Profile: Town and garden - The Albion, Islington

While many people have sat enjoying a pint and speculating on whether running their own pub could ever be more than a pleasant daydream, few have made the leap to actually acquire their own business,

Fewer still have made a success of it, but when the Albion pub in Islington was awarded the Best Sunday Lunch title at the Observer Food Monthly Awards in March, it was clear that the business was firmly on the map.

The pub in Islington, North London, is leased from Punch by business partners Simon Anderson, Richard Turner and Andy Stevens.

Anderson was a regular there when he worked in advertising at a nearby agency. Having decided that they wanted a pub which would spotlight Turner's abilities as a chef - he had worked for Marco Pierre White at restaurants including Quo Vadis - the partners began negotiations with Punch in 2006.

"We were offered a number of pubs, none of which was quite what we wanted," recalls Anderson. "Punch had just acquired the Spirit business and told us that a number of sites were moving from managed to leased. We laughed and said 'wouldn't it be funny if the Albion was on the list'? And when we looked, there it was."

Protected area

The Albion opened in early 2007 after a refurb which restored much of the building's original Georgian glory. The pub is one of London's hidden gems. Located just a few minutes' walk from King's Cross, it is set in the Barnsbury conservation area, and has traded as a pub since 1834.

In those days, Islington was mainly farmland and Londoners would take afternoon walks out of the city to visit the pub. While most of the inns and taverns in the area from that era have long since lost their outdoor areas to London's urban sprawl, the Barnsbury area's protected status has preserved the Albion's large garden - 450 sq m with plenty of shady plants and a mix of large tables and intimate seating.

This means that, while the pub has more than enough on offer to hold its own during the winter months, with the emphasis on open fires and comfort food, the first glint of sunshine drives even more business.

The menu changes according to availability of produce, and is built around traditional English dishes such as bubble and squeak, potted duck and smoked haddock. Specialities include London cured smoked salmon and homemade desserts like rhubarb and custard and sticky toffee pudding.

Sundays are predictably one of the busiest times of the week, diners enjoying whole suckling pigs or chicken roasts with all the trimmings.

"One of the things we set out to address was that, no matter how good Sunday lunch is when you eat out, it's never quite as good as at home," says Anderson.

To recapture some of that family atmosphere, groups carve and serve themselves. Anderson says: "Practically, that also enables us to serve more customers by bringing them the meat and vegetable and letting them help themselves."

This year has seen the addition of an outdoor cooking area which means that much of the menu, from burgers and steaks to fresh fish, can switch to al fresco production when the weather permits.

Alongside the food is a drinks menu including a broad wine list and a wide selection of beers.

The approach has proved a success, with the business having taken on a second Punch lease this year, the Old Bear in Cobham, Surrey.

With Turner having moved to oversee the menu at the new operation, Liam Kirwan has joined the Albion as head chef.

Previously at the Sand's End in Fulham, which was itself named Gastro Pub of the Year at the Publican Food & Drink Awards 2008, Kirwan's arrival has consolidated the Albion's reputation as one of London's finest food pubs.