Trade secrets - Masons' charms
Mark Taylor talks to Bill Leadbeater, chef/owner of the Masons Arms in Swerford, near Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire.
Garden We have a large garden at the back of the pub, which looks out across fields and a valley towards Hook Norton, which is where the Hook Norton brewery is. We serve their beer and it's the best-selling drink here. We serve more Hooky than any of the lagers or Guinness. On a busy week we get through four or five firkins. The garden is really popular in the summer and it adds another potential 40 or 50 diners.
Fresh breadI'm very lucky to have an experienced baker, Terry Hockedy, working in the kitchen. Terry has been baking for 50 years and he makes a limitless selection of artisan breads. The bread he produces is fantastic and it's a big selling point. We have two different complimentary breads and he even makes the granary bread for the sandwiches. A lot of the breads he makes have had a 16 or 18 hour fermentation and the flavour is amazing. We serve our bread on small oak boards, which our handyman makes. It really annoys me when places charge for bread. Terry makes the bread every day and he serves every roll warm from the oven.
GameWe get a lot of local people turning up at the kitchen door with game, which is great. We're also getting a name for our shooting-party lunches because we're close to a big estate. Shooting parties are good for business because these guys tend to spend a lot and they also come back in the evenings with their families. Local produce is also a big selling factor here and we make a point of listing suppliers on a board in the bar.
Dining room We've just refurbished the pub and built an extra dining room at the back with 35 covers. We were simply turning away too many people on a regular basis so it seemed sensible to extend the capacity. The other reason for adding the new dining room was because we've been getting more and more requests from customers to do private dining, private parties and dinners, etc. We thought we had to take advantage of that. To do this, the existing kitchen wouldn't have coped, so we've also extended that so it's almost double the size it was.
StaffWe rely on overseas travelling staff but we're very careful about who we take on. It's no good taking on an 18-year-old who's thousands of miles from home. We've got to the point where we try to get people who are mature and in long-term relationships. We ask them how long they're going to be with us and then tie them into a contract and give them a very good bonus at the end of it. If you dangle a carrot of £1,000, it's an incentive and they'll stay. I'm also lucky to have my wife, Charmaine, working front of house because I think it's important the pub has a face that people recognise.
Value for money We don't lose sight of the fact that we're a pub. We believe value for money is important. I don't believe in ripping people off. If a piece of fish costs me £2.50, why should I charge £18? I try to keep most main courses between £9 and £12 and rarely above £15. Our menu of the day changes daily and costs £11.95 for three courses, £9.95 for two, and £6.95 for one. The quality of the food is no different from the evening menu, but it fills our pub every lunchtime. I'd rather do 50 people at £12 than six people at £20. About 70% of lunchtime customers go for the menu of the day. If you're clever with menus, and use cheaper cuts of meat, you can still make a good GP.
No smokingWe've just decided to go totally non-smoking. I don't think it will affect our trade because people don't come here to smoke. When we first took over the pub in 2003, we allowed smoking at the bar only, but we're not known as a drinking pub, so we don't get too many smokers anyway. If people do want to smoke, they can always smoke in the garden or on the terrace. I think it's the way a lot of pubs are going and I can't see it making a big difference to business.
Local farming artefactsWe have a number of old horse and farming artefacts dotted around the place and they've become quite a talking point. One guy came in recently and spotted we had some sort of old horse muzzle. He said he'd been farming for more than 50 years and hadn't seen one since about 1948! He asked if he could take it away to make a copy. A lot of the stuff in the boxes was sitting in the cellar when we took over and thanks to the older locals, we've managed to identify a lot of it. People like the fact that the pub reflects the area and its farming heritage.
Menu flexibilityWe have a great understanding of people's diets and needs. It's amazing how many coeliacs there are. I must get at least one coeliac customer every day. If people say they have an allergy or have a certain dietary requirement, we go out of our way to change things for them. They're paying and we want their experience of the pub to be a good one. The same goes for vegetarians. If people still can't see something they fancy, I'll go out and see them and ask what they want. If I can do it, I will.
Local meatWe use a lot of Oxford Down lamb, which is a very rare breed and reared locally. We get it from Chesterton Farm near Cirencester, which specialises in rare breeds. We've had older people coming here who used to be butchers or farmers and they can't believe we have it on the menu. They like the fact that it's a rare breed and people comment of the flavour. Breast of lamb is a big favourite, as are shoulders, shanks, belly, riblets … I use all of it.
