GBPA Best Pub for Food: The Unruly Pig
The pub is owner Brendan Padfield’s life dream and his passion for serving great food, with fantastic service in a pub with a relaxed vibe is shared by business partner and chef/patron Dave Wall, a finalist in this award’s Best Pub Chef 2021 category, and newly promoted head chef Karl Green.
The menus reflect the bounty of excellent local, seasonal produce available in Suffolk and include elevated pub classics such as The Unruly Burger, which is a best seller, alongside a la carte dishes such as acorn fed black pork with lovage, turnip and black garlic.
Team philosophy
The Unruly Pig teams’ philosophy is that whatever it serves, the food must be both fun and best in class, with something for everyone, whether that’s a mid-week informal dinner or special occasion.
Owner Brendan swapped a legal career for pub life six years ago, and despite having no background in hospitality and chef Dave Wall’s previous experience being in fine dining only, together they have nurtured their vision for pub food into a successful reality.
During these still challenging times for British pubs, The Unruly Pig is an excellent example that with passion, love and commitment, anyone can succeed and thrive and have a very fulfilling and rewarding career running and cooking in a pub.
The Unruly Pig’s offer has evolved through the pandemic with the addition of a garden marquee, which serves up the same delicious dishes as its restaurant. Other successful innovations include a ‘Be Unruly’ seven course tasting menu which has had a big impact on increasing average spend per head, as well as on team satisfaction and motivation.
Other new winning ideas include adding a fourth course option to the set menu, which has had a 56% update and the introduction of dessert cocktails.
