Which Pubs in Poole are Re-opening this April?

Local pub enthusiast @lovethepub on why reopening can’t come soon enough…

It’s been a year since we all watched Boris utter those immortal words…‘we are telling cafes, pubs, bars and restaurants to close tonight, as soon as they reasonably can, and not open tomorrow’.

He admitted this went against what he called ‘the inalienable free-born right of people born in England to go to the pub’ but it was happening, we all drank up and headed home, wondering how long all this would go on for. Of course we now know the ‘unprecedented global pandemic’ was only just beginning…

Fast forward an entire year and 3 lockdowns later we now have a roadmap to normality, starting on April 12th with outdoor hospitality reopening, and May 17th for indoor drinking and dining, and I for one cannot wait.

Socially connected

There’s no denying a quality pub with friendly staff is a draw and a benefit to the local community. Pubs are the oldest and most popular social institutions and many provide vital local meeting places for those with little or no other form of social contact. We have all felt a sense of isolation during lockdown, even more difficult for those who are older and alone.

A place where young and old come together, so many pubs in Poole are essential for the live music scene, local musicians and DJs another group who have been hugely impacted by the pandemic, the reopening of pubs means live music events are thankfully back on.

Pubs also provide a really important casual dining experience and a vital platform for local suppliers of both food and drink. Independent pubs are free to experiment with smaller entrepreneurial brands, supporting important UK industries such as farming and brewing.

Many pubs have a history going back years, sometimes hundreds and are often the oldest buildings in their locality; I think this heritage needs protecting, perfectly described here by the Campaign for Pubs organisation:

From a sunny beer garden on a hot day, to a roaring fire on a cold winter night. From Sunday lunch in a classic country pub, to a game of darts in a back-street community boozer. Pubs really are part of who we are, our local communities, our heritage, culture and history, and our identity in the eyes of the rest of the world. (campaignforpubs.org.uk)

Open for business

According to the British Beer and Pub Association 2000 pubs have permanently closed since March 2020 and 2.1 billion pints worth of sales have been lost, your local pub needs you!

I have already booked a few tables in my favourite pubs; here are just a few of the Poole pubs with outdoor areas reopening the week of 12th April:

• Penn Hill: Jenkins & Sons
• Canford Cliffs: The Canford, The Cliff
• Parkstone: The Grasshopper
• Ashley Cross: Maison Sax, The Bermuda Triangle
• Broadstone: The Blackwater Stream
• Poole: The Lord Wimborne, The Quay

Some are taking bookings now but be warned tables are filling up fast! And in case you are interested, the worlds most valuable beer brand* albeit with £112m wiped off its value in the last year is ironically… Corona.

This article was written by @lovethepub.