Star chef and pub owner Heston Blumenthal has spoken passionately about the importance of pubs in tackling loneliness, and the challenge from weight loss drugs
Celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal has called for government help to save the Great British pub – as he warned of a “really big” threat from fat jabs.
The culinary icon, who owns Michelin-one starred gastropub The Hinds Head in Bray, Berkshire, said pubs were vital to bring people together, support local economies and keep traditions alive.
He backed the Mirror’s Your Pub Needs You campaign, which is demanding action to save community pubs. It comes as figures show nearly five pubs were lost for good across Britain every week in the first half of this year, with more than 600 standing empty long term.
“Where do you go to connect?,” he said in an interview. “Human beings have an innate need to connect to something, and that’s what the village pub does. We should find ways to bond, to connect with one another. The more we do it, the healthier it will be, the less lonely we become.”
He went on: “Pubs are at the heart of Britain’s social fabric, offering far more than just a place to buy a pint. The pub is a cultural icon, a national treasure and must be protected. When a pub closes, it’s not just a business lost; it’s a piece of local heritage and of course somewhere to enjoy a drink and delicious food with great company.”
The star, who also owns the world famous Fat Duck restaurant in Bray, said being in hospitality was as tough as it had ever been, adding: “It is a continual battle. Hospitality is one of the hardest industries to work in, to be in.”
He went on: “We have another problem looming, a big one, a really big one”, from a rise in Britons taking weight-loss drugs. “They’re good but people just won’t eat as much. There needs to be some major rethinking of how, what and when we serve food and drink in a pub or restaurant. I think we need to find another way to get around it. I haven’t got there yet.
“You could make much smaller portions but then you have a price connection with that. People will think that if your portion sizes are half, then you charge half the price, but it doesn’t work that way because you still have the same number of staff working for you.”
He welcomed the Treasury’s announcement to reform business rates, which have disproportionately hit pubs and other hospitality locations. But he called for the 20% rate of VAT for hospitality to be permanently lowered.
It came as the star supported the Mirror’s pub campaign, whose aims include the government having a fighting fund for pubs, recognition for pubs that go above and beyond for their community, and support for community groups wanting to buy their local. “Yes, I’d support it as a campaign, and a publican.”
It comes after Heston, 58, spoke out earlier this year about his struggles with bipolar disorder, sharing the moment he thought “the TV was talking to him”. In a candid interview on BBC Breakfast, he opened up about his recent battle, which involves extreme mood swings between depression and mania.