A restaurant within an historic centuries-old coaching inn that struggled after the pandemic has been brought back to life following a takeover. Oak at the Saracens Head has opened serving modern British dishes with a twist such as harissa monkfish, carrot bhaji burger and Korean fried chicken schnitzel.
The 40-seater restaurant, lounge, bar and function room are now under the ownership of Josh Perry and Dave Newby, who both have full time careers outside hospitality but have previous experience of running pubs. The hotel side of the business, still being run by David Donegan as a separate entity, is famous for its royal links.
Charles I spent his last night of freedom there before his capture and execution in 1647. The ambassador to the French King Louis III also stayed there as did the poet Lord Byron and the writer Charles Dickens.
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Josh said: "We are local lads, we both live in Southwell, I was Dave's best man last year, we live on the same street. The opportunity came up [to run the restaurant] and we love the Saracens Head. We're hoping to bring great food and atmosphere back to this historic building.
"Before coronavirus>Covid the restaurant was working and Covid hit. Mr Donegan was able to keep the hotel side running. Last year they tried to do little bits of food, a few bar snacks and sandwiches.
"There used to be a restaurant in Southwell called the Piano and that sadly closed down and there hasn't really been any restaurant-type food in Southwell for some time. There's some pubs serving pub food but there isn't a restaurant and Southwell is screaming for that."
Chef Simon Thornewill is at the helm in the kitchen, conjuring up lunches, an à la carte menu in the evening and Sunday roasts, with sirloin, chicken and a vegetarian roast - the first went down a storm. "He likes contemporary twists. We are looking to be doing more than pub food. It's a little bit more finer dining experience," said Josh, who works for ProTech Nutra, a company specialising in vitamins and minerals.
"Our philosophy is to support local where possible and use seasonal fresh ingredients, using the local butcher's Doncasters, local veg from Maxey's Farm, and local bread from Welbeck Bakery.
Breakfast is also served, starting with a full English and the famous Omelette Arnold Bennett, made with smoked haddock, hollandaise and gruyere, first created by a chef at The Savoy Hotel for the novelist Arnold Bennett, who wrote an entire novel, Imperial Palace, while staying there.
Dave, meanwhile is self-employed, running a next-day courier business. Both, however, have years experience in hospitality. Both had a stint, managing the Admiral Rodney in Southwell. Josh has also managed a pub in the chain Carvery Heaven about eight years ago and Dave managed the Saracens Head for a while during his 17 years in the food industry.
Opening weekend went well. "It was fantastic on Saturday. We had a live pianist and we'll look towards doing that once a month. There has been some nice comments from local businesses and comments on social media, saying the food was fantastic. It has been really well received.
"I think the people of Southwell are really excited to see a new lease of life brought to the Saracens," added Josh, will be continuing with his day job but will still be operational, looking after the marketing and salaries.
Oak at the Saracens Head will be open Wednesday to Sunday. The grade II listed building is owned by Greene King, which will be assisting with a revamp of the bar while it's closed on Monday May 22 and Tuesday 23.
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