Home Counties: Spring Inn
Sulhamstead, Berkshire Customers at the Spring Inn won't need a dictionary of food and drink to understand the food offering. The pub prides itself on providing a simple menu to the highest standard, served by a friendly team led by manager Alex Mazzon-Babio, pictured left, in a smart but relaxed environment. The Spring formerly the quirkily-named Three Kings Jack's Booth and more lately Mulligan's restaurant is one of seven operated by independent pubco Eat Your Heart Out, headed by Andy Becalick, pictured right, and Jason Hill, both ex Jim Thompson's. The "keep it simple" philosophy seems to be paying off with food revenue experiencing double-digit growth, despite a shift towards drinks in the wet:dry split as the pub has shed its former restaurant image. Andy says: "It had been pretty much run down and was in a sorry state. There's a big industrial park down the road, so we knew there was a lunchtime trade, and the demographics of the area suggested there were a lot of good-quality customers. We knew if we could get the offer right, we could attract some good business." The pub interior is contemporary, but without being over-designed. "We wanted something that felt natural," says Andy. The food is British with a twist. "We thought we had to have a high-end offer. At first, we let the chefs drive the menu, but we ended up with wordings that sounded ridiculous. We decided to pull away from that and went back to ham and eggs, sausage and mash, fish and chips and used those as a base to drive off. "It's comfort food and people can understand the menu." English standards like Barnsley lamb chop with home-made chips, cherry vine tomatoes and mint jelly, line up alongside Scottish mussels and the odd influence from Mediterranean or Far Eastern cuisine. The chefs aren't averse to combining different cultures such as wild Cornish sea bass served with oriental vegetables and hoisin sauce. "We still have to remember who we are," stresses Andy. "We're a pub and we don't want to charge £50 a head for a meal. We want to be accessible in the community in which we operate. "The personality we're trying to get is what you'd get in a traditional British pub, but with a bit of extra sparkle.
