Digney-land experience

Taking on one of the most downtrodden pubs in Bath might have seemed a daunting prospect, but the Digneys were never fazed. Mark Taylor reports

As first-time publicans, Charlie and Amanda Digney may have had a steeper learning curve than most, but in just six months they have transformed one of Bath's scruffiest boozers into the city's most-raved-about gastro pub.

When they opened the King William in October 2004, ex-Debenhams retail manager Amanda had never pulled a pint in her life. Charlie, on the other hand, had worked front-of-house in London pubs and restaurants, but had only really cooked for friends in the privacy of his own home.

"We've certainly learned a lot," says Charlie, who is the pub's head chef, cooking up to 140 lunches a week in the small kitchen above the bar.

"The problem we have here is that I'm the most experienced person front-of-house because I've been in catering since I was 16. But I'm now in the kitchen and when we've been busy, we've been challenged from the service point of view.

"Essentially, I'm learning a new job, too, but it's just starting to get easier for me in the kitchen because I've been able to hire one extra chef. Until recently, I've been cooking every meal myself, as well as helping Amanda in the bar. I was still washing up from lunch at 10pm each night!"

An immediate hit with locals

The couple's first joint business venture, the King William, has become an immediate hit with locals in Bath, attracting foodies from Bristol and the Cotswolds, as well as favourable reviews in local and national newspapers.

With its garnet paintwork, village hall furniture, shiny brass chandeliers and burgundy and gold curtains, the small, two-room bar is a world away from the dark, sticky-carpeted pub it once was.

The place was closed for a year before the Digneys chanced upon it, having already looked at 150 pubs in London, Brighton, Kent and Bristol.

The couple were adamant that they wanted to take a freehold on a pub because of the independence it gave them, particularly in the food and drink served. For the first six months, food at the King William was only available at lunchtimes, but a small, 16-seater upstairs dining room has just been opened and the pub is now serving dinner from Wednesday to Saturday, with a three-course set menu priced at £20.

A fan of the fashionable St John restaurant in London, Charlie is a passionate advocate of simple, good food with no-nonsense presentation and no-frills menu descriptions.

"You go to restaurants and pubs and you need to understand the chefs' code to understand the menu," he says. "Most people don't know what a sabayon or julienne is so why put it on the menu?

"I'm interested in good ingredients and making sure they've been produced properly so that the food tastes good. You don't have to mess around with it if it's been produced well."

Charlie's commitment to sourcing top-quality local produce strikes you as soon as you taste his food, particularly the meat supplied by Larkhall Butchers, a small family firm located about five minutes from the farm where it's produced.

So impressed with the meat

"I'm so impressed with meat I get there," says Charlie. "The beef comes from Four Winds Farm in Swainswick ­ it's Aberdeen Angus and our butcher hangs it for a minimum of 25 days. It's some of the best beef I've ever eaten. I get vegetables from a local greengrocer near the butcher, and I go to the farmers' market as much as I can. I met some people there last week who grow organic salad leaves, which are delicious."

Charlie's short menus are printed daily and are packed with seasonal dishes. Best-sellers include a simple salt-beef sandwich with English mustard, lamb and prune stew with mash and greens and a bowl of cassoulet. Starters are priced around the £4.50 mark, with mains averaging £9 and desserts £4. Price is an important point for Charlie, who wants to serve the best-value food he can.

"I've been to well-respected food pubs where the main courses are £20 and they're abysmal. I don't mind eating bad food if it costs £6. I've had Sunday roasts for £3.50 and never complain because for £3.50 it's great, but when you're paying more than £10 a meal, it's got to be good.

"When I moved to Bath from London, I was quite surprised at the standards of some of the restaurants and pubs and I was surprised that the city didn't really have a London-style gastro pub. The raw ingredients around here are amazing and better than London.

"We keep focused on our original idea, which was to keep the food simple and use well-sourced produce. Too many restaurants and pubs are more concerned with the presentation of the dishes than the quality of the ingredients."

On the menu at the King William

Starters

Jerusalem artichoke soup served with bread £3.50

Crab on toast £6.50

Salad of beetroot and fresh goats cheese £5

Mains

Poached salt beef, potatoes, beetroot, horseradish cream, salsa verde, poaching juices £10

Slow roast shoulder of lamb, goose fat potatoes, greens, carrots, mint sauce £10

Skate wing, spinach and new potatoes £10

Desserts

Hot chocolate pot, cream £4

Poached pear, red wine syrup and crème fraiche £4.50

Rhubarb and custard £4