Chef-patron Steven Smith has left Freemasons at Wiswell, the fine-dining pub in Lancashire’s Ribble Valley that he has established as a regional star over the past 15 years. Born and raised in nearby Blackburn, Steven plans to open a new venture in the region, although he has no concrete plans as yet. Head chef Matt […]
Scottish chef Adam Handling is to open a grand new pub-restaurant in Cornwall next month. Called the Tartan Fox, it is his second venue in the county and his second pub. The Tartan Fox is set in woodland between Newquay and Truro, and is conceived by Adam as an escape from modern life. Formerly known […]
The fire which all but destroyed the 14th-century Star Inn at Harome in North Yorkshire in November 2021 was an accident, a judge has declared at York Crown Court. Arson charges against 27-year-old Helmsley man Charles Birkitt were dropped last week ahead of a trial scheduled for next year when the prosecution accepted evidence showing […]
The team behind highly rated Islington desi pub The Tamil Prince has opened a follow-up nearby. The Tamil Crown has taken over the former Charles Lamb pub on Elia Street, near Angel station. The Tamil Prince is hailed as “truly brilliant” in the newly published Harden’s 2024 London restaurant guide, and was one of the […]
One of Devon’s best-known gastropubs, The Swan in Bampton, has closed down in the face of escalating costs and the burden of debt left over from the pandemic. Landlord Paul Berry and his wife Donna, who have run The Swan for 13 years, will now concentrate on their efforts on the restaurant Spelt, also in […]
An idyllic village inn in southwest Scotland has been brought back to life as a gastropub on the strength of a £1million donation from the renewable energy company behind a local wind farm. The Kenmuir Arms near Stranraer in Dumfries and Galloway closed down five years ago, before being taken over and refurbished by the […]
One-man kitchen brigade Simon Bonwick is returning to his calling as a solo chef in rural Berkshire this month, after a short stint running the kitchen of a busy London gastropub. Simon and his wife Deborah are taking over The Dew Drop Inn, a tiny 16th-century pub owned by the Brakspear brewery in Hurley, between […]
A new pub/restaurant with a high-end chef behind the stoves is launching in Islington. The Baring, close to the Regent’s Canal in Baring Street premises formerly known as The Poet, opens its doors on Tuesday. Sustainability is a major theme for both food and drink, with wines from low-intervention independent makers and a rotating choice […]
The Olive Branch, one of the UK’s first trendsetting gastropubs, is celebrating its 20th birthday this year. The Olive Branch, in Clipsham, Rutland – Britain’s smallest county – was founded by Ben Jones, Sean Hope and Marcus Welford in November 1999 and is still seen as one of the country’s best pub restaurants. It has […]
The Truscott Arms is back with a bang as Henry Harris (formerly of Knightbridge’s Racine, RIP) takes over the kitchen to relaunch the favourite local as Hero of Maida. He will oversee the Maida Vale gastropub’s relaunch as chef director alongside business partner James McCulloch. It is the third project from Harcourt Inns, following Three […]
