Western Daily Press (Saturday)
Missing your local? Never fear, ‘pub in a box’ has you covered
OF all the things that people may have missed about their local pub, the smell is probably not quite as likely as a proper pint, a relaxing chat or the opportunity to let our hair down.
But one West pub has bottled its smell as part of a ‘pub in a box’ offering for customers to enjoy at home.
The Suffolk Arms in Cheltenham is being a little coy about exactly what the ‘Eau de Pub’ smells like, though hopefully it is more akin to the alluring smell of a roast dinner leaving the kitchen than the whiff of the gents’ toilet.
“Everyone is doing takeaways, and we thought, ‘what can we do to get a pub vibe at home?’” said general manager of The Suffolk Arms, Mark Gray.
“We listed the things people like in a pub, and threw some funky, kitschy things in there as well.”
And the box contains just that – with a number of pub classics alongside some novelty items to really set the atmosphere.
For £35, pub grub enthusiasts can get two ‘proper pies’, with varieties including beef shin, chicken and gammon, and beet and bean.
Also in the box will be mash, homemade ‘proper’ gravy, and sticky toffee pudding for dessert.
On the beverage front, The Suffolk Arms is throwing in a selection of four beers, with side orders of scampi fries and dry roasted peanuts, to fully, but safely, replicate the pub experience. Not only is there a pub quiz and a Spotify playlist, which Mark says ‘contains some classics’, in the box – but there’s also a pretty interesting creation, thanks to his business partner.
“Our business partner was playing around with some smells, and we’ve now got ‘Eau de Pub’ – it’s quite a nice scent, just to get the pub vibe going.” Mark said.
“We’ve tried to be really inventive. We do a ‘non prep’ roast box, but we know some people want a bit of a crack at cooking.
“We’re a local pub and we took over in October; we’ve been trying to do some things to make it a local pub but also a little bit different as well.
“We’ve had some good feedback about the box and it’s just a bit of fun – we all need a bit of fun.”
If you’re interested in the ‘pub in a box’ experience, orders must be placed with the pub before 6pm on a Thursday for delivery in Cheltenham on Friday.