Kitchen kitsch
Greene King licensee Heath Ball talks yummy mummies, retro dishes and whisky collecting with Lucy Britner
Chicken in a basket is back. But, in the words of M&S, this is not just chicken in a basket, this is free-range poulet noir with hand-cut chips and tangy garlic mayo.
Ball has transformed what was a run-down boozer with no food offer into a haven for day-time drinkers, families, parties, yummy mummies on school runs and dads en route from work.
He says: "Everyone's doing gastropubs and there's talk of places losing their identity.
"I wanted to create a reasonably-priced menu for locals, families and boys' and girls' nights out."
The New Zealander paid just £10,000 last March for a 20-year Greene King lease on the Red Lion
& Sun in Highgate, London. He
spent £150,000 on a two-month refurb and took a soft rent from the brewery. A year on, weekly turnover is up from £5,000 a week to £19,000 a week and the kitchen prepares
800 meals a week.
The menu features five starters, nine mains and four puddings. Dishes include: pea soup with bread (£4.50); wild mushrooms on toast (£5.50); gammon and duck egg with crispy new potatoes (£8); half a grilled free-range chicken in a basket with hand-cut chips and mayo (£9); warm apple crumble (£4.50); and sticky toffee pudding (£4.50). Best sellers include hamburger with cheese, bacon and hand-cut chips (£9) and fish and chips (£9).
"We haven't gone overboard with labels on the menu, but people round here are interested to know the fish we use is pollock because it's more sustainable. We also name the local butcher on the menu as a lot of customers visit his shop," says Ball.
When it comes to developing a menu that fits the clientele, Ball has got some experience.
Before opening the Red Lion & Sun, he created a dim sum and cocktails concept in East London's trendy Hoxton.
"We opened the Drunken Monkey in 2003, just as that area of London became really popular.
"It was a great concept, with a DJ and very focused food and drink offer. The Red Lion & Sun is a very different idea, but the ethos is still the same."
Best business idea
Hog roasts. Ball's brother-in-law builds hog roasts in his spare time and Ball decided to utilise the out-
door space with one of his creations.
Prices start at £300 for a whole suckling pig or whole lamb. Or, if you want to go the whole hog, that'll set you back £650. His affluent hog-roast customers have included Spandau Ballet's Tony Hadley.
"The hog roasts are great theatre and even in early spring we were doing five or six a month," says Ball. "I'm planning to open the 100-cover front garden in May and will do a hog roast every Sunday for people who want something a bit different."
Ball also collects whiskies and
has almost 50 on his back bar. "We do a lot of Christenings here and fathers always want to toast the
baby with a whisky. It's great to be able to educate them on different whisky styles."
Wine company Bibendum supplies Ball's wines and also trains staff on tasting notes and recommending food and wine matches.
"It's really important to get your wine offer right when you're tied
for beer. I used Bibendum at the Drunken Monkey and we have a good working relationship. It also saves me time and money to only use one company."
Life in the pub trade seems to suit Ball and his recently-purchased pub dog Sylvester — who inspired an extra addition to the menu of pigs' ears for dogs (£1). But it doesn't look like the entrepreneur will be settling down just yet — he's got plans for five more pubs in five years.
"That's the plan," says Ball. "But let's just get through summer, first."
