‘Saving Britain’s Pubs with Tom Kerridge”, a new three part series, questions what will happen to our precious pubs and what we can do to help save them. Catch the first episode on BBC Two at 8.00pm on the 12th November.
British pubs, known the world over, have been part of our way of life for centuries. At the neighbourhood ‘local’, generations have unwound after a hard day’s work, toasted their victories and drowned their sorrows. To this day it remains the beating heart of our communities.
But this great British institution is in crisis. Between 2000 and 2019 over 13,000 pubs called last orders for the last time. That’s one in four of our beloved boozers lost, never to return.
In late 2019 Tom Kerridge, award-winning landlord of three innovative pubs, decided to fight back on behalf of the industry he loves. He found four pubs in peril and threw his energy and business know-how into securing their long-term futures.
Pubs featuring in the program include, The White Hart, a remote Cornish free house that is barely staying afloat despite the support of its loyal locals.
The landlords of the Prince Albert, a popular music pub in Gloucestershire, who are hampered by the terms of their tenancy with a big pub company.
The Golden Anchor, a once-vibrant leasehold in South London, had been left behind by neighbourhood gentrification. And the Black Bull in Gartmore, Scotland, had just been bought by its local community in a bid to save it from property developers.
Tom urged these pubs to modernise and diversify what they were offering to suit the changing demands of pub-goers. He worked shoulder to shoulder with the publicans to make their businesses fit for the future. Things were looking up.
But, without warning, everything they were working towards came to a shattering halt with the arrival of Covid-19. All 47,000 pubs in Britain were forced to close. Now Tom’s own pubs faced a fight for survival too.
‘Saving Britain’s Pubs’ dramatically reveals the nation’s love of pubs and the compelling reasons why we must protect them.
BBC 2
Episode One: 12th Nov 8pm
Episode Two: 19th Nov 8pm
Episode Three: 26th Nov 8pm
Celebrating 15 years of The Hand and Flowers, this book contains 70 of the best dishes that have ever appeared on the menu.
Tom Kerridge was born and raised in Gloucestershire and joined culinary school in Cheltenham at the age of 18 – where he first fell in love with the industry. His kitchen career kicked off in country houses and hotels across Gloucestershire where he worked as a junior chef. In his early twenties, Tom moved to London to work with the likes of Philip Britton, Gary Rhodes and Steven Bull from whom he learnt and grew his skillset.
