MY PUB: The Two Pigs, Barton-under-Needwood, Staffordshire

Particularly for chef-patron Liam Dillon, who also operates nearby restaurant and micro-farm the Boat in Staffordshire.

Here, Dillon – who featured on BBC TV show Celebrity MasterChef shortly before Christmas – tells The Morning Advertiser all about this gastropub that sits between Burton-upon-Trent and Lichfield.

The pub

The pub is owned by the Mercer family, who also own Packington Free Range, an amazing pork and chicken supplier who I’ve worked with for years at my other restaurant, the Boat.

They are from Barton-under-Needwood, the village where the Two Pigs is set, and bought what was the Red Lion back in September 2023. In May 2024, they asked if I’d be interested in taking it on as a gastropub. I had a look around while it was in construction and said I’d be interested if I had a say in the decor and the layout, which they agreed to, so, since then, we have worked together to create our perfect pub.

It’s a great partnership with the Mercer family because we have worked together for years and we’re very aligned in terms of our ethics. It was a no-brainer, really because we both wanted to open somewhere which was sustainable and would work for both parties.

The publican

The owners of the pub are Rob and Alec Mercer, who both run Packington Free Range, producing free range pork, eggs and chickens.

They’ve all grown up in the area, as have I, so they have great knowledge of the locals and what will and won’t work.

The trade

We have a 70:30 ratio of dry to wet produce. We’re situated in a gorgeous remote village that is lucky to have a few great pubs in it and we wanted to be a place that both locals can pop to the bar for a great local ale and be known as a really foodie place to get either an amazing midweek meal, a great Sunday roast or even go for breakfast/brunch at the weekend.

Where we’re placed in the village, we have lots of walkers come in either for drinks or a nice warming lunch if it’s cold.

The team

We currently have seven full-time staff, four full-time kitchen and three full-time front of house. We have an extra 13 part-time staff – three as kitchen support and 10 front of house.

Head chef Beth Hipwell really is at the helm at the Two Pigs – I think it’s so important the head chef gets to put their stamp on the establishment, so it’s totally in Beth’s control.

Once the dish or menu has been designed, I might take a look and we might tweak a couple of things together but, ultimately, it all comes from Beth.

The drink

We like to specialise in championing local suppliers where possible, for example, we stock Pattingham Wine from Wolverhampton and host some wine nights with them as a supplier-focused wine dinner.

We also have regularly changing beers on taps, again supporting Staffordshire and other local breweries where possible. We also serve some great cocktails and like to keep these seasonal where possible.

The food

While we absolutely love people just coming in for drinks, the food is definitely a main reason people come to the Two Pigs.

We like to be known as a neighbourhood pub focusing on modern pub classics with a twist and slightly elevated, focusing on local, seasonal and sustainable ingredients, serving up everything from lunch, dinner, a great weekend breakfast and a Sunday roast.

Sourcing is really important for us, we work closely with a network of local farmers, butchers and producers who we trust and have built long-standing relationships with. The Two Pigs also receives a lot of produce from the micro-farm at the Boat.

The events

Outside of the usual a la carte offering, we also host monthly tasting menus that celebrate the best of the seasonal produce.

We have also started booking in our guest chef takeovers where another chef will go back to back with Beth, together creating a five-course feast.

The guest chef will prepare three courses and Beth will prepare two courses plus snacks and bread. Some of the guest chefs include Dave Wall from the Unruly Pig, Stuart Deeley from Mallory Court and Simon Rimmer from Sunday Brunch, which we’re really excited about.

In addition to this, we also have quiz nights and live music nights.

The future

We just want to keep getting stronger, developing our offering and continuing to connect with the village we’re lucky to be part of.

We want to continue being a stand-out pub that has an amazing food and drink offering, and we want to be able to shout about all things Staffordshire as much as possible.