Wish you were here

David and Tricia Smith wanted to create 'the sort of place we'd look for if we were on holiday. And, following a £200,000 refurb, the Bickley Mill is pulling in tourists and locals alike. MARK TAYLOR reports

It would be no exaggeration to say David Smith has spent most of his life in pubs. As a child, he lived above the freehouse his parents ran in the Cotswolds. Then, after studying hotel management at Brighton Polytechnic, he worked for Bass for nine years, progressing from graduate trainee to regional manager in the north-west.

For the past decade, Smith and his wife Tricia have owned popular Worcestershire dining pub the Plough & Harrow at Drakes Broughton, and for a few years they also ran the Yorkshire Grey in nearby Earls Croome, where they increased the weekly turnover eightfold before deciding to sell up.

Popular en-suite letting rooms

One year on from selling the Yorkshire Grey and after looking at 15 properties in Devon, they bought the freehold of Bickley Mill in Kingskerswell for 'around the £700,000 mark. Since it opened in April, this former flour mill has been doing very good business indeed. The eight en-suite rooms above the pub competitively priced at £60 for a double and £40 for a single have proved popular with Devon tourists and people visiting nearby Newton Abbot and Torbay on business.

And then there's the food, which, thanks to head chef Bill Gott, is already gaining something of a reputation in an area not entirely blessed with gastro-pub-quality menus.

'Our sole aim was to try to create the sort of place we would look for if we were on holiday, says Smith. 'We were fortunate enough to invest in the help of a designer, which previously we weren't able to do, but the only downside is that quite a few people come in and ask if we're part of a chain. Of course, you can paint your walls pink, green, whatever, but if what's on the plate isn't up to standard, then it doesn't really matter what you do. We're lucky to have found Bill. He was one of 18 chefs to apply for the position.

Gott, who previously worked in Stratford-upon-Avon, describes his cooking as 'modern British and has quickly developed good relationships with local suppliers, including Kingfisher, the Brixham fish merchants he used when he worked in Warwickshire.

Although Gott's à la carte menus are aimed at the more gastronomically-inclined customers, he hasn't lost sight of the fact this is a busy country pub that attracts a lot of families. This means that as well as a separate children's menu (which has also proved popular with elderly customers looking for smaller portions), there is a range of freshly prepared sandwiches like hot roast lamb with onion, garlic and rosemary, or chicken, red pepper and tarragon mayonnaise priced at £4.65.

'I try to make sure that if somebody comes here and just wants a sandwich, they're not going to need anything else, says Gott. 'They're big and made from bread from the local bakery. I've resisted the temptation to go down the route of paninis and ciabatta simply because everybody is doing it. They don't fit into rural pubs.

Seven-week £200,000 refurb

Before the Smiths took over at Bickley Mill and embarked on a seven-week refurbishment that cost 'about £200,000, the pub had virtually gone bust and was very neglected. Although the Sunday carvery attracted 40 people, weekday lunchtimes would see as few as three people eating there. 'When we arrived, the menu was four pages long and we had to take out four freezers, says Smith. 'I thought if we had a nice varied menu that wasn't typical of the area, we would start to attract people from all over Devon. We are not trying to be fine dining. Good food is key, but I think people lose sight. It's about the whole meal experience, it's not about sitting there for half an hour analysing a Bechamel sauce.

'I inherited seven room bookings for 2005, no diary, no table reservations, and suddenly, we have several companies booking rooms and we're starting to get some nice repeat business. It's been fantastic.

Non-smoking proves a success

Something that the Smiths decided on prior to reopening Bickley Mill was to go entirely non-smoking, a decision which has proved a success. 'I asked everybody's opinion on it, explains Smith, 'and because we were starting with a clean sheet, it was easier than suddenly telling Joe Bloggs, who was an avid smoker and who came in every day for the past 15 years.

'We mention it on the phone and 85% of those people think it's a great idea. Having said that, there's a local businessman who has been coming here five nights a week for the past 20 years and who is a big smoker, but he's happy to wander outside to the covered area, have his fag and come back in.

Facts and figures

Having only opened for business on 26 April, it's early days at Bickley Mill and too soon for performance figures, but chef Bill Gott says that he aims to be doing about 1,000 covers per week by next summer. Gott is working to a GP of 67%, which he also says he hopes to improve in the coming months. The wet:dry split is 30:70.

The wine list

Includes 10 reds, 10 whites, two roses and five sparkling wines and Champagnes. A popular red is the Blackstone Maple Grove Cabernet Sauvignon 2002, California, at £12.95 a bottle and by the glass at £3.30 (175ml) and £4.30 (250ml). Of the whites, Torres San Valentin 2004, Spain, is a big seller. Owner David Smith says: 'I wanted to create a list of easy-drinking wines that had some depth, but also represented good value for our wide customer base.

On the menu at the Bickley Mill

Starters

Tandoori squid with tomato, red onion and coriander salad, £5.95

Seared scallops, crispy bacon, parsley and garlic sauce, £6.95

Selection of Italian salami, marinated vegetables and roasted breads, £6.25

Mains

Mediterranean fish stew, saffron and garlic mayonnaise, £11.45

Braised beef casserole, shallots, smoked bacon and chestnut mushrooms, £10.95

Slow-cooked pork hock, butter beans, lemon, Savoy cabbage and parsley, £12.95

Desserts

Summer fruit pudding and Devon clotted cream, £4.75

Apple and cinnamon brioche and butter pudding, £4.75

Honey, lemon and whisky cheesecake, £4.75