Counter Meals – are they a thing of the past?

Remember buttered bread in the shape of a triangle? It was white, fluffy and fresh. The cook would tuck it between the mashed potato and boiled vegetables.

On the other side would be some type of cooked meat and in the middle would be a small pile of hot crispy chips smothered in gravy (that you didn’t have to pay extra for).

It was covered in foil and I would knock on the back door of the kitchen of the pub to pick them up for my parents, who owned the business next door.

I was a child in the 80s and the pub counter meal was a real thrill.

These days it seems, they are largely a thing of the past. Having trouble letting go, I went on a search to discover – is the counter meal dead?

 For lovers of simple food, here are some of the best value for money meals we could find in Ipswich.

HR Manager Teegan Jefferson said, “We’re probably the cheapest around and we are quite busy at lunchtimes.

“We get plenty of people coming in and asking if we have a counter meal menu.

“Around here it’s very popular. We’ve been doing cheap lunches for years.”

Executive Chef Neil Smith said, “With all the construction within the club we thought we’d do something to really give something back to the people for the inconvenience with the renovations going on. “

“The return patronage is really good because there is choice and great value for money.”

Kitchen Manager Cynthia Shine said, “They are very popluar I think probably because of the price. We do have loyal customers. Regulars come in on certain days. We get a lot of nursing homes from all over in mini buses. We’ll do them a $10 special and throw in dessert, free tea and coffee.”

Manager Mark Sherman said, “These lunch meals are as popular as ever. We do find that people come and join so they can the deal. We also do a Sunday Roast for $10 that includes dessert.”

Marketing Manager Greg Lyons said, “Anything from our Legends Menu is very popular. All meals come with a salad or vegetables and chips. Our menu is very price friendly for our members.  We have a huge a la carte menu also offering all types of meals for all tastes with options to cater for everybody.”

Duty Manager Apple McQueen said, “They are popular because we can prepare them very quickly as people only have an hour for lunch. Also they are good value for money.”