PMA award winner takes on Battersea pub

James Angus Rogers and partner Annie Broom have taken on a Hall & Woodhouse tenancy at the Woodman.

They will be moving from the Grundisburgh Dog in Grundisburgh, Suffolk, where Rogers owns the freehold.

During his time at the Grundisburgh Dog he won titles at the Publican’s Morning Advertiser’s Great British Pub Food Awards. He has sold the lease to his brother Charles.

The Woodman started trading in December, but will close at the beginning of March for two to three weeks while the bar is moved, the toilets are redone and the outside area is worked on.

“It is in tradeable condition, but we need to tweak a few things,” said Rogers.

“We want to bring a nice, rustic, London feel to it as well as bringing the country to Battersea with open fires, Chesterfields and country cooking, as we always did in Suffolk.

“Battersea is quite gentrified so we can get away with dishes like braised rabbit and roast venison.”

Hall & Woodhouse is footing the bill for the refurbishment, but Rogers said he and Broom would be looking to spend their own capital once the business is a few months old, particularly on the kitchen side.

The pub can hold 20 to 30 covers in the ‘immediate’ bar area, 30 in the relaxed lounge bar, 50 in a designated restaurant and a further 50 in the garden.

Food will be similar to the offer at the Grundisburgh with slow-baked wild rabbit and mustard and cider sauce with creamy mash (£9.95) and pan-fried fresh lambs’ liver with streaky bacon, black pudding and red wine gravy (£8.95).

The full range of Hall & Woodhouse ales will be available, as well as standard spirits and a “tight, handpicked” wine list, which is likely to grow following the refurbishment.

Rogers and Broom will host a market stall in Battersea each Saturday morning for face-to-face marketing where they will give out home-made bar snacks such as wild boar sausage rolls, Scotch eggs and pies and pasties together with menus and pictures.