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Horse Shoe Bar alterations As undertaken by the owners - Mitchells and Butler |
THE PIE
The pie has been a traditional lunchtime snack / meal with thousands of Glasgow patrons of The Horseshoe Bar in Drury Street for some considerable number of years. It's the natural choice with a pint. |
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This is where we'll post any material and building changes made to The Horseshoe which we feel affect the paying regulars enjoyment of this old Glasgow establishment
or contravene the Listed Building regulations
Latest - 01 March 2010 PARS Pies or are they ?? |
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March 1st 2010 Are we being duped ? When we contacted Pars Bakery, their Managing Director, Brian Sarafilovic, was extremely helpful and very pleased to note that Pars were supplying the pies to the Horseshoe - especially considering the fact that having checked with his sales team, no-one could recall an order to do so and as far as he was aware, no Pars pies had been supplied to the Horseshoe. So last Friday (26th February) we asked in the pub who had supplied the pies. Now we don't want to get any of the staff in to trouble for speaking out of turn as has happened in the past, however we did discover the pies were delivered in a plain white box with no bakers identification on them whatsoever. So who does supply the pies ? If someone wanted to find out the meat content, the supplier and other nutritional information on a pie they were about to eat, could the Horseshoe reliably supply this to a customer ? Or are we being fobbed off by an inferior pie because of financial reasons. There is a chalk board behind the bar which advertises - " Horseshoe Bar Famous Pies" - WHICH ONES ?? Sadly, the pies on Friday were ok - but not a patch on the ones available before they started changing suppliers in January. We've contacted Philip again to see what he has to say about this.
February 2010 Mitchells & Butlers have replaced the unpalatable frozen pies with a daily freshly supplied pie from Pars Bakery of Glasgow The frozen pie has been replaced by daily supplies of fresh unfrozen pies from Pars Bakery of Glasgow according to a letter we received from Philip Lewis. Philips letter states - "I am pleased to inform you that we recently introduced a new Scotch Pie which we believe is a better alternative. This product is manufactured by Parrs Bakery of Glasgow. It is a chilled product and the meat content is 21% lamb." Thanks Philip
January 2010 On Friday 22nd January 2010, a new pie appeared - Brought in to replace the excellent McGhee's Bakery pie which has been standard fare for some considerable years now - and the reason - Well Phillip Lewis, Retail Business Manager for Mitchells & Butlers was in the pub and we asked him. He told us that it was due to a consolidation of the suppliers to all the Mitchell's & Butlers pubs, to one company - Brakes Group. Now we're not saying there's anything wrong with the new pies, other than what we experienced by a personal tasting with a McGhee's pie on the same plate. The new one was slightly fuller, but full with what - It tasted bland, and of oatmeal with a pastry which was wet underneath. Was this because it had been previously frozen or was it the process of heating that caused it. We don't know. As for the McGhee's pie, it had the usual meaty flavour, a crisp shell and no dryness. We reckon the change is purely financial - If your supplier charges less then use them to supply - however, this does not mean that you're going to get the same or better quality. And, if the quality is not there, you'll not sell the pies. McGhee's now sell a 40% less fat pie - http://www.mcgheesbakery.co.uk/pages/products.html and so far we haven't been able to find such an item available through Brakes. Here was an opportunity to be the first pub in Scotland to sell "Low Fat" pies - and The Horseshoe management have decided not to promote this. We have no commercial interest in promoting McGhee's over any other supplier, however we know what we like and once again the Mitchell's Butler organisation is introducing another alteration to The Horseshoe just to bring it into line with its own corporate policy and with no consideration for its customers or its heritage.
Following on to the removal of the Travis gold disc and other Travis memorabilia from the bar downstairs to the upstairs lounge, the items have been thankfully saved from "disappearing altogether" by Dave Smith by whom they were owned. Dave was given these items personally by Travis as a thanks for allowing the group to use The Horseshoe before they became famous. He was proud to display them in the bar area and they became part of the rich history of the bar. Not however a sentiment appreciated by the Mitchells & Butlers management when a couple of months back they removed them to the upstairs lounge. Mark Smith, Dave's son, was the Horseshoe manager up until last month, however he too has now gone. Good luck in your new job Mark - you were an asset to the Horseshoe that will be missed. All we can do here to is to reiterate the statement in Philip Lewis's letter to us in July 2008 - quote - "As you know, we value the Horseshoe Bar, the popularity of the pub and the pride its regulars take in its heritage and tradition." - unquote - what's the game then Philip when you part company with a manager who wanted to retain these qualities you quote, get rid of stained glass windows that were part of the cultural heritage of the pub, and get rid of items that customers come from around the world to see as part of the history of the pub. To us you are changing the heritage and tradition of the pub - not retaining it. What's next Philip ?
September 2008 The panels have been moved down south - Petty response to our request for reinstating them possibly ?? September 2008 The Horseshoe Bar status changed from a Grade B to a Grade A Listed Building - now then, where's the stained glass - shouldn't it be replaced to comply with the grading which was made whilst it was in place. Have Mitchells and Butlers removed the glass contrary to the Grade A Listed Building warrant ?
August 2008 Comments from the pub floor - "It's like drinking in a goldfish bowl" - "They've spoiled the front of the pub" - "Now we can watch the smokers standing outside" - "It's ***** bright "
We believe these panels are still in existence - and could be easily replaced to revert back to the original character of the entrance.
July 2008 Dear Mr Hunter, As you know, we value the Horseshoe Bar, the popularity of the pub and the pride its regulars take in its heritage and tradition. Our building surveyors believe the stained glass to which you refer was placed in position about 24 years ago to satisfy the licensing requirement that existed in Glasgow at that time, which was intended to reduce the visibility into the interiors of public houses. The glass was of relatively low quality and was not antique nor did it have any architectural or historical merit. Since then legislation has changed and we took the decision to ensure anyone passing the Horseshoe bar would be able to see the beautiful interior more readily and we hope that they will feel more interested in visiting us. The stained glass from 1984 was designed to be detachable to enable cleaning and was easily removed without damage to the frame or window. The remaining clear glass was already in situ. The privacy of our customers is still retained as the clear glass is some six foot above the pavement level. On that basis, we have no plans to reinstate it. However two very old pieces of stained glass bearing the Union Flags have been retained in the window along with the original antique light fittings which have been refurbished and repositioned. I am sure you have noticed the works we have now completed which are more sensitive to the building including the redecoration of the ceiling which is based on the original paint colour plus the refurbishment of the mahogany bar and the repositioning of the antique bric-a-brac which was previously hidden away behind the air conditioning vents. Obsolete electrical fittings and equipment have also been removed and less obtrusive replacements installed where appropriate.
I appreciate your concerns and I can assure you that the Company and I have no intention of completing any works at the Horseshoe Bar that are not sensitive to the building as we recognise the unique and traditional feel of business. Thaks again for writing to me. Yours sincerely, Philip Lewis Retail Business Manager Mitchells & Butlers
June 2008 In spite of having one of the most notable and well known frontages in Glasgow, Mitchells and Butlers the owners took out the stained glass panels behind the plain windows and left them with just the ordinary glass. Why ? Well we've no idea but we wrote to them to find out and here is the reply - |