Pembroke: Chip of the desert

Harry Ramsden's, the expanding Yorkshire fish-and-chip chain, continues to cast its net wider. With Jack Charlton on board for the planned new outlet in Dublin (he has a 10 per cent stake), it is now targeting Australia and Saudi Arabia.

But Ramsden's, which yesterday reported half-year profits up 16 per cent at pounds 101,000, will be making a few changes when it opens its Jeddah branch next year. It will not feature a bar, for obvious reasons, and the eating area will be divided into two sections - one for families and unmarried women and another for single men - to conform to local custom.

The grub, you will be pleased to hear, will remain resolutely unchanged: haddock, chips and mushy peas.

The serious sailors from National Power carried off the T&N industry sailing challenge at the weekend, sailing to Poole Buoy, then around the Isle of Wight, in 13 1/2 hours.

The team from Castrol proved a rather less well-oiled machine. It got its sails in a twist at the start, sailed backwards as far as Lymington, gave up and went to the pub.

A group of accountants at Coopers & Lybrand in Reading will study the racing results very closely on Thursday. They jointly own the favourite in the pounds 100,000 Schweppes Golden Mile at Goodwood.

Led by Tim Fox, who runs the firm's bloodstock department, the syndicate bought Jawaal for a few thousand guineas seven weeks ago. It was then gelded and sent to Lady Harries in Sussex for training.

Since then it has come on in leaps and bounds. It has won its last two races and its odds for the big race have dropped from 33-1 to 7-2 favourite.

Sadly, Mr Fox only has a few pounds on it at the longer price. 'I honestly didn't think it was going to get into the race,' he reflects ruefully.

It is an announcement that will send shock waves through the bacon, lettuce and tomato world of the corporate sandwich. A City catering company has just won an award for its sarnies. Partners, based in Willow Street, has won BS5750 Part 1, which includes an additional plaudit for design.

Design? Regulation slices of avocado and colour co-ordinated coleslaw? 'I suppose it's how pretty it looks, really,' a spokesman says.

Are they trying to save money at Hudson Sandler, the City PR firm? At meetings yesterday the firm was serving bottles of Beck's beer with the Duty Free stamp amateurishly scribbled out with felt-tip pen.

Cheap duty-free imports from the Continent have had Britain's pub and brewing industry foaming at the mouth as they cost them a packet. Which makes Hudson's thrifty ploy even more surprising. Its client list includes, for the time being anyway, the brewer Wolverhampton & Dudley and pub operator Grosvenor Inns.