My Oxfordshire taproom used to sing on Fridays: carpenters, teachers and office clerks, knackered from the week’s graft, would elbow for pints in a natural democracy of nods and grins. The bar was a grand leveller – toff or tiler, all waited their turn and banter stitched the room together. Post-pandemic, that tune has gone quiet. Now, working from home has throttled the after-work scrum and business limps across midweek evenings.

The pub trade has troubles, no question. Energy bills, up a fifth in a year, are choking profits. National Insurance hikes, the return of the full charge of VAT and rocketing business rates (some landlords face £20,000 a year) make pouring pints costly. A Birmingham mate, running a local, says his takings had dropped 15 per cent since 2023; punters, skint from i

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