50 of the best UK pubs with open-air gardens to book now Wine News

Finally, the tunnel of our confinement is set ablaze. After 12 truly brutal months, the hospitality industry, or part of it, is allowed to reopen. Pubs in England with outdoor space can now serve drinks and food; indoor social distancing hospitality for groups of up to six people will be permitted from May 17th.

The prospect of the pubs reopening is hugely consuming, even if you’ve never set foot in licensed premises in your life. This signals the possibility of the Covid emergency being brought under control: not just the end of the beginning, but – just maybe – a hesitant little taste of the beginning of the end.

It gives us a chance to put our money, literally, where we are at, to support an industry that was not healthier even before the pandemic and that will remain on its knees for a while afterward.

More importantly, it allows us to see our friends again, coming out of the cages of our laptop screens, live and in the flesh. There might not be any cuddles yet (you can’t do that sort of thing with your friends at the best of times), but there will be facial hair jokes, pictures of kids who sound bigger than you remember, shared silences, stories, funny and sad points in between, and laughs – and just a deep sense of relief.

With our favorite selections from Sawday’s Great guide to British pubs, along with top 10 local recommendations from The Telegraph’s food and drink editors, there are options for everyone. Call or check online first: most places will need to be reserved. All can be found at sawdays.co.uk, unless otherwise noted.