Supporting the Village Pub

Photo Credit: Lincolnian

Imagine it’s lunchtime or maybe early evening and you’re sitting there in the middle of a busy town supping away on the same old generic brand of larger while staring at the familiar faces that make up the numbers. It shouldn’t be long before you realise that going to the pub has turned into something you just do, not something you enjoy.

Yet a couple of miles away it’s an entirely different story in the village pub, and the sad story is these pubs have been in steady decline for a few years now. More so in todays financial climate, along with other contributing factors to consider like the smoking ban and the never ending supply of cheap beer from the supermarkets it’s turned into a constant uphill battle for pubs in general.

But even worse these days, a lot of people seem to be missing out on the enjoyment of getting out of town and finding somewhere a little different to go for a drink, blinded by the familiar and the convenience of drinking in the towns.

For a start, not only do you have some of your regular brands in the pub but there are also a lot of offerings from smaller local specialty brewers, which really leave you feeling like you’ve been missing out after years of drinking the same old stuff from pubs in the more built up areas.

The food too can be quite interesting, in the town pubs you’ll more often than not find a lot of meals supplied by the larger catering firms that supply food to the hotels and larger businesses. Go to a village pub and you’ll find something entirely different, whether it’s the landlord trying to impress the customers with his latest recipes or ingredients supplied by the local farmers it usually makes for something a lot tastier than the usual suspects that appear on the menus of town pubs.

Photo Credit: Phototram

In the village pub you’ll also find the service is a lot more personal, where normally you’d get served by someone who’s there ‘just because it’s their job’, you’re now face to face with the people who’re running the pub, who I’ve found a majority of the time more eager to go out of their way to make you feel welcome.

If the weather is half decent and you want to be outside, instead of sitting in the middle of the hustle and bustle of modern urban life all moving past you at break neck speed, you find yourself sitting out in more tranquil surroundings that make you feel a lot more relaxed and not feeling like you’re still plugged into mainstream life.

Then again you might want to make a day of it and make an excuse to have a well-earned beer and pub lunch by taking a ride out through the countryside.

Whichever way you look at it there’s too many reasons to visit your nearest village pub and not enough against the idea, so the next time you think about going to the pub with your friends or family say to them you’ve got a great idea and pick out somewhere different a little bit out of the way for a change.