Star turn

Just six months after taking over the Stagg Inn, Steve Reynolds became the first British pub chef to be awarded a Michelin star. ALICE WHITEHEAD reports When Herefordians Nicola and Steve Reynolds decided to return to their roots and buy the Stagg Inn, in the sleepyvillage of Titley, they had no idea how their lives would change. Six months after chef Steve, who trained with Michel Roux at Le Gavroche, set foot in the kitchen, their little local became the first British pub to be awarded a Michelin star. Overnight they became celebrities. "We never set out to win the favours of the Michelin group and to be honest we never thought we would. We were miles apart from the venues they usually rewarded," says Steve."We didn't have tablecloths, there were no snooty waiters, or amuse bouche, but we seemed to be doing something right. When we heard we'd got the award we were very excited and it was a fantastic experience at first. After six months of constant press attention it got very hard and one day after another we were fully booked ­ but people just kept ringing." When the Reynolds first moved into the inn it was a very different story. "When we arrived, the building was in a bit of a state," says Steve, "and all our friends and family mucked in to help us renovate it. We probably ploughed a good £130,000 into the place." The old brick building had always been an inn, in fact an inn has existed on the site since mediaeval times, and Eliza Greenley, of Titley Court (a country house just up the road) coined the name, calling the pub the Stag Inn after her family crest. To this day no one knows why an extra "g"' was later added to form the word "Stagg". The Reynolds re-plumbed, rewired and turned a rubble-strewn piece of land into a pretty kitchen garden with formal box hedges and herbs. As well as two guestrooms, there's also a smallflat for a member of staff. But the top priority, of course, was the kitchen. "We completely gutted and renovated it," says Steve. "Last month we also completed a new extension to the restaurant, which has taken us from 70 to 90 covers." And the two handsome, but decoratively simple dining rooms reflect the traditional and restrained menu. "The food is classical in its roots with a modern twist, but we don't mess around' with the dishes," says Steve. "I think this is also reflected in the prices. On average we're cheaper than restaurant prices: starters are around the £4.90 mark andour mains are £12 to £16, which I regard as good value for money. Our customers are ordinary people who don't want to pay inflated prices." All of the produce is locally sourced. There's Welsh lamb from across the border, beef from Herefordshire, vegetables from two organic farms in Pembridge, and wild duck and pheasant from the local shoot. "We grow and pick our own strawberries, peaches and figs at Titley Court," says Steve. "There's also a bunch of keen gardeners who supply us with their surpluses, and a certain local, red-wine drinker who gathers ceps (a particularly sought-after wild mushroom) from a secret location. It's a simple philosophy: reduce the food miles and support the local producers." Even the starters at the pub have a glorious whiff of seasonality and traceability, with pigeon breast in a fig and port sauce, lamb's kidneys on a vegetable rosti or foie gras with Pembridge apple jelly. Meat features heavily in the main courses too, with rack of Marches lamb with thyme, baked apricots and dauphinoise potatoes, Gressingham duck breast with peach, Swiss chard and cider potato fondant and fillet of Herefordshire beef with béarnaise sauce and chips. Desserts include wimberry and raspberry ice-creams and baked figs with Port and honey. And then there's the cheese board. Sourced from small, independent producers, it offers more than 15 varieties with names suchas "Ragstone", "Celtic Promise", "Stinking Bishop", "Paarl Las" and "Troo Bloo Yoo". "I create my own style and I don't copy other people," says Steve. "I think if you run a pub like this you have to consider long and hard what the customers want. You can't cook for yourself, have a cowboy attitude or be self-indulgent. You have to ask yourself: What will people in this area really eat?' There's no great magic to it. This is a service industry and we are providing a service: keeping the customers happy is a priority." Today, with turnover reaching £650,000, and almost 70% of that profit, the Reynolds must be glad they made the leap of faith. "We never set out to do this for some recognition in a magazine or guidebook; we do it to see the satisfaction on our customers' faces. We were busy from day one ­ mainly because this place has always been fondly regarded. We were both born in Herefordshire and we're proud to give something back to the area." And does Steve miss the buzz of a "real" restaurant? "No, I don't really miss the restaurant set-up at all," he says. "Though we run a pub, I do see ourselves as a neighbourhood restaurant, and I like the informal, bar atmosphere, and being able to chat to the locals. Pubs are where the excitingcooking is happening right now. There's a lot of talent coming onto the scene.