To ask what dishes you would say are 'pub grub'?

[Ilovepearjuice]

My friend is hoping to take over a pub and wants to keep the menu to fairly traditional, starting with the firm favourites. She asked for some opinions on what these favourites would be.

My initial thinking was:
Fish and chips
Lasagne
Pie and mash
Ploughman's
Roast on Sundays

So, people of Mumsnet, when you think of a proper, traditional British pub, what do you expect to see on the menu?

Definitely a good roast dinner with a good vegan/vegetarian alternative.

Decent vegetarian food would be nice ❤️

There’s often very little choice for vegetarians.

Something like spanikopita, decent salads, really good vegetarian burgers (beyond burgers are ✅).

There’s a little place near me that makes amazing breakfast burritos- spicy black beans, scrambled egg, avocado, tomato salsa and cheese.

I’d go somewhere that sold food like that and good wine 100 times over “traditional” pub food.

For me the deal breaker is good quality, locally sourced food. Ham egg and chips or sausage and chips is won or lost on the quality of the meat and the excellence of the chips. Keep the menu small, seasonal and make sure the food you do, you do really really well.

Speaking as (often) the token vegetarian, halloumi fries, garlic breaded mushrooms, good chips, and baked camembert with dipping bread are always welcome sights on the menu.

Fish and chips, sausages and mash, club sandwich, soup

Garlic breaded mushrooms definitely

And whitebait with bread and lemon mayonnaise

Gammon / chips/ egg / pineapple / peas

Scampi and chips

Maybe chilli?

Excellent sandwiches fir lunchtime. Fish finger butties, chicken and crispy bacon, good ham and cheese with chutney. Serve with cup of soup and a side of fries/sweet potato fries.

Mixed grill

Echoing what @Iveputmyselfonthenaughtystep said, of course pub grub but it depends very much on the quality, not quantity for me. The difference between chain and country pub is often where they source their food from. Do the locals a favour and find your local small suppliers, do seasonal menus and the rest will take care of itself

I’d like to see some healthy options.
An interesting salad would be good
. A vegan option a vegetarian option.
And for me as I’m coeliac,I’d like to see gluten free signage on the menu.

Burger & chips
Pie & chips or mash
Sausage and mash
Lasagne (100% love it)
Fish & chips
Scampi & chips
Steak & chips
Shepherd or cottage pie
Fish pie
Sunday roast

Veggie options:
Veg burger & chips
Veg pasta dish or risotto

Pudding:
Sticky toffee pudding
Fruit based pie or crumble
Cheese cake
Something very chocolaty
Ice cream

Steak and ale pie
Gammon, eggs, chips
Ploughman’s

Garlic mushrooms
Pate
Prawn cocktail

Mixed grill
Macaroni cheese (with bacon or tomato!)
Beef burger
Caesar salad

Sticky toffee pudding
Warm fudge cake
Ice cream

I've had my dinner but I'd love a pub veggie lasagne and chips right now. Garlic bread too please. All this fancy veggie food stuff they do these days just aren't the same. Jackfruit can Jack off. Last time I went to the pub I had the Childrens pizza and chips I'll pass on the mushroom stroganoff or risotto though.

Good homemade soups and crusty bread with a side of chips to dip in.

Agree you need decent chips. Perfectly square obviously frozen chips are bland and naff. I love our pub of choice’s triple cooked chips with scruffy crispy edges. I’d have those chips with anything, even lasagne

Proper vegetarian food would be good, not rice-stuffed peppers and veg korma. There are so many good veg books/websites that there’s really no excuse these days.

Fish and chips
A really good burger (vegetarian and meat
Ham, eggs, chips
Steak
A pie option
Sausage and mash in winter/Chicken caesar salad in Summer

You need at least one vegan/GF option

Then a couple of Specials - curry, fish pie etc

Lunchtime menu to include hot and cold baguettes/paninis/sandwiches a daily soup option, ploughmans, salad

Starters too - pate, soup, mushrooms, whitebait, prawns

What sort of pub are they aiming to be? Gastro or cheap and family friendly?

If they do Pies they need to be proper Pies not filling with a puff pastry on top

Pie and chips/mash
Decent burgers
My favourite pub near work did an excellent chicken (strips) and chips with coleslaw and a glass of wine for a set price!
A nice veggie option
Nachos/burritos
Good sandwiches

The chips have have have HAVE to be homemade not frozen shite, I will regularly not go to certain pub places to eat when the chips are shit.

Lunch menu
Nice selection of sandwiches served with chips or crisps and salad.
soup of the day with bread roll
Jacket potatoes with good simple fillings. With salad again good ones not microwaved a jacket potato oven would be good.

Dinner.
Fish, Chips, peas and tartre sauce
Pie/sausage, chips/mash, peas, gravy
Steak, chips, salad jug of peppercorn sauce
Lasagne, garlic bread and salad
Ham, Egg, Chips and peas.
Burger, chips and salad

Puddings served with ice cream or custard
Apple crumble
Chocolate cake
Syrup sponge

Kids menu
Burger, fish fingers, sausages, eggs
Served with chips, beans or peas

A nice veggie option

It would be really nice to have more than one nice vegetarian option 😞

Hunters chicken!

@JetRocket

Burger & chips Pie & chips or mash Sausage and mash Lasagne (100% love it) Fish & chips Scampi & chips Steak & chips Shepherd or cottage pie Fish pie Sunday roast

Veggie options:
Veg burger & chips
Veg pasta dish or risotto

Pudding:
Sticky toffee pudding
Fruit based pie or crumble
Cheese cake
Something very chocolaty
Ice cream

^^ perfect menu

Scampi and chips.
Fish and chips.
Pie and chips/mash.
Sausage and mash.
Burgers.
Chicken and chips.
Steak and chips.
Gammon and pineapple.
Ham, egg and chips.

I'm sure I'll think of some others too.

I’d add a curry though with half rice and chips