England Local Customs

Sooner or later on a trip to England you are likely to find yourself in a pub – or you certainly should do if you want to experience one of the great British traditions. I thought it would be helpful to provide some tips on how to fit in like a local.

Firstly, you need to know that you have to go to the bar to order your drinks. Pease don’t sit at a table and wait to be served – you’ll get very thirsty and frustrated!

Secondly, you will have to pay for your drinks as you order them, unlike the European system of keeping a tab and adding it all up at the end of the evening. The exception to this are the smarter “gastro-pubs” where the emphasis is more on eating and where you may be asked if you’d like to put the drinks on a tab to pay with the food bill at the end of your meal.

If you’re with a group of people, it’s common practice to buy drinks in rounds. Each person takes it in turns to buy a round of drinks for the whole group. There’s a lot of etiquette attached to this that it would be impossible for you to pick up in a short visit, but there are a few important points to note. The last round is often the cheapest as by then some people will be drinking half pints or soft drinks, so it’s considered very bad form to be always the last person to offer to buy a round. But if someone in the group is drinking only soft drinks (e.g. a designated driver), it would be polite to suggest they don’t buy a round when they offer, as it makes for an expensive way to buy a few glasses of orange juice!

In a large group it’s unlikely that everyone will get a turn to buy a round. There are a number of alternatives. You might split into several smaller groups for the purposes of buying drinks (this often happens naturally as you approach the bar). You might propose a kitty, with everyone putting an agreed sum into this at the start of the evening and sharing out any leftovers at the end (and again, remember the non-drinker – perhaps he or she could put in half the amount that drinkers contribute). Or if you drink together regularly, buying rounds is probably OK as anyone who doesn’t buy one can start the process next time!

By the way, it isn’t usual to tip the staff in a pub, but if you visit regularly or spend a whole evening there and get good service, you can offer to buy the person serving you a drink – “would you like one yourself?” is the usual query. Don’t be offended if they pocket the money for later though – they can’t have too many when they’re supposed to be working!

So now you have your drinks, what else do you need to know? Well, firstly, since July 2007 it has been illegal to smoke in an enclosed public space in England (hooray!), so if you want to light up you’ll need to go outside. You could take your drink with you or if friends are staying inside leave it with them – an unclaimed drink is likely to be cleared away by bar staff. In most pubs you can buy food to go with your drink – this might be anything from a bag of peanuts to a gourmet treat, but traditional dishes include pies, fish and chips or a “ploughman’s lunch” (bread, cheese and pickles). Unlike drinks, groups of friends would normally each buy their own meal, and to do this you’ll again have to order at the bar. You’ll probably be given some sort of number or other sign to put on your table so the server can bring the meal to the right table.

There may be entertainment in the pub – live music, sport on TV or maybe a quiz. Choose your pub according to whether you want to participate in something like this or not – if you really want to talk with your friends, a pub without entertainment will be better.

Despite the British reputation for reserve, someone in the pub on their own is likely to be willing to engage in conversation, and the same may apply to groups of people. Try saying hello and take it from there, but bear in mind that they may have come to talk privately together, so be sensitive to the body language and move on if people don’t want to chat.

And lastly – have fun :)

England Local Customs

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