Summer Season 101: Why Pubs Are The True Home Of Summer
And, while our countryside pubs are fabulous from January to December, in the summer season, we truly believe that our summer pubs are the jewel in the crown of the Great British countryside. With beautiful pub gardens, a wide selection of drinks, wonderful outdoor spaces to enjoy and a fabulous sunset view, it's a treat for your eyes, ears and taste buds!
Read on, and we'll have you convinced that pubs are the home of summer in just a jiffy.
Summer is for your local
Ah, your lovely local pub – where better to spend your time when the sun comes out to play? We all seem to flock to the pub as soon as the clouds part, but what makes it so great? Well, for a start:
The company – isn't it lovely having all your friends and family together in one place?
Refreshing drinks – when temperatures soar, there's nothing like a refreshing tipple to help cool you down.
Outdoor dining – we all know the drill: when the sun comes out, it's time for picky bits o
Beer gardens and summer – the perfect pair!
Quite frankly, a British summer wouldn't be a British summer without a trip to a local beer garden... And our pub gardens are truly delightful, if we do say so ourselves. Cosy in the evenings, sunny in the afternoons, filled with comfy seating, beautiful views and heaters for those chillier evenings – we just can't get enough.
In the mornings, our pub gardens wake up with dew on their leaves and the crisp morning air, making them perfect for breakfast dates and post-morning countryside walk coffees. As noon draws in, they warm up under the sun's rays and become a haven for brunches and leisurely lunches, before the afternoon arrives and the clock strikes spritz o'clock. In the evenings, our pub gardens are the best place to spend an evening dining and drinking the day away, basking in the last of the day's sunshine, with fabulous company and a table of picky bits – because this is what summer was made for.
Surrounded by lush greenery, often seated by the water (take a look at our riverside pubs for more of those), and full of that excitement that only exists on the sunniest of days, our pubs with beer gardens are the only place to spend long summer days.
Beers, cocktails and outdoor bars...
What better way to celebrate the sun shining than with summer drinks? With cask ales, ice-cold beers, fizzy cocktails and wines to sip, our drinks menu is just perfect for those longer days. Ice-cold Guinness, anyone? And, at some of our countryside pubs, you might even be privy to an outdoor bar, where your next drink can be mixed, poured and served without losing a second of sunlight.
If you enjoy a sweet sip while you enjoy some vitamin D, our St-Germain Hugo Spritz is floral and elegant, making it the perfect drink for a long outdoors catch-up. Our Clean Mojito is a fabulous choice for those of us looking to enjoy the weather without a hangover, while our English Garden is a lovely treat for the gin-lovers amongst us. And if cocktails really aren't your thing, our cask ale range is not only fabulous, but perfectly poured and delightfully devoured on a sunny summer's day with a view of the countryside.
With classic wines, spirits, beers and a bar team that knows how to mix up just about anything, our bar truly does have the answer to every occasion – and that's the case in summer, spring, autumn and winter!
Alcohol-free tipples
Hey, you don't need to order boozy tipple after boozy tipple to enjoy summer at the pub. Don't forget, our bars are brimming with low and no alcohol sips too. From light, refreshing alcohol-free beers and ciders to 0% wines and mocktails that taste just like the real deal, you can always count on a Chef & Brewer pub near you for a drink that's full of flavour with none of the fuss. Might we recommend our zesty Clean Blood Orange Spritz? Or perhaps a nice Pink Berry 0%, featuring Warner’s Pink Berry 0% and Belvoir Farm Raspberry Lemonade, topped with fresh strawberries – now that's summer in a glass!
Pubs that are full of flavour
Forget boring, flavourless pub fare and set your sights on our food menu instead. Morning 'til night, our wonderful chefs cook up a storm and serve it in style! Think: pub classics, but made with love and best enjoyed on a sunny summery day in the countryside.
After an early morning walk, our Farmer's Breakfast just hits the spot. A fresh twist on a classic full English (which we also serve!), it's a potato hash with egg, bacon, cheese and spinach, served with a side of beans... And it's really, truly, very tasty indeed! Or, for a sweet start to your day, our Berry Brioche is topped with a hearty helping of sweet and tangy berries, creamy Greek yoghurt and plenty of maple-flavour syrup, making for a wonderfully tasty breakfast treat.
At lunchtime, there's no summer's day meal quite like our 4oz Rump Steak Sandwich, with roasted red onions, a mustard mayonnaise, rich beef dripping gravy, crispy onions and a crusty ciabatta that's hand-crafted by bakers in Margate and made with 25% Wildfarmed flour! What a treat!
And, for dinner, whether it's picky bits, burgers, classics or a mismatch of everything and anything, you can be sure that your plate will be full of flavours you'll love – new and old – but we think that there's one that screams summer more than any other: our Grilled Sea Bass & King Prawn Risotto. A pea-filled white wine risotto, topped with tender sea bass and crispy, pan-fried king prawns, it's mild, creamy and a wonderful treat, best enjoyed in a beer garden, basking under the setting sun.
Discover your local pubs this summer
With traditional pubs, historic pubs and beautiful countryside pubs across the country, you're never too far from a Chef & Brewer pub near you this summer. And, as we've already established, there is no better place to spend summer, is there?
Whether you're searching for the perfect outdoor terrace, a pub with its own cocktail bar, a secret garden, or just all-round great pubs, we've got just the ticket. Pop your postcode, town or area into our pub finder, discover the perfect summer pub and pull up a chair today!