Smoking in pubs

[imtamping2]

A "Smoking Post " on all sides.......its red hot !!

[addicted]

I Certainly agree with the smoking ban, particularly where food is being served. Someone smoking a  cigar and overflowing ashtrays on the adjacent tables - yuk! My husband refused to eat in a pub prior to the ban being imposed, which made the choice of eating venues somewhat limited. We've eaten at the Wherry, Oulton Broad twice.  The food both times was truly appalling. The people on the boat moored alongside us had guests for the weekend and made the mistake of taking them to the Wherry for breakfast. They were both disappointed and embarrassed by the awful food. the number of pubs that seem to be closing is testament to the damage that  has  been done by the smoking ban. Although, there were a lot of pubs closing down before, probably  on the back of the drink drive laws being stringently applied. It must be a very difficult trade to be in these days.

Carole

[JennyMorgan]

Carole, I am really surprised at your comments re the Wherry. My friends and I are regulars there and two of us have been in the industry, including me as an assistant catering manager in a banqueting hall, and we have never had cause to complain. Had we had cause to complain then I'm sure the management would have reacted favorably. If we want refined and gracious, which the Wherry isn't, then we head off to the Ivy Farm on the South shore of Oulton Broad where it exudes smart! Trouble is that my muddy wellies are frowned upon at Ivy Farm.

[ranworthbreeze]

1 hour ago, addicted said:

I Certainly agree with the smoking ban, particularly where food is being served. Someone smoking a  cigar and overflowing ashtrays on the adjacent tables - yuk! My husband refused to eat in a pub prior to the ban being imposed, which made the choice of eating venues somewhat limited. We've eaten at the Wherry, Oulton Broad twice.  The food both times was truly appalling. The people on the boat moored alongside us had guests for the weekend and made the mistake of taking them to the Wherry for breakfast. They were both disappointed and embarrassed by the awful food. the number of pubs that seem to be closing is testament to the damage that  has  been done by the smoking ban. Although, there were a lot of pubs closing down before, probably  on the back of the drink drive laws being stringently applied. It must be a very difficult trade to be in these days.

Carole

Hi Carol,

Since the Wherry reopened we have called in a few times whenever mooring at the Oulton Broad Yacht Station.

We have found the food an drink to be very good valve and somewhat better than a number of the pubs on the Northern Broads.

Regards

Alan

[addicted]

 

Hi Alan,

I.'m referring to last summer are you referring to more recent times?

 

Regards,

Carole

 

[jeffbroadslover]

17 hours ago, chameleon said:

2) Choice is not the issue when one is trying to protect the health of the uninitiated.

 a very pompous and patronising remark

where are all the non smokers who wouldnt enter pubs because of smoking, then when they got smoking banned still never entered pubs but found another excuse to stay away

They probably read somewhere that alcohol is not good for you  !!

 

Jeff

[addicted]

Does anyone  know what the situation regarding the Red Herring at Oulton Broad is? It was always our favourite place to eat when moored at Oulton Broad. amazingly  good food and atmosphere but the last few times  we have been they haven't been open but it doesn't seem to be abandoned either.

Regards

Carole

[Bound2Please]

4 hours ago, addicted said:

We've eaten at the Wherry, Oulton Broad twice.  The food both times was truly appalling. The people on the boat moored alongside us had guests for the weekend and made the mistake of taking them to the Wherry for breakfast. They were both disappointed and embarrassed by the awful food.

Carole

I have to totally disagree with you there Carole, every time we head off to the boat we do a 25-30 mile detour via the Wherry for breakfast. In fact its one of the best carvery breakfasts we know of. We have also had many meals in there lunchtime and evening and have never had any thing but good food.

Charlie

[JennyMorgan]

2 hours ago, addicted said:

Does anyone  know what the situation regarding the Red Herring at Oulton Broad is? It was always our favourite place to eat when moored at Oulton Broad. amazingly  good food and atmosphere but the last few times  we have been they haven't been open but it doesn't seem to be abandoned either.

Regards

Carole

There have been several recent notices of forthcoming openings but it appears that nothing has come of any of them. Great shame, a good watering hole.

[addicted]

Well Charlie all I can say is that you have had better luck than we;ve had. On our experiences. we'd do a 30 mile detour to avoid it! Shame really as when we're moored at Oulton it's very convenient. After our first bad experience we went back to give it the benefit of the doubt and it was worse!

Regards.

Carole

[JennyMorgan]

Sorry, Dave, I don't know.

[Soundings]

10 hours ago, Labrador said:

If you allow smoking only pubs, the only person who could work in there would be the landlord. One of the main reasons given at the time was that on health and safety grounds your employees should not be exposed to the smoke (weather they smoke or not). Anyway why should pubs be singled out? This law covers all places of public access, and I totally agree with it. By the way I smoke .

I am not suggesting it should happen, I am just saying I would not be against it. As for the employment thing - there is an argument that says if you know the risk etc. etc., but health and safety has never adopted a sensible approach to such matters imo. All that said, I am fundamentally against smoking being allowed wherever it can impact on others who do not smoke. Must say I am not sure what the "weather" has to do with it though.....sorry could not resist  

Does the law cover ALL places of public access? Does it include parks and other outdoor space? 

