From a place for a pint and some peanuts to a destination for creative plates, the British pub has been transformed in the past two decades. Tom Kerridge reflects on pubs’ role in the UK’s food revolution and why these institutions should be treasured – as well as offering five top snacks from his new book (hello, ’nduja sausage rolls)

FOOD STYLING: NICOLE HERFT. STYLING: ANNA WILKINS

Smoked ham croquettes

PORTRAIT JULIAN GEORGE

I’d worked in Michelin-star restaurants, but what my wife Beth and I wanted to do when we opened The Hand and Flowers was create somewhere we’d like to be on our day off. Stuffy dining rooms had been seen as the only place you could get good food. But pubs led the way and showed you can enjoy great food in a lovely space without feeling you’ve got to wear a shirt and tie.

Over the last 20 years, pubs have become increasingly relevant to the British food scene. Once, it was weird to have a pub that did good food, then it got called a ‘gastropub’ and now you expect a half-decent meal. When I grew up, a pub lunch was usually a clingfilm-wrapped sandwich from behind the bar.

My new book, Pub Kitchen, reflects how food has changed in pubs over the past 10 years. My first pub cookbook was classic British pub dishes – but now British pub cookery might be a mackerel starter with Japanese influences and pickled veg, a main of Korean-style barbecue pork belly and steamed treacle pud for dessert. Pubs have embraced cuisines and influences from all over the world. It’s allowed chefs to be creative and owners to serve interesting drinks. It’s not now just about local beer and roast beef – though they’re still important.

Pubs are part of the fabric of society. They might serve food and have Michelin stars, but they’ve always been social spaces and that’s why they’re vital. They’re places where people can evade loneliness or stay warm. In the pandemic, they became community shops. They’re a hub. And not necessarily a place for drinking – non-drinking and quality over quantity have become paramount.

We all want to go for a walk at the weekend, find a pub with a log fire and have a pint and sausage and mash. But doing that once a week is not going to save the pub industry. You might think it’s okay because the pub around the corner is still there – but that pub is up against it. You have to use it for more than just a Sunday lunch. Give it value. It’s somebody’s business – and part of a much bigger picture. →

“Pubs have embraced cuisines and influences from all over the world”