if anyone allows their 16 yo to drink with a pub meal

[Meredith12]

Just curious as dd has asked for a wine/soda with her pub meal on her 16th birthday. Is it generally accepted that all pubs will allow this, if having a meal, with an adult and the adult buys the drink.

I think it's only lager, cider or, Perry but over 14s can have one of the above with a meal if an adult buys it, so she could have half a cider but not wine

Unless she looks 18....

It is perfectly legal so they should accept it.

Yes, this is fine with a meal.
My now 17 year old has a glass with dinner at home a couple of times a week and if we have a bottle of wine when we go out she will have a glass.
The restaurants have never questioned it.

From GOV.UK website:

However, if you’re 16 or 17 and accompanied by an adult, you can drink (but not buy) beer, wine or cider with a meal.

If you’re 16 or under, you may be able to go to a pub (or premises primarily used to sell alcohol) if you’re accompanied by an adult. However, this isn’t always the case. It can also depend on the specific conditions for that premises.

Yes, I did allow it.

16 and 17 year olds can drink cider, beer, wine or Perry with a meal if bought by accompanying adult. Be prepared for it to only be one though and only for the duration of the meal. Like you can't get her hammered afterwards (common misconception!) Because you've had a meal.
I'd check with the place you're going to beforehand because I have worked places that refuse to serve anyone under 18 regardless.

My mum used to but me a martini and lemonade at 16 when we went to the pub

It is legal for pubs to allow 16-17yos to drink beer/cider/wine (not spirits) when having a proper sit-down meal.

Not all allow it, as some have a blanket over-18s only policy ever though that is more restrictive than the actual law.

Yes, I've let my DC do this. We only go to pubs for special occasions.

We have done for ours from the age of 16. However, recently we went to our local Harvester and my 18 yo dd ordered a cider, or rather I ordered one for her, to have with her meal, and was told if she didn't have any ID she couldnt have it! We were sat at the dining table, she was with her parents, but she wasn't allowed it! We rebelled with the pud and had a shot of Baileys over our profiteroles

Yes, of course, how will they learn about drinking and what's appropriate and when, if they dont.

Ask the Pub before you go.

If it's part of a chain, you'll probably find that it's policy is over 18's with I.D.

An Independant restaurant may overlook it.

It's is perfectly legal and very acceptable to allow a 16yo a glass of wine or beer or cider with their dinner when out. My DD2 was thrilled to be offered and able to accept a glass of Prosecco at her 16th birthday dinner.

Never had an issue with this.

An Independent restaurant may overlook it

There's nothing to overlook: it's perfectly legal.

I would let my DCs at 16, yes.

I do with my kids, from the age of 16. I always ask them if they want a glass of wine or beer with their meals, they don't always want one. The pubs and restaurants have never queried it.

By 16-17 most of us were going to pubs and out nightclubbing by ourselves. Has the world has changed significantly in the last couple of decades and young people don’t do this any more?

Yes, it's fine to let her have one drink on her birthday.

@SputnikBear

Maybe not the world or the youngsters, but the licencing laws changed in 2003, introducing harsher penalties for those actually serving the alcohol as well as the licencee. Poor training and the laws themselves being a bit open to interpretation lead to a lot of misunderstanding. Most servers err on the side of caution because we've had the fear of God put into us and threatened with £20,000 fines and up to 6 months in prison if we break one of the laws. And they are checked upon regularly with test purchases by trading standards and the police. Fail one and you don't forget it, trust me.

Long gone are the days where as bar staff, we could turn a blind eye to someone not quite 18 behaving themselves having a few beers, even if with their parents. I just don't risk it now because it's not worth £20 grand I don't have or a prison sentence if I am caught. I always ask for ID if in any doubt, and no ID no alcohol, even if that's half a cider with a Sunday lunch.

Some places have an over 18 only policy because as I said poor training and understanding of the laws leads to misinterpretation. Someone further upthread said 14, and invariably on a thread like this someone will think it's as young as 5, then the misunderstanding about drinking with a meal - they can be under the impression that because an over 18 can buy it for a 16/17 year old, that this can continue after the meal, it can't. Easier and safer for the licencee to just say over 18 only, and ID to prove it.

So most under 18s unless they look over 25 (all licenced premises must have an age challenge policy) or have excellent fake ID (not the dodgy ones we used to fake on the ancient school computer 🤣) they won't get served going into pubs and clubs these days.

I was allowed a glass of wine with a meal when I was that age, both at home and out. Forms a much more sensible attitude to alcohol than other typical teenage behaviours!

"the laws themselves being a bit open to interpretation"

Strongly disagree. The law is perfectly clear - it is legal for 16/17 yo to drink (but not spirits) in licesensed premises, with a meal.

If a pub chooses to have an over 18 policy, that it because it is choosing it, not because the law is unclear.

It really depends on the pub, irrelevant of the law. My daughter was a few days shy of her 18th and I bought her a glass of wine to drink with our meal, and a member of bar staff came over, asked for Id and stated she couldn't have it. It was their policy. I simply stated that was fine, I'd drink it, but then let her drink it, they didn't sit and watch, but I got her a Coke also, which covered it up.

As such, I'd buy her the wine, but also a cola or something, much less likely to be questioned and if it is, you just say the Coke is hers.

It is legal but I worked in a few pubs whilst at uni and it was always policy not to allow any under 18s to drink alcohol on the premises.

My 16yo was allowed a glass of wine on her birthday. We were in an Italian restaurant, privately owned. She looks fairly young for her age so we checked with the owner and he was fine about it and made a fuss of her.
We allow her to drink a small amount of wine at home occasionally; she is sensible about it.

@Farahilda

By open to interpretation I'm referring to the amount of alcohol that can be consumed - there's nothing to indicate that someone can't buy their 17 year old 10 pints as long as they're consumed while taking the meal. It also doesn't state that it has to be a parent or guardian, it can be anyone over 18, I have had a very annoyed mother complaining that her DS was given alcohol with a meal where I worked, attending with his older friends who were 18. No laws were broken, but it didn't sit right with me.

And people often interpret that "with a table meal" means that as long as you've eaten in the premises, and sat at the same table, means the 16/17 year old can continue to drink, all night if they want, until the bill is called for - and that's a true example. I've had to refuse to keep serving someone on behalf of their DD because the meal had finished and been cleared and they'd moved to a different area to continue. They told me that they'd sit back at the table and then I'd have to keep serving her. To me with a table meal means just that, not 2 hours afterwards when the meal has finished.

Yes, the law states that if it's bought by someone over 18, with a table meal, then a 16/17 year old may consume alcohol but the 2 examples I give show that people interpret that differently.
That's why many places choose a blanket over 18 policy because it stops situations like that.