They're serving a mix of good pub grub and bistro food at the 200-year-old inn on the road to nowhere – it comes to a dead end outside the boozer.

Their spokesman is head chef Peter Wilkinson, who previously opened Vasco in Rotherham and has worked at the Runaway Girl.

"I have worked for a lot of people and thought it was about time we did it for ourselves," he says.

Then there's front of house man Carl Grayson, previously manager at Richard Smith's various enterprises, from Thyme to Catch, as well as 543 restaurant. His wife Liz looks after the books.

Ruth Ledger, who has run or worked at All Bar One, RSVP, Takapuna and the Gherkin restaurant in London, and Peter's partner, waitress Rebecca Rhodes, make up the team.

"We took over on March 31 but we needed all the space and time we could have to get it sorted out," says Peter.

It's not been helped by his second chef having an accident with boiling water and ending up with second and third degree burns.

The pub offers pies, fish and chips and bangers and mash and weekend specials such as duck with rosti or duxelles-stuffed chicken.

The Sunday carvery has been scrapped in favour of traditional lunches.

The pub also has four four-star bedrooms on a B&B basis.

They buy as much of their produce and beer as they can locally and, in time, will develop a kitchen garden and keep chickens. "But there's only so much we can do as we are very stretched," says Peter, who believes the future of catering is in pubs.

Open Mon-Fri 12-3 and 5-9pm, Sat 12-9pm and Sun 12-4pm.

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