It’s been four long years since Britain’s pubs and restaurants enjoyed anything approaching a normal Christmas.
In typical years, a month-long flurry of festive parties, family lunches and post-work debauches catapults the industry into profit, helping make up for leaner times. But last winter the energy crisis sent overheads soaring, in a sector where margins are already wafer-thin. And rampant inflation forced many would-be merrymakers to tighten their belts.
