Out Now – Michelin’s Latest Guide to Fine Pub Fare

Appetites crying out for hearty pub nosh will no doubt be fortified by news that the 2011 edition of Michelin’s Eating Out in Pubs guide was launched on Wednesday 8 September. Priced at £14.99 (€19.99 in the Republic of Ireland), the latest guide includes more than 500 pubs across Great Britain and Ireland, of which over 70 are new to this edition.

“Our guide shows that pubs are not dying, they are merely changing,” commented guide editor Derek Bulmer. “The traditional drinking pub has undoubtedly been suffering but those that are making efforts with their food are flourishing.  Even some of the breweries have acknowledged this and have begun recruiting talented chefs. If there is one message it is; adapt and thrive.  
 
“We are also finding that these food-driven pubs are playing an even greater part in the local community,” Bulmer added. “Chefs are rediscovering regional specialities and often deal directly with local farmers and many hold food-themed nights, such as pie nights or fish nights. We are pleased to see that most are also moving away from restaurant-style cooking and are now serving ‘proper’ pub food.”
 
The Michelin Pub of the Year for 2011 is put forward as a fine example of this approach. The Hind’s Head in Bray-on-Thames, Berkshire may be owned by Heston Blumenthal (as seen on channel 4’s ‘Heston’s Feasts’), a man famed for his molecular gastronomy, but the cooking at his Tudor pub is comforting and classic. Combining traditional favourites with rediscovered recipes means dishes such as shepherd’s pie, oxtail and kidney pudding, Scotch quail egg and Quaking pudding.
 
Each entry in the guide features an in-depth description and colour photograph, with information on typical dishes and specialities, real ales served and interesting wine lists.  Also included are details of accommodation where available, opening times and prices, directions and driving distances from local towns. In addition to regional maps showing the locations of the pubs, there is a listing of the inspectors’ favourite establishments, plus an index by town name and another by pub name.