[Labrador]

It's this damn spell checker on my tablet. Did put wether, honest

[Bound2Please]

12 hours ago, addicted said:

Well Charlie all I can say is that you have had better luck than we;ve had. On our experiences. we'd do a 30 mile detour to avoid it! Shame really as when we're moored at Oulton it's very convenient. After our first bad experience we went back to give it the benefit of the doubt and it was worse!

Regards.

Carole

Dont quite think its luck Carole as we have used it in excess of 40 times this year so far. We will be doing the same detour in the morning as well. Never had a single bad experience there in all years weve used it.

Charlie

[Gracie]

In regards to The Wherry at Oulton Broad, when we were first married and no kids my other half and me stayed the night there before picking our hire boat up, although the room was a tad small,. we had a beautiful view of the Broad and one of the best breakfasts in Broadland in my opinion. I think that's the thing, it is all about personal opinion...........as my Dad says "One man's meat is another man's poison" (I think that's the saying lol). Take Little old Potter Heigham and Lathams, some people want it raised to the ground but I love it there, could walk round looking at old tat for hours lol. Anyway, sorry a tad off topic but we do tend to do that on here at times

Grace

[ranworthbreeze]

How true Grace, your Dad was right of course.

Lathams, I have always loved wandering around there especially when they have all the Christmas tat, Tan bought some baubles there last year that she had been looking for some time.

Going back to meat however, I hate all the adverts showing beef that is still rare, what a waste of a good cut of meat. It shows how we are all influenced by the whims of these celebrity chefs. Under-cooked, garlic in everything, oil dressings over salads, what wrong with the natural taste of the food?

Regards

Alan

 

[Gracie]

Totally agree Alan, proper cooked plain steak and home made chips everytime lol

Grace

p.s We keep agreeing like this MR Breeze, they'll be telling us to get a room

[Soundings]

5 hours ago, Labrador said:

It's this damn spell checker on my tablet. Did put wether, honest

I know just what you mean Labrador. Predictive text is a pain in the proverbial - great WHEN it works.

[addicted]

Crikey Charlie you must qualify for shares in the place with all those visits! We've never used the carvery but always ordered off the menu is that where we're going wrong  do you think?

regards,

Carole

Edited December 20, 2015 by addicted
spelling mistake

[MauriceMynah]

We could of course go with the youngsters on Predictive text and use the word the IT has predicted to replace the word we wanted. That would be pretty book. (Book is the predictivce text for cool. )

[addicted]

Ivy Farm? Never heard of it. Sounds just our sort of place. if I wash the mud off me wellies and iron me dungarees will they let me in do you suppose? Seriously, this is what is so great about this forum. We've been boating on the Broads since 2010 but in the short time  I've been reading this forum I've found out so much interesting info' that I would never have found out otherwise. Thanks everyone,

Regards,

Carole

[SteveO]

Some good points have been made on here. Another observation I would add is that the pubs which seem to be struggling are often run by people who either don't have the faintest idea how to run a pub, who leave the running to clueless staff or who are not sufficiently interested in their clientele to provide something which differentiates their offering from everyone else's. How many times have I seen the frozen food vans delivering ready meals to such places! Frankly, if I wanted to, I could eat "ping" food more cheaply and of better quality at home or on the boat. And yet they wonder why they struggle.

We visited a pub in Faversham the other day. Nothing fancy, just a shop premises which had been converted, with a little bar in one corner and a few small tables down either side. Good selection of local real ales, ciders and wines and no food to speak of, save for perhaps a pickled egg. The place has been there for about a year and was absolutely packed. Friendly and knowledgeable staff, lovely atmosphere. We will certainly be back there. Compare and contrast to the "local" in a village near us, which offers food of the Brakes variety, where "real ale" means Sharps Doom Bar - 300 miles out of territory and where conversation, amongst the 2 or 3 hard bitten regulars that somehow keep the place alive, stops when you enter. The smoking ban must impact on both of these, yet one flourishes whilst the other limps on.

Steve

 

[MauriceMynah]

I certainly woudn't disagree with what you say Steve, I bad landlord can kill a pub very quickly, also, no bad publican will admit his own failings when he can so easily blame prices, smoking bans and the size of herrings.

We have read on here that there are many reasons for the demise of the traditional pub. I have put most of the blame on the smoking ban, and although there have been many who have supported this ban I've read no reason as to why it had to be a government ban and not a landlords ban.

I have read that many here can now go to a pub where in the past they couldn't because of the smell, I am yet to read why there should not be smoking allowed pubs as well as smoking banned pubs. I would suggest that not only is there room for both, it would increase the takings of both. but above all it should be down to the landlord as to which of these options he takes.

[ranworthbreeze]

I visit places up & down the country where two pubs are next to each other, they have almost identical menu's, but one is overcrowded and the other has a few people in. In most cases it is down to the service offered and the quality of the food or beer.

Regards

Alan

[Springsong]

I still maintain that a pub is largely down to the landlord.

you take two identical pubs, one with a manager one with a 

tenant / owner, which will be busier ?