Watering hole gets gastropub makeover

Out with the old and in with the new.
This was landlord Matt Smith’s motto when he came back to his pub business earlier this year.

Although Matt was a former business partner of The Crown in Cookham, he couldn’t work for 14 months after being assaulted on a night out.
“The attack left me in a bad condition and it took me a long time to get my speech back,” said the landlord. He added: “Following my recovery I was determined to return to the business, which is when my fiancée and I decided to buy out the other business partner and refurbish the whole pub.”

So gone is The Crown’s laddish bar with huge Sky Sports screens, fruit machines and juke boxes, and in are the new wine glasses and comfortable sofas. The couple felt they could no longer carry on as they had previously done, partly due to an increase in taxes.

The renovation at the pub in The Moor, has cost the owners more than £10,000. Along with new fixtures and fittings, there has also been a change in the pub’s menu with chef Steve Sammee’s food comprising of organic ingredients that have been locally sourced.

According to Matt they have had a positive response from customers. “The clientele that we used to have was not only the kind of people I wanted to attract. “Since we opened the doors of our newly refurbished pub we have had teachers from local schools and councillors who have held meetings here,” said Matt.

The pub doors, shut for a week while the major revamp took place, now offers customers a choice of 25 wines since reopening last week.