Telegraph signals a fresh start

Once you start changing the rules, it all starts to get a bit tricky. If you want to run a country pub, the logic would seem to suggest that the country is the best place to do it. Slapping a rural pub down in the middle of South London sounds like a recipe for confusion.

However, judging by the crowd enjoying an al fresco lunch outside the Telegraph in Putney Heath, there is no identity crisis surrounding the latest venture from managed operator Massive, despite billing it as 'a country pub in London'.

The pub is a healthy 10-minute walk from Putney town centre, close to the point where the heath segues seamlessly into Wimbledon Common. "We get plenty of walkers and cyclists at weekends," says manager Nick Stafford. "More people are discovering us all the time."

Not that the Telegraph is a new addition to the landscape. The building traded as a beer shop in the 1850s and became an inn in 1861. It was named after the Admiralty telegraph that stood nearby - part of a chain of stations used to convey messages by semaphore between London and Portsmouth from the Napoleonic wars onwards.

However, there have been big changes since Massive acquired the Telegraph. The pub reopened in July after a four-month refurbishment programme. This saw previously unused parts of the site brought into play, doubling the downstairs trading capacity to include a new restaurant area, and giving the pub an airier, more contemporary feel.

The pub's beer garden has also undergone a major facelift, with additional seating and patio heaters which make the outdoor areas a major rendezvous point for locals seeking a spot of fresh air and exercise.

The new Telegraph now boasts a multi-purpose, first-floor function room with bar and a separate dining area. This saw the replacement of some frankly quite unpleasant 1970s décor - a hangover from the days when the Telegraph operated as a carvery-style pub restaurant upstairs - with a far more laid-back design.

Nick has worked closely with head chef Sajay Joseph to develop a British-style tapas menu alongside the gourmet menu.

In addition to a full dining menu, the Telegraph offers classic dishes such as mini steak and kidney puddings and mini fish and chips in the tapas style as bar snacks. The pub has also introduced a lunchtime menu and an increasingly successful Sunday lunch trade.

Diverse wine list​

The drinks focus includes cask beers Deuchars IPA, Broadside and Bombardier, as well as a diverse wine list. With Massive having made a group decision to feature wines in its pubs which are not widely available through the off-trade, Nick has spotted an opportunity to start running wine appreciation evenings for regulars. "It's great fun, and also helps to promote our food offer," says Nick.

Following Massive's heavy investment in expanding and refurbishing the pub, developing food sales is clearly a major priority. "The response has been great so far. We're well used by older couples and

business customers at lunchtime, with a more varied customer mix in the evenings. We've had some write-ups in the local papers, but as always word of mouth is the most important marketing tool."

Nick and his team have been intensively promoting the function room in the run-up to the peak party season.

"Tonight, for example, we've got the Wimbledon triathlon group here for a dinner," he says. "They're all local, mostly in our target customer base of aged between 20 to 35, and most of them probably don't know about us..." Then he adds the all-important word that proves there is no confusion whatsoever at the Telegraph: "...yet."