Pub landlords to reopen Northampton ale house with new menu

St Giles Ale House landlords Terry Steers and Mick Willis are making a critical business-saving decision to re-open their pub this week, with new meals.

The pair, who have been running a lockdown takeaway beer service while their pub has been shut, need to throw the ale house, in St Giles Street, a lifeline as Northamptonshire falls into Tier Two of the Governments Covid winter plan.

The pair estimate that they have lost in the region of £10,000 to personal protective equipment, loss of earnings and 40 gallons - about 320 pints - of wasted beer since March.

It comes as non-essential shops, hospitality and entertainment venues, gyms and personal care businesses such as hairdressers can all open again this week.

However, Tier Two restrictions mean no household mixing indoors and the 'rule of six' applies outdoors. Pubs and restaurants can open but can only serve alcohol alongside a substantial meal.

Terry and Mick are going to be offering their customers a 'substantial meal', from Wednesday (December 2), as part of their new menu launch.

This includes large pork pies, scotch eggs and jumbo sausage rolls with crisps, salad and chutney, or a Ploughmans lunch, to keep trade ticking over and stop the venue - which has just celebrated its fourth anniversary - from shutting.

Environment Secretary George Eustice said on LBC radio station, on Monday, that a scotch egg is a substantial meal.

Terry said Central Government still have not made the exact rules around the sale of alcohol with food crystal clear to Northampton Borough Council, so landlords are making informed guesses at what they can do.

He said: "As usual, from the Government, the guidance has been clear as mud.

"What's frustrating us the most is the Government knew we were going to, or possibly going to come out of a lockdown on December 2.

"I have ordered menus, spent hours getting ready but if Government turns round and says 'you can't do that' then I have lost a lot of money, but you have to take a punt.

"We are having to guess, until further guidance from the Government is published, that's what is frustrating about it. It gives hospitality workers no time to train staff and make sure they are prepped."

Terry added there is a growing feeling of frustration among Northampton hospitality businesses surrounding the lack of detail but said support from the licensing department in Northampton could not be better, as bosses will get together tonight for a Pub Watch meeting to ask for more clarity before opening.

He added: "From the other venues, it's been anger and frustration, even before this lockdown as supermarkets could sell alcohol after 10pm but pubs could not.

"And people can't stand up, dance and sing in pubs to reduce aerosols transmission, which is what you can do at a gym, the rules make no sense whatsoever.

"The hospitality industry feels like it's being punished for no good reason."