What got you into cooking?
My mum and dad love food and valued it and cooked, we would all sit down together and eat and enjoy food and appreciate it. I was going to go to university to study English and to save up for some travelling by working at a supermarket and a chef from Heston Blumenthal’s restaurants came to my till and he said ‘why don't you just come down?’ Not to the Fat Duck, but the Hind’s Head. I started from the very bottom there and loved it straight away.
Why did you choose the gastropub route?
My wife and I were looking for a business opportunity so it was circumstantial. I love it, I love combining the relaxed atmosphere with really good food.
Which country has the best food?
If I had to choose it would be Italy
What do you enjoy most about your industry?
The cooking and the working with the food, but I like the team environment. I like working closely with people and going into work and being hands on.
Who’s your biggest influence?
Dominic Chapman who has been on the gastropubs list, he's probably one of the archetypal gastropub chefs, very classic British cooking but elevated and refined. My first head chef, Ashley Palmer as well. He was Heston’s right-hand man, his approach to food and leadership and management is very calm and collected.
What does being a Top 50 Gastropub mean to you?
It's really nice to have the recognition from a group of your peers and colleagues for all the hard work you put in. It's great to be in such a great company. It’s one of the major things that has pushed our business forward.
What do you think the future holds for Gastropubs?
I think the future of the gastropubs is pretty bright. I think it's very difficult for a wet led pub, particularly on the smaller side to make any money. So, I think the future is pretty bright for gastropubs because people do want to see pubs continue to survive and do well. And the only way the main way they can do that is by selling good food.
