your free magazine | spring 2020 WETHERSPOONNEWS UK EDITION READ BY 2 MILLION CUSTOMERS 28 Oct 2019 DEGREES, DIPLOMAS AND APPRENTICESHIPS APLENTY RAZZLE AND DAZZLE WOMEN’S WONDERFUL BREWS Amazing £18m fundraising milestone for CLIC Sargent Spring real-ale festival to celebrate female brewers HOT FROM THE USA EU DEBATE A plant-based burger produced by Beyond Meat® Presents both sides of the argument Available on iOS and Android NEW LIGHT 165 kcal WHAT’S NEW FOR SPRING? Available from Wednesday 11 March CHERS KTAIL PIT COC Kopparberg Strawberry Delight NEW Hawaiian Pipeline Punch MINI BOTTLE Cranberry Breeze Rhubarb Spritz Moscow Mule Mighty Booch WIN! PRIZE CROSSWORD 109 INSIDE FEATURES DEGREES, DIPLOMAS AND ................ TALKING MENU ....................................................... 76 APPRENTICESHIPS APLENTY 12 Mobile app for blind and visually impaired customers Our apprenticeship programme complements has had a great first year our internal award-winning training .................................... ................. SET TO CAUSE A STIR 80 SPRING REAL-ALE FESTIVAL 16 Wetherspoon launches Fairtrade sugar We’re celebrating female brewers, for our 12-day world’s to celebrate Fairtrade Fortnight biggest real-ale festival A BURGER LIKE NO OTHER ......................20 LONDON GIN PUT A plant-based burger produced by Beyond Meat® WORLD IN A SPIN.................................................84 When Alexander Gordon started his distillery in 1769, FOOD FACTS AT he couldn’t have known how far his spirit would fly ................................................ YOUR FINGERTIPS 27 .................. Digital customer information screens now CHOICE BIGGER THAN EVER 91 New research reveals that low-alcohol and in operation in all of our pubs alcohol-free drinks are growing in popularity ............................. FRESH FROM THE GRILL 32 ....................................... Our new simple and signature steaks are served RUM FOR YOUR LIFE 94 Our rum shack is stacked with choices for spirit animals, with your choice of accompaniments after the addition of two special concoctions ................................................ ON THE WAGON? 44 ...................................................................... Fuel your ride with low- or no-alcohol brews VE DAY 75 98 Our pubs come alive to mark VE Day 75 CROYDON’S PUBS ...............................................46 Our three pubs are distinctive draws in their own right WHY WE’VE HAD OUR FILL OF LANDFILL ........................................................... 101 A JEWEL OF THE SUBURBS ....................48 At our pubs and head office, we work hard Subtlety and respect the watchwords for award-winning to recycle anything and everything we can sensitive refurbishment of 1930s-built Greenwood Hotel MEAL-DEAL DRINKS...................................... 103 PUB HISTORIES........................................................ 51 Choice of drinks in our meal-deal and club-deal offers Ayr prayers are answered at The West Kirk just got even wider YOU SAY TOMATO, WE SAY TOMA-NO ..............................................52 THE REGULAR STUFF New carbonara pizza lacks one traditional pizza ingredient TIM’S VIEWPOINT ................................................... 4 PASSIONFRUIT CIDER ....................................56 YOUR SAY ...........................................................................6 Added to our Kopparberg collection SIBA ......................................................................................54 RASPBERRY MOJITO .......................................56 MEET THE BREWER ..........................................42 Premixed and ready to serve from the can COMPETITION .......................................................109 COCKTAIL CRAZY ................................................58 CAMRA’S BAR TALK ........................................ 110 Six new additions waiting for you EU DEBATE .................................................................. 60 NOW OPEN, NEW LOOK Presents both sides of the argument in respect of the EU WETHERSPOON HAS OPENED MORE JUST THE JOB FOR IRELAND ................. 72 Four new pubs and a hotel NEW PUBS IN RECENT MONTHS ......36 OUR PEOPLE AND Written and edited by Eddie Gershon, along with welcome contributions from Wetherspoon staff. COMMUNITIES Using paper from sustainable resources, this is printed in the UK. OUR PEOPLE ........ 