Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Riverside pub hopes for smoother waters after £110,000 relaunch
Ideas for venue include allowing customers to swap fresh produce for beers ‘Pubs have got to evolve and change but they do not have to be snobby’
The Grove Ferry pub has had a rocky ride in recent years, but its owners are hoping for calmer waters after a £110,000 refurbishment.
Annual problems with flooding, nail rot in the roof, and then an arson attack last year mean it has not been easy for the Yummy Pub Company, which took on the lease from owner Shepherd Neame in 2009.
But the Upstreet pub looks to have turned the tide, with a new open kitchen and garden bar, a transformed interior including a taproom and cask ales, and a new menu.
A launch night was held on Friday (July 3) and trade in general was up 40 to 45% on last year, said Yummy Pub Company owner Tim Foster.
He said: “We had a lot of locals down to see the TLC which has been put into the place.
“We’ve given it a complete and utter makeover and had a lot of really good feedback.”
Ideas for the pub include a scheme whereby people can swap fresh produce for beers or meals and a repeat of a ‘farmed and foraged’ gourmet evening.
In addition, MasterChef judge Gregg Wallace has been lined up to visit for a night in August.
There’s also going to be a social media campaign to find a mate for the pub’s resident golden pheasant, rehomed at Grove Ferry with the venue’s pigs and chickens after it was rescued by the RSPCA.
And pumpkin seeds will be given out to children to plant in the garden so there’s a bumper crop ready for Halloween.
Head chef Mark Hewitt has created the new menu, maintaining its emphasis on using home-grown and locally sourced produce, with options for dietary requirements, while managers Katie Londen and Amy Braid will be looking after the team serving customers.
Mr Foster, whose company runs four pubs in London and one in Surrey, added: “Pubs have got to evolve and change but they do not have to be snobby places where you have to wear a bow-tie to get in.
“They have to be accessible to everyone.”