British pubs

I’ve always liked British pubs for their atmosphere and uniqueness. They’re not like big chain restaurants that are all the same. They’re all different and often a bit quirky like the Slains Castle pub in Aberdeen.

Lately we’ve been going to pubs for dinner more often. This is because I’ve just discovered how good they are for vegan food and they’re also cheap. For some reason, really expensive restaurants are the worst for vegans. It’s the cheap places that often have at least something for a vegan. Pubs will usually have a chickpea burger and I love chickpea burgers.

We went out last night to a pub on Union St – The Justice Mill. It’s a chain-operated pub so I suppose some of that uniqueness is lost to the big chain but it was still pretty good. For £4.99 I got a chickpea and sweet potato curry *and* a glass of sparkling water:

It was really yummy and more than I was able to eat.

When I was ordering the meal the lady behind the counter said to me that I’m only allowed to have two alcoholic drinks. I don’t drink so it was not really relevant but I was curious about this. It seemed strange that a pub would limit the number of drink patrons are allowed to just two. Why would they do that? Wouldn’t that decrease their profits substantially?

It turns out this rule is just for people who visit the pub with kids in tow. They’re only allowed to have two drinks and they must order a meal. It’s not a law but a rule imposed by the chain – Wetherspoon – which operates this particular pub. I agree wholeheartedly with this. I don’t think it’s appropriate for people to drag their kids off to pubs just to get drunk or to visit them for the purposes of drinking only. For two reasons: getting drunk in front of your children sets a bad example and it also diminishes your ability to care for them.

Daniel and Elizabeth are very fond of going to the pub now. They all seem to have children’s menus and although I don’t think they’re the healthiest options, they’re a step-up from your typical fast-food outlet which costs about the same.

Posted

August 21, 2015

Aberdeen

Rachel M

Tags:

British pub, pubs, restaurant, The Justice Mill, Vegan, vegetarian, Wetherspoon

Comments

13 responses to “British pubs”

anniegoldfisher

August 21, 2015

Your meal looked really yummy and at a great price too! The limit placed on parents with kids is such a good idea. I just stumbled across a list of the 10 best restaurants in my city the other day. Not one had any vegan meals. I thought that was pretty poor. 😦

Reply
1. Rachel M
  
  August 21, 2015
  
  Were those 10 restaurants all expensive ones? In my experience, expensive restaurants suck at vegan. They’ll often make something vegan if you ask for it but it usually sucks. Indian and Asian restaurants are the best for vegan in Australasia.
  
  Reply
  1. anniegoldfisher
    
    August 22, 2015
    
    You’re right on both counts.
Chait

August 21, 2015

I am surprised children are even allowed into pubs. What do you tell them if they ask about why people drink 🙂

That dish looks delicious and pub seems to be well lit.

That said, I am yet to visit Revive. The other day I found their cookbook in my workplace kitchen and all dishes looked yum and healthy. Shame, they are closed on weekends and I don’t go to CBD on weekdays before 4 pm.

Reply
1. Rachel M
  
  August 21, 2015
  
  Ah, that might be why we never made it to Revive as well. Those times are not very accommodating when you work all week.
  
  Yes, I suppose it’s strange that kids are allowed in pubs but these are pub-restaurants and most people who visit are ordering food as well.
  
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Denise

August 21, 2015

I wondered if it was a law I’d never heard of, interesting to learn of this being company policy.

Reply
1. Rachel M
  
  August 21, 2015
  
  Yes, I thought it must have been a law but I asked the lady about it and she said it wasn’t. Then I Google it when I got home and found some articles about it – http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7170939.stm
  
  Reply
  1. Denise
    
    August 21, 2015
    
    Really interesting to see the rule in context. I think it’s very responsible of them as a national chain – and not something that any organisation would introduce without there being some need for it. It’s sad that the need is there, but good that they are doing something about it.
PedalWORKS

August 21, 2015

Love English pubs! Especially when there is a football fixture on 🙂

Reply
…and Then There’s Physics

August 22, 2015

I hadn’t heard about the rule regarding how many drinks you can have if you go to a pub with children. Interesting and seems very sensible.

Reply
1. Rachel M
  
  August 22, 2015
  
  As far as I know it’s just Wetherspoon pubs. It’s a self-imposed rule. Other pubs may have their own rules but I’ve not come across it so far.
  
  Reply
Sherri

August 24, 2015

I missed pubs terribly when I lived in the States, there is no where like them for atmosphere. Wetherspoons is great for good, cheap and good quality family meals. But I have never heard of that limit on alcoholic drinks on adults with young children in tow, dumfounded actually. What a sad indictement on British life that some pubs feel the need to actually instil this ‘rule’…you would hope that most parents would know this and would not want to get drunk when taking care of their young ones. But I’m with you, in light of this, it is a good rule. Glad you found a yummy veggie meal 🙂 (And now let’s see if this comment shows up, and if so, yay!!!)

Reply
1. Rachel M
  
  August 24, 2015
  
  Yes, I do wonder what might have happened for the pub chain to bring in this rule. Were there lots of people dragging their kids off to pubs to watch while they get drunk? I hope not but why else would they have brought in this rule?
  
  Reply