Steam is proud that one of our very own has taken to the stage in a glittering and exhilarating stage performance.

Office manager, Fay Harvey plays “Miss Fee Fee La Minx”, one of a beautiful cast of dancers in CABURLESQUE, an action-packed theatre production filled with strong colourful characters, sultry vocalists and wonderful costumes. The massive cast of dancers and vocalists will take you on a journey visiting parties through the ages. From Masquerade balls to street parties, with fully choreographed routines, burlesque tease and harmony vocalists. Of course no show is complete without the magnificent Can Can!

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The latest edition of the Portman Group’s Code containing two new alcohol marketing rules has come into effect.

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Some interesting general knowledge facts published by GQ.com today…

Official statistics show that Britain is set to become the most crowded major country in Europe, reports the Telegraph. The 2006 figure of 390 people for every square kilometre is predicted to rise to 464 by 2031 if current trends continue. The UK is poised to overtake Holland, leaving only the island of Malta with a higher density of population.

Britain’s population density is already almost double the level in Germany and quadruple that in France.

The managed pub sector is losing its share of consumer spending on eating out according to new figures. Market analyst FMCG, which tracks managed pub menus through its ongoing Menurama survey, and consumer eating habits through the Quickbite survey, says pubs share of the eating out market has fallen from around 16 per cent over four years to 11 per cent. The figures track eating out in the key pre-Christmas eating period. The percentage of males eating out who ate in a pub in the lead-up to Christmas has almost halved over the four years.

While the figures do not track food sales through tenanted, leased and freehouse pubs, which account for the majority of pubs, FMCG director David Humphreys believes a similar pattern is likely. He said: “Menurama shows that annual eating out inflation in pubs was running at six per cent for a two-course meal, and tenanted pubs, which do not have the purchasing power of the managed pub food chains, tend to offer higher priced menus.” However, one reason for a sharp decline in food sales through managed pubs may be that there are fewer to chose from. Figures from the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) show a reduction in managed houses from 11,700 to 10,200 between October 2003 and November 2006. Since then, Punch Taverns has reduced the Spirit Group estate, once the UK’s biggest managed pub operator, by at least 700 pubs.

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