What is a substantial meal ?

Dunt deserve to be served

 

I guess you don't have to actually eat it.

Don't Farmfoods do a range of £1 microwaveable meals? Genuinely wondering at this point whether I couldn't just serve one of those up to everybody who wants to come in...

 

I've no idea if it is, my point is we are going down a rabbit hole of bizarre rules and perhaps missing the whole point in the process. I especially include the government in that

 

I reckon you could. I've tried reading up a bit on the old case law. If it needs preparation and people would normally sit down to eat it you could be ok.its no worse than some of the big chains do.

 

I dread to think what kind of weird cult you belong to if you think I'm god

 

My thinking too. A microwave on the bar is essentially no different to a Wetherspoon kitchen. I guess you could very reasonably say that it's not within the spirit of the law, but I wouldn't be surprised to see some of the regular old guys getting 'encouraged' to order a cooked breakfast with their 9AM Ruddle's County.

 

So basically.....no sod knows !

They normally sell Percy's pies and rolls cold over the bar...plus crisps.

Still waiting for a reply from the council apparently.

 

Unfortunately, in cases like this it depends on the council. Mine are still going with the classic licensing fudge of "reasonable steps" - essentially, If they want to shut you down then they will and there's nothing you can do. My best advice is to get in touch with your local police force and tell them what you're doing. In my experience this tends to be quicker, but this is coming from a licensee in a city, with a dedicated neighbourhood team for the ward, and it depends on having a relatively good relationship with them anyway. But I reckon that if you can get the OK from the police then you'll be fine with the council.

Personally I'd say that your local is unlikely to get the go-ahead to continue trading as it stands though, unfortunately - maybe they should consider those £1 Farmfoods ready meals?

 

You never know mate ( why not ) ask farmfoods they may even give you a massive discount. To help you out.
Taken a few to work when I couldn’t be arsed to make missen summat up fo mi snap. O’Reyt. Paid much more for far worse so to speak.
Why not Change your pubs name temporarily to Wevva spoooins. Cops will not click on.

 

Government could kill 2 birds with 1 stone here by defining ‘a substantial meal’ to be that which they deny the poorest children in the school holidays.

 

No got to be two if they're them small ones you get in a four pack from farmfoods

 

Olives? Could you have a substantial olive based meal?

 

You could go to an Olive Oyle.

 

Laughing

 

Pretty much lived on Olives for about 6 weeks on a farm in Crete in 92. Granted it was more Olive wine but it was certainly a part of our staple diet.

 

The Islington elite will be hoping that smashed avocado as a starter is a substantial meal . For me owt with the word meat and pie in it will do

 

Me being completely pedantic.... Actually if you had "Panini" there is the distinct possibility that you would have had more calories, and spend longer at the table than your partner depending on how many you had" since 'Panini' is plural for 'Panino' and so a plateful of sandwiches (two or more!)

The idea of defining in detail what a substantial meal is farcical. Obviously a packet of crisps, peanuts or Pork Scratchings ...mmmnmmm!!! ..... Pork scratchings....err.... sorry got distracted there for a moment.... is not a substantial meal but arguing a sandwich with salad and crisps on the side is not, is just plain daft. Spending an hour over a drink and a meal rather than an hour over a couple of pints, whisky, G&T or whatever your poison is does not magically drive away the virus.

The better strategy adopted over here is NO serving or drinking at the bar. That is pretty easy over here because 99% of the time you either order at the bar and the stuff is brought to (by mask and glove wearing staff) to the table, or you just find one and they come and take your order and serve it to you. Moving between tables is not allowed and if you get up to go to the bar to order or use the WC you must wear a mask. A bar near us has installed a machine now like a Cashpoint that is on the counter on the customer side of a perspex screen which takes cash and gives change, or credit/debit cards. A small screen shows the price and you pay and so the servers pouring drinks, making coffee etc have no contact with the customer or handling money and cards Great idea even without the Pandemic although I admit it is the only place I have seen one round here.

I know that is a change in working practices for UK publicans serving at tables adds to the workload but given the drop in capacity and the limited numbers they can handle it should be manageable. That said most pubs serving food do that anyway.

There is a fairly upmarket place in Bologna that goes back the 1450s that basically you paid by the amount of time you spent at the table. Originally it enabled the poor to be able to get a meal i.e. if they spent 5 minutes they paid so much, and the longer they spent the more they paid. Obviously they have not gone to that extreme but they do operate 1 hour slots. This enables them to get more 'sittings' and keep the cost down with the limited capacity keep going without putting prices up. Obviously if you want a 'slap up binge at Mrs Miggins Pie shop' for say an anniversary celebration with your partner you can book a table for 2 hour but it costs a bit more.

Another point not mentioned. IF we go out for meal on a special occasion, we often have a pre dinner G&T or similar. At the end of a meal I might have a 'digestivo' as is the way here. If we are sitting there with our G&Ts looking at the menu or waiting for our order to be taken, or they have cleared the plates and I am sitting there with my 'digestivo' Grappa, Bourbon or whatever and plod walks in is the pub manager breaking the law?

As Forrest Gump would say "stupid is as stupid does"

 

If the virus is so clever that it can differentiate between snacks and substantial meals, can't we just sit down with it and negotiate a peace treaty?

 

All pubs here are already table service only.

 

SO WTF do we need all this food(snacks) vs food(substantial) crap then? Observing social distancing is surely the salient point.