Celeb chefs boost takings

A pub owner is using celebrity chefs to pull in the punters at his Northamptonshire pub.

Freehold the Crown at Weston, is hosting a celebrity chef night each month, with guest chefs — including Mark Hix, Henry Harris, Udt Sarkhel and Ian Pengelley — cooking a two-course menu for customers.

The first event with Mark Hix, of Hix Oyster & Chop House and formerly of the Ivy and Le Caprice, attracted 70 covers who paid £30 for a two-course meal. Hix cooked a main course of coley and took food out to customers and chatted with them.

Owner Robert Drover said: " We have been able to organise the chefs as they are friends of friends. The customer response has been fantastic. It is amazing to have chefs here who are at the top of their game and to be able to work with them and try their food. The chef nights have also changed the way we cook a couple of our dishes, so has a lasting influence on the kitchen."

Drover said takings were up 70% on an average Thursday night when the chef nights are held.