TV’s favourite hardman, Ross Kemp, has been everywhere from Albert Square to Afghanistan but admitted, “nothing equates to a British pub.”
The 59-year-old, best known for his performance in Eastenders as Grant Mitchell, the son of longtime landlord of the Queen Vic, Peggy, and warring brother to Phil, told City A.M. he would “never say never” to the prospect of one day making a venture into the world of hospitality.
“My favourite line is, you never say never to anything in life…if there is an opportunity, and I think it could be profitable, why not give it a shot…I’d never rule it out,” he said.
“I think hospitality is the cornerstone in most communities…the pub is a central hub for many people in this country..not only with the cost of living crisis, but because it’s been such a hard time with Covid 19,” the former soap star added.
Ross Kemp on pubs
Television journalist made the comments as he embarked on a quest with brewing giant Heineken to uncover what makes a perfect pint.
The documentary maker has launched a mini-series with the brewery company to help landlords pour the best beverage for their customers with its new Smartdispense technology. The tech helps keep beer chilled from the keg to the tap.
Ross Kemp, a regular pub goer, told City A.M. it wasn’t very difficult to get on board and support Heineken with its venture.
“I don’t generally get involved in things and endorse them unless I think they’re absolutely 100 per cent doing what they say on the side of the can,” he said.
The technology also helps minimise environmental impact by reducing up to 85 per cent of the beer, cider, water, chemicals and CO2 usually wasted during line cleans.
Lawson Mountstevens, managing director of Star Pubs, Heineken UK’s pub business added: “Heineken Smartdispense has many benefits to help the everyday publican as well as their punters – who want to be able to spend their hard-earned cash on quality products.”
“Our research found that almost 60 per cent of Brits left an establishment after the first pint because the quality wasn’t up to scratch. In order to continue running a successful pub, you need to be able to rely on the quality of your pints to retain those important customers.”
Publicans aren’t the only ones who’ve been feeling the heat. The price of pints across the country has skyrocketed in recent years, and it could rise further when a new law comes into force in October.
Mounstevens added: “The hospitality industry is worth tens of billions to the UK economy – with pubs and brewing in particular making up over £20bn employing almost 1m people.
“The success of our industry is not only down to hard-working publicans up and down the country but also down to consumers who work just as hard and more than ever are wanting bang for their buck. As we all know, that hard-earned cash isn’t stretching as far as it could a few years ago.”
“As an industry we’re not immune to the impact of increasing costs such as food, energy and raw materials. Whilst we’ve tried to absorb everything we can, unfortunately, we have had to pass some costs on.”
“Equal to everyone”
With the sector under pressure, Ross Kemp described pubs as “equal to everyone” and admitted it’s where he would go to unwind after returning from filmmaking across several war-torn countries.
“When I was doing extreme world, the first thing I would do after saying hello to my family is wander down to my local pub, and buy a pint.
Ross Kemp
“[And] I would sit there on my own drinking, particularly if I was in Ukraine or if I’ve been to Afghanistan or Syria or Iraq or somewhere where the place is hostile. I would go down and have a silent pint on my own or two, and then I’d join in with everybody else,” Ross Kemp said.
“It wasn’t because I needed the drink. It was because I just wanted to sit in a place where I felt safe, and I felt that was my happy space.”
“There is nothing that I think equates to a great British pub. It’s part of what makes Great Britain great and it’s something that we should protect,” he added.