TV chef to open second pub
TV chef Paul Bloxham is to open a second gastropub.
The Blue Anchor in St Albans, Hertfordshire, will open on 1 May in partnership with McMullen & Sons brewery. Bloxham, who appears on the UKTV Food channel, also co-owns the Tilbury in Datchworth, Hertfordshire, which he took on in 2006.
McMullen has more than 50 tenanted pubs.
Fergus McMullen, director of McMullen said: "We are delighted to be working with Paul Bloxham.
"A good pub has been part of our success for more than 180 years. Now that good food is such an important part of our continuing success and strategy of constantly striving to exceed our customers' expectations, it is great news that we have an opportunity to work with such a talented, local chef."
The pub will have its own food smoker and the menu will offer British charcu-terie, including home-cured salmon, duck and beef pastrami, salamis, home air-dried ham and sweet-cured bacon.
A daily market menu will be on offer. Sample dishes include home-made smoked black pudding, Cox's apples & potato purée (£5); Welsh rarebit fondue, crudités, crostini (£7); grilled sardines on toast, gremolata (£6); crispy pigs trotter & chard rolls, Green Goddess dip (£5); and vegetable minestrone, basil, rocket & oregano (£4).
Main courses include braised Herdwick mutton shepherd's pie, home-baked beans (£11); hake and chips, chunky tartare sauce (tempura or panko) (£12); grilled Old Spot double pork chop, pease pudding, spring greens (£12); Banham chicken Kiev, chicory, watercress, chips and house salad cream (£11).
Paul Bloxham said: "Opening in St Albans is a tremendous opportunity and I am hugely excited by all our plans. With the fantastic fresh ingredients available on our doorstep we really can stick to our ethos that the simplest things done well can be outstanding."
Bloxham and his business partners spent £100,000 on the kitchen alone. They intend to expand to up to five pubs in the future.
The Blue Anchor will stock its own ale made by McMullens, which will be brewed with food in mind.
