In case you have been living on Jupiter, or you are an MP, there is a bit of a recession going on at the moment.  In fact, as far as the pub trade is concerned, it's been around for about 18 months or so.  Regardless of whether the 'Smoking Ban' started it all off, or indeed it was just the start of a bigger problem, a smiling landlord has been a rare sight indeed.  Now of course this is the last thing any customer wants to see, especially if they have gone out to take a break from their own personal crisis of the week (from which the pub is traditionally a great means of escape, even if you don't drink the alcoholic stuff).  So has part of the problem been depressed landlords (for good reason) driving away depressed punters?  Who knows.  However, this week - and perhaps last week as well - a positive outlook seems to be returning.  Now far be it from me to suggest that we can all start running up debts again, but maybe for this industry at least, the tide is turning.  Or maybe not of course, but the good folk of Britain  may just be remembering that the pub can be a great means of escape through community socialising.  It is after all a far better activity than watching Celebrity Gardening Talent On Ice Factor, and the world really is a far better place if you witness it for real rather than view it through the depressing doom that seems to make up the television news & drama these days.

So here is this weeks homework.  Visit as many pubs as you can (don't go silly with the drink though, we want you back next week of course), and see how happy the landlord is.  And repeat week after week until you realise that maybe life's not so bad after all.

Your reward?  Well, apart from meeting a shedload of interesting folk (and a few strange 'uns as well), you may get to drink something pleasant.  On which subject, if our current special 'Ardent' (a 4% session bitter) doesn't float you boat, the sublime Polar Star is returning for early March.

Still here?