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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The frozen pie has been replaced by daily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.
April 2009
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 -
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