Profile: The focus on food pays off for the Waggon and Horses

Related tags Bar Alcoholic beverage Cooking

In a world where measuring your food miles is increasingly important, Roy Wood is pleased to say that most of his customers are travelling further...

In a world where measuring your food miles is increasingly important, Roy Wood is pleased to say that most of his customers are travelling further than the ingredients.

"Like many pubs, we've put emphasis on local food and suppliers," says Roy, licensee of the Waggon & Horses in Halam, just outside Nottingham.

"We're now finding that customers are coming from a radius of around 30 miles to the pub - so I'm thinking of asking them to collect our veg as they come through."

Roy and wife Laura took on the Thwaites-owned pub two years ago. Roy trained as a chef, working in a number of leading restaurants across Europe, while Laura was named bartender of the year while working at the Bar Room Bar retail brand.

This experience made the division of labour at the Waggon & Horses clear, with Roy taking charge of the kitchen and Laura behind the bar.

Boost for reputationThe pub's steadily growing reputation for food was boosted toward the end of last year both by the launch of Roy's newly devised 'traditional' country recipe for Nottinghamshire Pie, and by the pub wining the Classic Food Pub of the Year title at The Publican Food & Drink Awards 2008.

"We were very busy at the end of the year," says Roy, "and we closed for a week in January to recharge our batteries and think about how we might move the business on.

"We had all sorts of good ideas, such as opening a shop and expanding our outside catering - but ever since we re-opened the doors, we've been busier than ever and haven't had a chance to do anything expect keep the pub running smoothly."

Roy recognises that it's a problem many other publicans would envy in the current climate, and isn't taking anything for granted. "It's a question of making sure you've got the right people, both in the kitchen and behind the bar," he says.

Keeping it real

Keeping the pub drinker-friendly is also an important consideration. As food trade has expanded, the proportion of regulars just popping in for a pint has dwindled, "and we have to make sure we don't send out the message that we're a restaurant."

Helping to keep the business down-to-earth includes working with familiar pub brands in the kitchen. The Classic Food award was sponsored by Bisto, and Roy has used Bisto Bouillon throughout his 21 years in the kitchen.

"Last October I created my now-famous Nottinghamshire Pie, which contains bouillon, and it now accounts for between 30 and 40 per cent of food sales at the pub," he explains. I also use it in my Sunday lunch menu, as it gives a great home-cooked flavour that people equate to mum's cooking."

Roy uses the Bisto range to make gravy, the bouillon for stocks, and the granules as a thickening agent for the pub's pies.

"To make your own stock is both time- and space-consuming, it costs a great deal more as you have to factor in extra bones and carcasses from the likes of pork, veal and chicken," says Roy.