whilst these are really readily available in both the Midlands and the North, the opposite applies in London and the south east.

In these parts of the country, the simple sandwich has ceased to exist, and if it is available, the description simple, no longer applies. Instead, the hungry trencherman is served a filling, between thick-cut slices of artisan bread – nothing wrong with that so far, but when its embellished with 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 to affect the taste of the beer, that’s a different matter. Even that is not enough for certain establishments, so why not chuck in a handful of crisps for good measure?

No thanks if I want crisps, I will buy a packet, end of! Some pubs 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 simple sandwich, especially in some of the posh “dining pubs” in the southeast. The trouble is, it is increasingly rare to find any pubs in this part of the country, 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 in many pubs (often from under a plastic cover, on the bar), and priced at just £3.00 each. In addition, full-blown meals can also be obtained at bargain prices. On our tour of the Black Country, local pub man, Stafford Paul and I enjoyed a lunchtime meal of steak pie/faggots, chips, mushy peas, and gravy, for just £5.00 a head, at the Vine, at Brierley Hill, (the landmark Batham’s Brewery tap). The previous year, participants on the “Proper Day Out” in Birmingham, had a choice of two pubs to eat in, (Barton’s Arms, plus Hen & Chickens), both serving some amazing Asian food. Admittedly not as cheap as at the Vine, or in Sheffield’s Fat Cat – see below, but still at prices far lower than we encounter, in this part of the country.

The aforementioned visit to Sheffield, took place just under two years ago, and prior to meeting up with local pub connoisseur, Sheffield Hatter, and adopted son of the city, Retired Martin and I enjoyed an equally good value lunchtime meal of steak pie, with potato wedges, mushy peas, and gravy, for just £5.50, at the city’s legendary Fat Cat pub. One could expect to pay double these prices for this type of pub-grub in the south east, and in some places triple.

It's unclear why there should be this disparity between the high price of pub food in the south compared with the relatively low cost in the north, but it clearly exists, as the examples shown above, prove. What is of more concern, is the way this divergence continues in the way it does, with the two areas of the country almost in 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 with much of my argument resting on the relatively small number of northern pubs I have experienced in recent years, I may of course, be totally wrong.

Footnote: “Drinkers and diners have expressed their sadness following the sudden closure of the Barton's Arms in Aston. The leaseholder announced it was shutting the landmark pub and restaurant on Wednesday (Jan 31) citing spiralling energy and business costs.”  Birmingham Mail 1 Feb 2024