The country\u2019s licensing laws mean the supermarket has opened a pub so it can sell alcohol, while campaigners are fighting to help other venues open and get people dancing<\/p>\n
At first sight The Middle Ale in Dundonald, Northern Ireland looks just like any other pub. There is a big TV, an array of seating, and beer pumps behind the bar. Look a little closer, however, and you might ask why there are packets of fajitas and gravy granules on the walls.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s because the pub belongs to the supermarket chain Lidl, but the Middle Ale (like \u201cmiddle aisle\u201d, get it?) isn\u2019t just a wacky marketing stunt. Northern Ireland has ultra-strict laws around licences to sell alcohol, whether as a shop, pub or nightclub. Lidl tried to get a licence to sell alcohol in its Dundonald store, and was refused, but after a court battle it did manage to get a licence for a pub \u2013 which it duly opened next door, selling alcohol to take away as well as serving drinks in the pub itself.<\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/4bf9ddd9500dc5b9e4725bb08ce5b0c205863769\/0_309_3656_2926\/master\/3656.jpg?width=140&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=20bf4d849149dfbc1cf2f96525ed4f54\" "\\"Fancy")
<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"