Letter: Bland pub grub

Sir: With regard to your leading article 'A filled baguette, a glass of wine and thou' (12 August), I am surprised that you sing the praises of meals served at public houses. I am continually disappointed by bland, unadventurous food and inflexible service. Far too many public houses sell food only at lunchtimes and are still principally, in my view, drinking houses.

Even the so-called 'country pubs' normally stop selling food at 3pm on a Sunday afternoon, when the law prevents the sale of intoxicating liquor. Am I the only reader to be frustrated by being unable to order pub food after 2.30pm on a Sunday?

Our licensing laws must be reformed to end the rigid distinction between public house and restaurant licences. The Home Office consultation paper published in March 1993, proposing a new category of licence for continental cafe-style premises, is a step in the right direction.

Yours faithfully,

ROBERT BOTKAI

London, NW3

13 August