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?

Sampi
Fish and chips
Gammon and egg / pineapple
A pie
Ploughman's
Soup
Pate and toast
Roast
Lasagne
Pasta bake

I like it when they have a section especially for smaller appetites. My nan knows that she can manage the meal then.

Ploughman’s - my favourite pub serving was two slabs of local cheese, two slabs of pâté, or one of each. Plus fresh crusty bread and good salad stuff.

I’d start with a small menu (3 starters, 3 mains, 3 puddings) and do them really well.

Whoops - forgot burger.
A place near us does them, made from beef from the lical farm - amazing.
They also do a vegan beetroot burger.

Lasagne with garlic bread and chips. Yes I'm greedy. Haha. But I always love when it comes with chips.

With things like pies I like it when places have a pie of the day/week for something a bit different

Hate this type of crappy pub food, a new pub has just opened near us and I'm so disappointed with the menu. It's lasagne, burgers, gammon, mixed grill, token vegetarian option. I tend to assume it's all out of the freezer. Bleurgh.

Scampi, peas and chips with tartare sauce
Proper ham, egg and chips
Ploughman’s (again, proper ham not the squeaky stuff)
Beer battered fish, chips, mushy peas
Sausage and mash in a giant Yorkshire pud

I used to manage chain pubs

Lasagne, chips and garlic bread
Macaroni cheese
Scampi and chips
Fish and chips
Beef, chicken and veggie burger options with extras of cheese, bacon etc
Steak
Gammon steak
Sharing platters are always popular with wings, mozzarella sticks, garlic bread etc

Oh and a curry and rice option with poppadom

Macaroni cheese
Steak pie
Balmoral chicken
Sausage & Mash
Chicken tikka masala
Pizza (mix of toppings)

Knowing my friend, nothing will be from the freezer! She wants to appeal to families but keep things good quality and local/seasonal where possible.

I'd avoid anything noodley. It's always disappointing.

Ooh in that case!

Local sausages
A really nice pie
Ham egg and chips with local eggs and really nice ham

Not sure about England, but you rarely see a gammon steak with egg or pineapple in Scotland now, which makes me sad.

Stupidly on my part, given that I personally don't eat meat any more - but gammon steak, scampi (preferably in a basket), steak pie and fish and chips (possibly also macaroni cheese) are very much what I would consider 'pub grub' (I'm in my early 40s).

Steak and ale pie
All day breakfast
Good choice of sandwiches/Wraps like steak and cheese, crispy chicken ect
Good selection of burgers with good sauces like blue cheese and onion rings

I'd def expect to see a burger on the menu and chips with everything, even lasagne!... but then I am hungry right now 😅

Warm chocolate brownie with local ice cream

Gammon, egg/pineapple and chips is a definite.
Bangers and mash.
Burger
Soup and a roll with a side option of a big bowl of chips!
Scampi and chips
Jacket potato with a choice of fillings
Something nice vegetarian-halloumi burger/decent salad.

Haven’t really much to add. Traditional has changed. When I was young chicken kiev, in fact anything with garlic was pretty rare. What’s important to me is quality and consistency. What does your friend or their chef know how to prepare well and what ingredients are available. If there is a massive menu it means it must be reheated.

On the other hand if your friend has a pub in an area where the customers don’t have much money then artisan bread and local meat may fail if they just can’t afford it.

Look at what the pubs/cafes in local area are doing - show up what sells well/gap in the market.

My friend owns a pub
The best sellers by a country mile are
Fish and chips (hallumi and chips for veggies)
Scampi and chips
Steak and ale pie
Sausage and mash
Gammon, egg and chips.

I’d avoid mixing cuisines, rarely does somewhere that has a curry, a lasagne and a laksa on the menu do any of them well.

Offer half portions for the children's menu. In Ireland, most pubs that do food have a "baby bowl" on the menu, which is a small bowl of soup with a scoop of mashed potato. My kids loved it when they were little.

Fish finger sandwich for lunch, on decent bread with homemade tartare sauce.

Ploughman’s

Ham egg chips

Some sort of pie

Burger

Fish n chips

Gammon steak

Roast Sunday

Decent kids options

"Before I opened the thread I thought ploughman’s.
I wouldn’t bother with the lasagne."

Wtf? Definitely the lasagne. It's my go to even on Sunday's

@LadyJaye
The Vintage Inns chain pubs round us do a proper traditional gammon steak with either egg or pineapple or both, chips and (frozen) peas. You even get a traditional steak knife to eat it with. Add English mustard, and I am in throwback 1970s nostalgic heaven!