New pubs hoping to go against grain
NRHNBE120420a2, New landlord and lady at the midland hotel Ripley. Michelle Mellor and Ken Jarvis.
TWO of pubs are beating the rash of closures by reopening under new management.
The Marquis of Ormonde on Codnor-Denby Lane in Codnor is reopening for the first time since June 2011 after a £120,000 overhaul.
And The Midland Hotel in Nottingham Road, Ripley, is under new management and aiming to be a top community friendly local in the town.
The brace of openings come at a time when two pubs are closing down every day across the UK, according to according to recent research by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) groups.
Marquis of Ormonde’s new landlord and landlady Sean Brown and Nicci Oldcorn say their Loscoe venue will be a gastro-pub with a difference.
Sean, 40, said: “We will be serving freshly prepared contemporary fusion food alongside a more traditional pub menu. I believe firmly that we offer something for the public to come and experience that they can’t get anywhere else in the region.”
The Codnor Denby Lane pub has just benefited from a £120,000 refurbishment with new roof lighting and fireplaces among the improvements.
An evening menu is to feature culinary creations such as Parma-ham wrapped in swede mash, green olive tapinade and a honey balsamic glaze. But a menu of pub classics will also be available and Sean says a mid-week roast dinner carvary will also run, priced at £5.95.
Sean, originally of Petersburg, South Africa, but now living in Codnor with Nicci, 36, agreed with advice given by CAMRA last year that said pubs need to diversify to stay afloat, adding that the Marqis of Ormonde has a function room to hire, with menu prices that can be negotiated.
In Ripley Ken Jarvis, 48, who has just taken over the Midland Hotel with his partner Michelle Mellor, 40, is hoping to cater for the town’s real ale lovers.
“What we are trying to achieve is to create a real local in the town centre. We want to cater more for the middle-aged clientele.
“We have got cask ales and real ales on and we will have quiz nights and meat raffles. I think we are going back to the old style of the way a pub should be - a family environment where you can bring your kids at the weekend.”
Ken and Michelle, who work for Somercotes-based company The Pub People have been in the trade for more than 20 years.
They both come from Chesterfield, but recently ran a pub in Skegness.
Ken, who is to run a 1960s disco on a Saturday night, is on the look out for local bands to get in touch about performing there midweek by calling the pub on 01773 747706.
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Saturday 18 May 2013
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