In the fourth episode of On the Pass, the Morning Advertiser (MA) heads to Barton under Needwood, Staffordshire, to meet the Two Pigs’ head chef Beth Hipwell.
Hipwell joined the pub after spending ten years at Michelin-starred Hambleton Hall, working her way up to senior sous chef before taking the helm at the Two Pigs.
The pub opened in September 2024 and has since reached No. 82 in the Estrella Damm Top 50 Gastropubs list, alongside gaining two AA Rosettes and a recommendation in the Michelin Guide.
Watch episode four:
Pub classics
In the episode, Hipwell discusses moving from fine dining into a neighbourhood pub and learning to adapt her cooking around what local customers wanted.
She says: “I wanted to carry on doing fine dining and I had to basically swallow a hard pill and be like, people do want fish and chips, people do want a burger. I have to do what people want, but bring all the knowledge that I know and make it so you are having a burger, but you’re having the best burger you can have.”
The Two Pigs initially opened with a predominantly small plates offer before moving towards a more traditional three course menu, while retaining Hipwell’s fine dining influences.
“For me, it’s just creating good food. That’s just good, honest food.”
Neighbourhood focus
Hipwell also discusses the importance of listening to locals, sourcing seasonally and managing an ambitious food offer with a small kitchen team.
The pub works with local suppliers including Packington Pork and a butcher five miles away, while produce from the Boat and even Hipwell’s parents’ allotment can find its way onto the menu.
She says: “It is a village pub, neighbourhood pub. Everyone’s been on this journey with us, and it’s a really nice, positive feeling.”
Looking ahead, Hipwell said maintaining that community would remain central to the pub’s ambitions.
“That is what a pub is. It’s about locals,” she adds. “I want us to be in the same position, but just keep pushing ourselves.”
Watch the full episode above, or on YouTube here.
Missed the previous eps?
The next episode of On the Pass will head to the Wigmore at the Langham, London, where executive sous chef Oliver Wadham will discuss Michel Roux Jr.’s influence on the food offer and how the venue combines luxury hotel dining with the culture of a proper British pub.
To take part in an episode of On the Pass please contact MA news editor Phoebe Fraser, here.