There are a couple of stories that could be told about the state of British pubs. One is rather grim. According to official statistics, around 80 pubs a month have closed this year due to rising costs, high taxes and reduced customer spending. This marks a 56 per cent increase in closures year-on-year. At the same time, a new generation of pubs has emerged that is not just surviving, but thriving. Notable among them are The Pelican in Notting Hill (opening in 2021), The Bull in Charlbury in the Cotswolds (opening in 2023) and The Hero in Maida Vale (opening this year).
These properties belong to the Public house group, founded by Philip Winser, 40, who handles concept and design (and made his name with British restaurant The Fat Radish in New York, which closed in 2020); James Gummer, 34 (formerly of neighbourhood bistro 7 Saints in Notting Hill), who oversees day-to-day operations including menu development; and Olivier van Themsche, 48 (a French-born entrepreneur probably best known for launching the e-commerce site It cools down), who leads business and acquisitions.
The key to its success has undoubtedly been its focus on “connecting pubs to neighbourhoods as places to come, enjoy and use as meeting points,” says Winser. If that sounds like something pubs have always done, it’s worth noting how many local bars have fallen out of step with the appetites and aspirations of their neighbours, especially in the affluent middle-class corridor between west London and Chipping Norton, where Public House has so far made its mark.
When Gummer ran 7 Saints, he lived on the same street. “I didn’t grow up in London, and moving to All Saints Road was the first time I felt part of a neighbourhood and met a lot of people,” he says. “Living there was also the biggest reason I wanted to take over The Pelican. It was my local pub. I’d lived there for four years but hadn’t been there once.” Under his management, The Pelican has become a local hotspot, where you can enjoy a hearty meal of oxheart and celeriac (£29) or lobster and monkfish pie (£90) or just a pint with a snack, such as their speciality, minced beef on toast (£12). “Pubs are these amazing buildings on the corner of streets designed for hospitality,” says Gummer. “The Pelican was built to welcome people.”
The idea of buying The Bull made sense for a number of reasons. Winser and Gummer, who grew up near Charlbury, had been drinking there since they were young, but they also needed a country base to launch their ambitious plans to forge direct links between farmers, producers and their pubs. Many of the farmers and suppliers they work with are based in the area, including Whittington Lodge Farm near Cheltenham, Paddock Farm and The Kitchen Garden People. A good example is the mince on toast. “We would buy half a cow, cut it up ourselves and put the leftovers into the mince,” explains Gummer. “That dish was about using the meat in the best way possible and not just selling prime cuts. It became our biggest-selling dish and a proof of concept for the partnerships we could build directly with farms.”
Their strategy of turning seedy bars into community assets brought them to Maida Vale. “A lot of our friends have premises around here,” Winser says of the residential neighbourhood. “We felt the area was underserved,” van Themsche says. “When we reopened, The hero After nine months of renovations, you could see the smiles on people’s faces.”
Their pubs live up to their promise. The decor differs from place to place, but the common denominator is stripped wood, plastered walls and chalkboards – beautiful backdrops to the pub experience and clever models of what restored pubs could be like. food It also hits the mark, thanks to a brigade of chefs originally led by Owen Kenworthy (formerly of Brawn and The Wolseley) at The Pelican; River Café alumnus George Williams at The Bull; and Ed Baillieu (who previously worked with Tomos Parry at Kitty Fisher) at The Hero.
When The Hero opened in May, the focus was on pub classics such as Scotch eggs (£6), sausages and mash (£13) and ham, eggs and chips (£16) served downstairs. Last month, The Grill opened on the first floor, where a menu of more elevated dishes included a raw seafood platter (£90), pork tenderloin (£22), flounder, brill or turbot with brown butter (£50) and a delicious duck pie (£42), with sides such as grilled peaches and basil (£12) and chard and lemon (£6). The second-floor library serves as a cocktail lounge, where resident bartender nights will be held. The third floor is a dedicated events space.
“People want their local pub to succeed,” says Winser. “They want to come, spend their money and feel part of it. We are simply the custodians of these buildings.” But they have transformed these local bars into vibrant social scenes. A pint at The Hero can feel like a great night out. And where else in Maida Vale will you find a bouncer on the door on a Thursday night?
Public House has more ambitious plans. It is developing more direct links with suppliers and remains optimistic about supporting British producers. There are no Peroni or other European beers on tap, instead opting for local alternatives such as the bestselling Portobello London Pilsner. Last year, the team began experimenting with its own vegetable patch – a one-acre plot at Bruern Farms, about 10 miles from Charlbury, where producer Thomas Jones has been growing produce to use in his kitchens. “The cucumber was the first thing to come out of the farm last summer,” says Winser. “One of our chefs came up with a dish that was just cucumber and mint. We all said it was the most delicious cucumber we had ever tasted. It defined what we are trying to achieve.”
There are also plans to open a hospitality school near Charlbury, where paid apprentices will learn the basics of everything from working in reception to being a line chef. “Rather than sitting here complaining about [the crisis in hospitality]“Winser says, “it’s important to do something to help address it because that’s the only way we’ll see growth.”
There are two more sites in the pipeline. Later this year The Fat Badger will reopen on Golborne Road. “I used to go to [The Fat Badger] a lot when I was young and worked in restoration and restaurants“I named it The Fat Radish because of that,” says Winser. “As well as the appeal of its location (“the connection to the shopping streets of Golborne Road, the proximity to the other sites, the fact that we live here,” says Winser), the size of the building means there is plenty that can be done with it.
This is also true of The Coach in Clerkenwell, which is due to open next year. Given that Clerkenwell is not neglected, the opening in EC1 marks a change: “It’s true,” says van Themsche, “we had the same reaction at first. But the pub was available. It’s a beautiful building. A backyard. Different floors. For such a foodie part of the city, it’s going to be an exciting challenge.”
Van Themsche raises the possibility of more pubs in the Cotswolds. And then? “In principle, everywhere,” says Winser. “We are very excited about pubs. What we are proposing could work in every neighbourhood. Every city, town and village has pubs on their corner. They serve a purpose in society and will continue to do so. Pubs are not going away.”
Do you have a favourite pub that has been recently renovated? Leave a comment below and we may publish a selection of the best ones next week.