The response from Punch pubs to these uncertain times has been incredible. So many have proved that even in such unprecedented times, we can still come together and demonstrate that the Great British Pub will always be the beating heart of its community.
Punch pubs up and down the country, like The Ship pub in Little Thurrock, have been doing a great job of turning themselves into pub shops and selling grocery boxes to keep their locals supplied. Others, like the Coach & Horses pub in Freckleton, have reopened as pub markets – offering an easy and hygienic way for people to get hold of fresh produce.
Many pubs are now offering takeaway menus and the Lamb Inn in Edgmond, well known for its delicious home cooked food, is even offering a special Easter Sunday takeaway menu and has teamed up with a local butcher to offer quality, locally-sourced meat packs. The team at the William Mitchell pub in Morecambe have done the same, as well as going the extra mile for local children’s charities by making donations of Easter Eggs.
At the Motte and Bailey pub in Hitchin, the team has even come up with the creative idea of delivering home pizza making kits! Each kit consists of pizza dough, pizza sauce, grated mozzarella cheese and a pizza box – all for the amazing price of £5 – giving their lucky customers the chance to get creative with lockdown cooking.
Now is a great time to get prepared for when we can serve pints again, and the productive folk at the Lamb Inn have even taken the opportunity to do some spring cleaning – jet washing the courtyard, mowing the beer garden lawn and planting some flowers courtesy of a local nursery.
The Wellington pub in Borehamwood and Champs Sports Bar in Sheffield have taken to Facebook to offer online entertainment to their locals who, by the looks of the number of people joining in, are clearly missing their weekly quiz nights. The quizzes are streamed live on Facebook and are a great opportunity for people to get their usual general knowledge fix for the week without getting off the sofa!
And last but certainly not least, the team at the Balfour Arms pub in Sidmouth has truly gone above and beyond when it comes to serving their community, delivering hot meals to people in need, rescue packages to the elderly, surprising kids with birthday cakes and even rallying their fantastic troop of volunteers to cook and deliver over 20 hot meals to the elderly and vulnerable after being informed that Sidmouth Volunteer Service was forced to close its doors due to the current situation.
The response from so many Punch pubs has been truly inspiring, and we’re raising a glass to every single one.
