Saving Britain’s pubs

Summary with vocab in bold

Summary without vocab in bold

Pubs in Britain are in deep trouble. The UK has lost over a quarter of its pubs since the turn of the millennium and the pandemic has exacerbated the situation. This is happening for a variety of reasons: high taxes on beer, crippling contracts with landlords, competition from supermarkets and changing demographics.

Tom Kerridge is an award-winning chef and owner of three pubs. Last year he presented a three part series called ‘Saving Britain’s Pubs’. He visited pubs across the country and gave them ideas about how they could start making a profit rather than just struggling to stay afloat. In 'The Food Programme’ on radio 4, they talk about the series and Sheila Dillon remarks that he ‘believes in his bones’ that pubs matter.

He refers to them as our ‘neighbourhood’s living room’ and says that it’s where 'victories are toasted’, ‘friendships flourish and the world is put to rights over a pint of the usual.’ He believes that they really help to beat loneliness, which is a big issue in lots of areas. He loves the informality and the fact that you won't feel out of place if you turn up in shorts, flip flops and a football shirt.

Personally I have mixed feelings. I absolutely love some pubs, particularly those with cosy fires in the winter and welcoming beer gardens in the summer. I’ve got lovely memories of catching up with friends over a half-pint or a G&T and enjoying the lively atmosphere. However, I have been to pubs that are dingy, depressing and have a scattering of people drowning their sorrows in another pint. Surely those pubs are best shut down and used for something else.

I’d love to hear what you think. Have you been to many pubs in Britain? Do you have pubs in your country or something similar? Do you enjoy spending time in them? Let me know

Glossary

in deep trouble (phrase)

To be in a very difficult situation

the turn of the year/century

The time around the end of one year/century and the beginning of a new one

Exacerbated

To make something worse

crippling

Something that causes severe damage or problems

demographics

Particular sections of a population (age, race, sex etc)

stay afloat

To make enough money to survive

believes in his bones

To believe something very strongly

matter

To be important

toasted

To say ‘cheers’ and lift your glass up towards someone elses

flourish

To develop very well

the world is put to rights

To talk about problems in the world and how to solve them

beat

To make something better

informality

Relaxed and friendly where there aren’t strict rules about how to behave

out of place

Not suitable for a particular place

turn up

To arrive somewhere, especially unexpectedly or without a firm arrangement

flip flops

Summer shoes that are held to your feet by a plastic strap that goes between your toes

mixed feelings

To have different, contrasting opinions about something and to not feel certain how you feel about something

catching up

To see friends after some time and talk a lot

G&T

Gin and Tonic

dingy

Somewhere that is dark and not kept in a very good condition

scattering

A few people spread over a large area

drowning their sorrows

To drink alcohol when you are sad

shut down

To close somewhere permanently