Craft Beer Co, Farringdon, City of London
This was one of the highest profile pub openings of 2011. Martin Hayes had already made a success of his Pimlico beer emporium, Cask Pub & Kitchen, and his Craft Beer Co took it a step further.
With 16 cask ales, 21 keg taps and some 300 bottled beers, the pub boasts Britain’s biggest real ale range. And it has even been recognised internationally — influential website ratebeer.com ranks it fourth best in the world.
Hayes says the business is exceeding “quite aggressive” targets. “The biggest reason is our commitment to giving people the absolute best possible experience — and we have stayed true to our core principles of showcasing nothing but the finest artisan beers from the world’s most gifted breweries,” he explains.
“Craft beer is very much in vogue right now, and many people are beginning to get into the field. We decided from day one that we wanted to be the leaders in the sector.”
Now Hayes is looking for the right venues to expand the concept.
Oast House, Manchester
Find a 16th-century derelict oast house in Ireland, ship it across to Manchester, plonk it in the middle of all the modern high-rise office blocks of the city’s Spinningfields development and there you have it — a new pub that in no time at all is taking £60,000 a week.
Oast House is the brainchild of Living Ventures boss Tim Bacon, better known for restaurants and bars but now embracing the charms of the traditional pub.
“It’s gone ballistic,” he says. “I’ve never known anything like it. Within 15 minutes of opening the doors it was full, and trade is still growing.”
Over 2,000sq ft, the 90-cover pub features cask and craft beers, a barbecue, rotisserie and deli, but Bacon believes the real difference is made by “a high level of service, done with style — the ethos we’re famous for”.
White Horse, Harpenden, Herts
This recent addition to the Peach Pub Co estate endured mixed fortunes before sure-footed operators Lee Cash and Hamish Stoddart took on the lease — free-of-tie from Enterprise Inns.
They set about putting the heart back into the pub ready for the reopening in May, restoring forgotten features and putting in an experienced team to deliver the famous Peach food offer to a 60-cover restaurant and bar plus private dining room and outside seating for 100.
“This is a fantastic pub in a fantastic place with a big garden and car park — perfectly suited to Peach,” says Cash. “It’s just
the sort of building we love and just the kind of place I’d want to make my first, if I was starting out again. There’s everything
to play for here — it just needed the right offer and the right people on board.”
www.thewhitehorseharpenden.co.uk
Devonshire Arms, Chiswick, west London
Gordon Ramsay failed to make a go of this pub in the back streets of west London, so in stepped Nick Gibson, from Islington’s Drapers Arms.
Gibson has recreated the atmosphere of a community pub and turned the business around by serving classy food in informal surroundings.
“It’s been a success so far,” says manager Joe Bergin. “Every day we challenge ourselves to do more and do it better. Perhaps we’re able to give the pub more focus and attention than Gordon Ramsay was able to.”
And to cap it all, the Devonshire walked off with the title of the UK’s Best Scotch Egg, beating 32 other pubs with its Haggis and Burford Brown chicken egg recipe.
Hermitage Rd, Hitchin, Herts
Hermitage Rd has brought a breath of fresh-air to the Hertfordshire town since it was launched by family-owned pub operator Anglian Country Inns in October following an £800,000 revamp.
A former ballroom, it’s a big pub, with space to cater for 400 people. Original features from the 1930s include 6m-high windows, which have been restored, while an open kitchen and 8m-long zinc bar provide a modern focus.
The menu specialises in sharing dishes and grills, there are four cask beer handpumps on the bar, ‘quirky’ cocktails are on offer and coffee is available from early morning.
“We’re fantastically happy with progress so far,” says the pubco’s managing director James Nye. “It’s a huge site and it’s actually gone much better than we expected.
“We’re serving fresh food and real ale in pleasant surroundings and I think that has filled a gap in the market here in Hitchin, where the town seems to be all Italian chain restaurants.”
Bull & Swan, Stamford, Lincs
The Hillbrook Hotels group opened the Bull & Swan at the very end of 2010 and it hit the ground running, building trade through the tough first three months of 2011. It’s now getting set for a bumper Christmas.
