Pub Food

What we eat in pubs, properly

British pub food is more interesting than it gets credit for. Editorial coverage of the Sunday roast, the ploughman's lunch, the pie, and the regional dishes that travel less than they should.

Editorial features

Long-form pieces on pub food traditions and contemporary practice.

Heritage

The ploughman's lunch: invented tradition

The ploughman's lunch is older than most diners assume — but younger than the marketing suggests. A history of bread, cheese, and pickle as a defined pub dish, plus what makes a good one today.

Editorial feature in preparation.

Pies

Pub pies: a serious examination

Steak and kidney, steak and ale, chicken and leek, fish pie, shepherd's pie. Pastry choice (suet, hot-water, shortcrust). The case for and against the pie crust on top vs. all-around. With editorial picks.

Editorial feature in preparation.

Regional

Cornish pasties and pub pasties

The protected geographical indication, the historical context (tin miners, surface-to-pithead), and the difference between a proper Cornish pasty and the supermarket imitations served in pubs that should know better.

Editorial feature in preparation.

Modern

The gastropub, 25 years on

A retrospective on the gastropub revolution that started at the Eagle in Farringdon in 1991. Where it succeeded, where it overreached, and the modern pubs carrying the spirit forward.

Editorial feature in preparation.

Drinks pairing

Pairing real ale with pub food

What ale to drink with a steak and kidney pie. With Sunday roast. With ploughman's. Editorial guidance on cask ale and food pairings, drawing on pub kitchens with serious ale programmes.

Editorial feature in preparation.

What makes pub food work

Our editorial criteria for serious pub kitchen coverage.

🌱
Honest sourcing

Local where possible, traceable always.

🍖
Cooking skill

Treats traditional dishes as worth doing properly.

⏱️
Right pace

Pub food, not restaurant food. Quick service, generous portions.

💰
Fair value

Pub prices, not gastropub-pretending-to-be-Michelin prices.

For our flagship Sunday roast feature, start here. Pub food tips and editorial suggestions: get in touch.