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News from
June 2007
1
June 2007
As you are no doubt
aware, the government will ban smoking in public buildings in England
from 1 July. So what are we doing here at The Fox?
Well, obviously, we
will enforce the ban, which we have no doubt will upset many of our
smoking customers, but we firmly believe that there are many reasons why
we will have a better environment for both smokers and non-smokers than
our neighbouring pubs.
 Firstly,
the government chose to introduce the ban at the beginning of the
summer, when many customers prefer to sit outside anyway, and we believe
we have the largest and most attractive beer garden in the area.
This means that our customers who prefer to smoke may see little
difference in their visits to The Fox during the first few weeks of the
ban.
But what happens when
the weather makes our garden less appealing? Like many pubs, we
have submitted plans for a smoking shelter, and I would like to say that
our plans have already been approved. Unfortunately, local
planning offices have been swamped with planning applications from pubs
and other businesses, and our plans are yet to be approved. We
have no doubt that they will be approved, as unlike many pubs our plans
will make very little difference to the way The Fox operates.
We have made an
application to erect a pergola on the patio at the rear of the pub.
We will be purchasing new furniture for this area, meaning that
there will be even more garden benches on the lawn for those who prefer
to sit there.
 Each
side of the pergola will have waist-high picket fencing to reduce the
effect of winds. It will be covered for the odd(?) day when the
English weather turns inclement, and will include heating and lighting
for the colder, darker evenings. Given time, attractive climbing plants
will be trained up the supports, making this a very attractive area to
sit, whether or not you choose to smoke.
The picket fencing will
extend around our pond, and will include a gate into the main garden
area, so you will be able to sit in a well-lit, heated, covered area and
listen to the sound of the waterfall as you enjoy your food and drink.
Not only that, the gate and fencing will mean that our garden is safer
for children, so should be even more attractive to families during the
warmer months.
 But
what of those of you who don't smoke, never smoked, and have no
intention of smoking? Well, like all our competitors, The Fox will
become a more attractive place indoors as a smokefree environment, but
again we feel we are better-placed than those pubs around us when the
ban comes into force.
The government believes
that pubs will become more attractive to more people when smoking is
banned, and we agree. We have no doubt that there are those of you
with young families who do not visit pubs purely because of the
unhealthy atmosphere they present. This will no longer be an issue
after 1 July, and like most publicans we expect to see more families
coming through the door.
We believe ours is the
best
children's menu in the area. Yes,
like most pubs we offer chicken nuggets and sausage and chips for kids
because, despite Jamie Oliver's best efforts, there are times when
children demand them. But how many pubs do you know that also
offer child-sized smoked haddock fishcakes, omelettes, salads,
bolognaise or tagliatelli with pesto and garlic bread? And our
menu for our youngest customers will only grow bigger and more varied in
future because we value all our customers no matter what their age.
 Not
only do we think our children's menu is the biggest and best around, but
it also includes free pictures for your children to colour while their
meals are being cooked. We try to think of everything here at The
Fox.
We have had so many
favourable comments about the improvements we have made to our garden
that we are confident that The Fox will only get even more popular after
the smoking ban comes into effect, and we have plans for more outdoor
activities
such as Aunt Sally evenings and pig roasts this summer.
We're hoping that
provisional approval for our new pergola will be granted quickly and
that we can begin construction before the end of this month, in which
case smokers will be able to continue to enjoy everything The Fox has to
offer irrespective of the new legislation and the traditional English
climate.
If you have any
questions about our plan for the ban, please ask the staff and we'll be
happy to explain what the new law means to you - whether or not you
are a smoker.
 As
the temperature rises, people's drinking habits change as
they look for something cold and refreshing to quench their
thirst.
With warmer
weather on the way - and it's a beautiful summer evening as
I type! - we are introducing Bulmers Original cider to The
Fox, and to coincide with the launch we have arranged for
Bulmers to visit The Fox and provide free samples for our
customers.
Yes, that's
right, free cider at The Fox!
Bulmers
Original is a premium bottled cider brewed to 4.5%, and is
designed to be served over ice, just like the
heavily-advertised Magners. However, many pub
companies are now dropping Magners in favour of Bulmers
Original for two reasons: it's cheaper, so is more appealing
to customers' wallets, and there is an increasingly vocal
public opinion that Bulmers Original tastes better than
Magners cider.
You can put
it to the test here at The Fox. Our free tasting
session will take place sometime between 6pm and 8pm on the
evening of Friday 8 June, and will be on a first come, first
served basis, so we suggest you get to your seats early.
 It's
Wimbledon this month, so throughout June if you present your
Loyalty Card when you buy a
three-pint jug of Pimms, we will give you, free of charge, a pint
of fresh strawberries to enjoy with it. Strawberries and Pimms;
you can't get more Wimbledon than that.
In addition, present
your Loyalty Card when ordering a main course from our
Dinner Menu before 7.30 on Monday
evenings, and we'll give you a £2.50 discount off the normal price.* Then, having enjoyed the
saving on dinner, why not stay on for our
Big Quiz and maybe take home a
pocketful of cash too?
Go on, make an night of it on Monday
evening. Joining the scheme is
easy: complete the very short application form
available from the bar, hand it to the bar staff, and you can begin
using your card immediately.
Pick up your card and begin saving
money at The Fox today.
* Unfortunately, we are
not able to accept discount vouchers in conjunction with this offer.
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