Head chef Phil Kent made his name at sister pub, the Bath Arms in Longleat, Wiltshire, and promises not to bid for a Michelin star but offer “simple and beautifully-cooked English food”, specialising in game.
“We have a menu that adapts to the seasons and well-kept real ales from numerous brewers,” says manager Ben Larter. “That’s all there is to it, really — getting the basics right.
“We’re especially pleased that 80% of our customers are locals. It’s really important for a pub that people see familiar faces when they visit.”
And for those from further afield who want to extend their stay at this famous stop-off on the A1 in Lincolnshire, the Bull
& Swan has seven elegant letting rooms.
Oyster & Otter, Feniscowes, Lancashire
Following a £650,000 investment by Thwaites Brewery, father and daughter team Chris and Joycelyn Neve have created the Oyster & Otter, a seafood oasis on the outskirts of Blackburn, Lancashire.
Joycelyn operates the pub while her dad takes care of the supplies — having run a fish wholesaling business since 1968.
“I am over the moon with the Oyster & Otter,” she says. “The concept works. We always have first pick and know what’s being landed where. Then, I make sure it appears on our menu at the right price.
The ethos of serving the best quality, but in an informal way, runs through the business, says Joycelyn, who claims that head
chef Antony Shirley’s dishes showcase the ingredients by letting them shine, with the food looking like what it is, rather than “art on a plate”.
“The customers love this,” says Joycelyn. “They are real foodie people who love trying new things, but in a relaxed atmosphere. I think we have got that balance just right.”
Sparrow Bier Café, Bradford, West Yorkshire
The craft-beer revolution arrived in Bradford in May when Mark Husak and Les Hall converted a freehold shop into a European-style beer café.
Husak, a former music promoter and teacher, and lawyer Hall had never run a licensed outlet before — but they brought with them a passion for beer. The bar bristles with hand-pumps and craft-beer fonts, and if that’s not enough for you there are 60 different bottled beers in the fridges. Deli-style snacks are served alongside the beer.
Sparrow has quickly caught the attention of beer-lovers and has had some rave reviews. “We threw ourselves in at the deep end with this, but it’s been better than we thought it would be,” says Husak.
“The people of Bradford have really taken to it. There’s nothing quite like it around here.”
www.facebook.com/thesparrowbradford
Spotted Dog, Brighton, East Sussex
Multiple operators Dominic McCarten and Tony Leonard have given a new lease of life to their Greene King leasehold. By agreeing a looser tie with Greene King, they have been able to introduce different cask and craft beers and take the pub back to its roots.
Now warmer and cosier, the Spotted Dog has reversed a trend of declining sales and Leonard is really pleased with the reaction.
“It’s going really well,” claims Leonard. “We’ve won back old customers and we’re also appealing to a new customer base. It’s filled a gap in the market here for interesting beers. Every time you go in you can try something different and it’s made going to the pub a more exciting experience.”
Cholmondeley Arms, Cholmondeley, Cheshire
Pop into the Cholmondeley Arms and you’re likely to find footballer Michael Owen and celebrity chef Clarissa Dickson-Wright among an eclectic band of regulars.
The pub is in a former schoolhouse on Cheshire’s Cholmondeley Estate and is leased, free-of-tie, from Lord Cholmondeley by Tim Bird and Mary McLaughlin, who both used to work in operations for corporate pubcos.
They stripped out the building and made great use of its architecture, opening up a spectacular space for people to eat and drink. Since its launch, takings have doubled.
For Bird, though, the challenge has been as much about keeping the regulars as attracting new customers. “With a pub like this you have to understand the characters,” he says.
Poppy & Pint, Nottingham
Castle Rock Brewery raised £600,000 through an Enterprise Investment Scheme to transform a Royal British Legion club — complete with bowling green — into a community local for the people of Lady Bay, Nottingham.
The Poppy & Pint opened in June and, according to the brewery’s marketing manager Charlie Blomeley, “initial trading is buoyant”.
As well as an enticing range of ales from SIBA’s brewery of the year, the pub features high-quality food that is targeted at a wide consumer base that includes more than 5,000 local residents as well as visitors to Trent Bridge Cricket Ground and both Nottingham football clubs.
“The whole area has been significantly enhanced with the provision of a community pub such as the Poppy & Pint,” says Blomeley.