TV chef on move from Cotswolds country pub

CHEESY chips and a plate of chilli on a Friday to crisped poached egg and a thin-pastry pigeon wellington – menus at country pubs change from season to season, but the Kingham Plough in the Cotswolds received a transformation under the watch of BBC Great British Menu winner Emily Watkins.

Now, however, the mother of four has decided to pass over the reins of the country pub near Chipping Norton to spend more time at her newlyacquired farm in Beaminster, ten miles from Yeovil, and other projects which include publishing a cook book and developing new recipes.

It was not an easy decision for the renowned chef who put her heart and soul into the 12-year project, but she had the best leaving present when the pub was granted a third AA rosette a week before leaving.

What was the secret behind the pub’s success?

“Hard work,” said Ms Watkins, who learned her trade in Italy before working for Heston Blumenthal at the Fat Duck in Bray, Berkshire.

“Listen to the customers, be prepared to push yourself, but also love what you are doing.”

Ms Watkins was alerted to the pub by her sister who saw it on the market. With support from her business partner, she took the gamble and bought the place before immediately closing it for a seven-month refurbishment.

“It was open and trading, but the turnover was about an eighth of what we ended up doing,” she said.

“It was a drinking pub. The food was cheesy chips, chilli on a Friday; that sort of thing, but it was a good pub with a really nice vibe

“We closed it for refurbishment that was pretty major. We also introduced guest accommodation upstairs and the menu we introduced was entirely based on local and historic dishes.”

The most popular dishes served were the starter crisped egg, served with watercress sauce and peppered bacon along with the main wellington. Both have come back and forth off the menu in different guises.

But after moving to Dorset and with four children growing up, Emily found she was not able to spend as much time as she used to at the pub and made the decision to sell a 15-year lease to the pub, via leading West agent Peter Brunt of Colliers International. Will she go back?

“Maybe one day,” she said.

Emily Watkins is on the move