26, 45, 68, 70, 83, 99 Price and participation may vary per pub. All J D Wetherspoon food and drinks in this magazine are subject to local licensing restrictions and availability at participating free houses. Photography is for guidance only. J D Wetherspoon plc reserves the right COMMUNITY .................................73, 74, 77, 92 to withdraw/change offers (without notice) at any time. See main menus for allergen information, symbol explanations and additional details of our terms and conditions. BIRTHDAYS ������������������������������������������������� 106, 108 Android, Google Play and the Google Play logo are trademarks of Google Inc. Apple and the Apple logo are trademarks of Apple Inc, registered in the US and other countries. App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc. OUR CHARITY CLIC SARGENT .............................................40, 86 PB Wetherspoon | Spring 2020 | jdwetherspoon.com jdwetherspoon.com | Spring 2020 | Wetherspoon 3 Tim’s Viewpoint Tim says: The public has been subjected to a relentless and mendacious campaign Time to break free from suggesting that food prices will rise without a ‘deal’. In fact, no deal means ending EU tariffs on thousands of non-EU imports, REDUCING prices. When the UK joined the EU, prices rose dramatically – when we leave, they will fall. Oxbridge groupthink NOT TRUE NOT TRUE Helen Dickinson, chief executive at the British Retail Consortium: The director of Resolution Foundation, “Sainsbury’s boss David Torsten Bell, said: “The Government’s technical Tyler warns a ‘no deal’ Daft decisions are inevitable when the top brass form an elite club notices demonstrate the facts “Under a no deal Brexit scenario … Brexit would raise the of a No-Deal Brexit - reduced tariffs on clothing, footwear, beverages cost of shopping” A striking aspect of the Rule by clever clogs is In reality, whether it’s a private Meanwhile, the UK economy He was also, no doubt, surprised availability and higher prices of and tobacco will rise by 10 per cent. UNTRUE food and medicine, increased erosion of democracy in the inevitable result of business, a school, a hospital has grown by about 40% in to learn that Wetherspoon, Tariffs on dairy products will rise Sunday 15 October 2017 delays and red tape at borders, by 45 per cent and by 37 per cent for the EU in the last 40 years excessive complexity. or the army, daft decisions are the same period, outstripping its customers and staff generate and a VAT bombshell for ” consumers and businesses. meat products. has been the stealthy use Democracy in Europe is inevitable when the top brass Germany and France. taxes of around three-quarters ” Tuesday 17 October 2017 NONSENSE of legal documents. form an elite club which of a billion pounds Thursday 23 August 2018 also undermined by the Chancellor British SENT OUT Byzantine complexity of the doesn’t have, as its top priority, (£750,000,000) per annum Retail ON BOXING For example, the Brexit Unsurprisingly, one of the WHOPPER consultation with those with Consortium Withdrawal Agreement main EU institutions. euro’s strongest advocates, – about one pound in every DAY the most detailed knowledge “SHOPPERS TO LOSE OUT (WDA) and separate Who understands the difference, Chris Patten, formerly the thousand which the taxman – workers and customers. “Clegg warns ‘hard IF UK DOESN’T ADOPT EU Political Declaration are for example, between the Governor of Hong Kong, collects (see tax table opposite). GLOBAL TRADE DEALS about 600 pages. European Council and the I first noticed the perverse was appointed Chancellor Comically, Jones also appeared Brexit’ will lead to As a member of the EU, the UK In reality, they’re virtually Council of the European Union? effect of Oxbridge ‘groupthink’ of Oxford University in 2003. unaware that Wetherspoon had 22% EU food tariffs” currently benefits from zero or low rate while opposing the adoption tariffs on various imports from trade unreadable – in order to know Although the UK has technically Another euro-fanatic, writer been named as one of the UK’s Monday 17 October 2016 deals that the EU has negotiated with of the euro in the UK about what they meant, the last left the EU, the danger Will Hutton, was appointed top employers for 17 consecutive third countries. From the day after the 20 years ago. UK leaves the EU, on 30 March 2019, parliament, mostly university to democracy remains. Principal of Hertford College, years, by the Top Employers Institute, with The Guardian, it will no longer be covered by these graduates, had to seek the The euro’s predecessor, the Oxford, in 2011. NONSENSE international agreements, so imported The public has been Oliver Shah, Caroline Wheeler and Tommy Stubbington advice of the Attorney General, exchange rate mechanism the newspaper he writes for, goods will be subject to higher tariffs bombarded with scare stories Plus ça change – subsequently, Supermarkets on Brexit: no deal featuring it on its website “ and potential customs barriers. For a top barrister or ‘QC’. (ERM), had resulted in 15% ‘will hike food bills by 12%’ (see opposite page) about the almost all of