This month, Mark Taylor talks to Paul Davidson and Pat LeJeune, proprietors of the Bell at Sapperton, Gloucestershire
Consistency
Since we've been here, we have strived to make sure we havesomething to offer the public that is particularly good, both in the quality of the food that we offer and the quality of the staff. It's that consistency that brings people back. We have so many people who tell us that when they come here - whether it's every six months, once a year or every two years - they know they're going to get the same quality of food and the service is going to be with a smile. I think that is our main marketing point.
Location
The village of Sapperton has a lot of history through the Arts and Crafts movement, which originated here. The church is stunning, the views are great and we get a lot of walkers because of the canal. We're equidistant to Stroud, Cirencester and Nailsworth, and Cheltenham is also very close. We have a huge catchment area and attract people from all over the West Country, Oxford, London and even Cardiff. You only have to look at the phone numbers in the reservations book to see that our customers are scattered all over the place.
Local produce
We always try to source locally and we've won the local produce category in Cotswold Life's Food and Drink Awards for the past two years, which has given us a bigger profile. Everybody jumped on the local-produce bandwagon two or three years ago, but we've been doing it since the late-1990s. We try to list our suppliers on the menu and on the website. Our main butcher is the Country Butcher, a rare breeds specialist from Huntley, near Gloucester, and we also use Chesterton Farm, near Cirencester. New Wave Seafoods and Kingfisher supply our fish and seafood and our fruit and vegetables come from Mis En Place in Cirencester.
Kitchen team
Everything on the menu is fresh, nothing comes from the freezer and our head chef, Ivan Reid, has maintained that level of consistency in the food since we opened in 1999. Ivan has been with us for 10 years - since our previous pub - and his number two has been with us for 12 years. Ivan's on the same wavelength as us. We give him a degree of latitude that means he can choose to do whatever he wants. He has a business head on him and knows what we're striving for.
Artwork
We spend more money on artwork than we perhaps should. We have some nice paintings of polo matches because we are close to the Cirencester polo club. We also have some prints of "gentleman's cartoons" in the men's toilet. In one bar, we've allocated one-and-a-half walls to local artist Nick Handover for three months. When that finishes, we have another local artist lined up so we'll have a changing line-up and that creates interest. One of the good things about buying good-quality artwork is that you are buying it against the business and it's also an investment.
Keeping ahead of the game
You've got to keep ahead of the game in this business and we make sure we read the magazines and newspapers, and go out to look at other pubs and restaurants to see how food fashions are changing. You need to move with the times, while still offering staple dishes. For example, we will always make sure we have a steak on the menu here, whereas we may do something exotic with the fish dishes. Also, allergies and intolerances are an increasing thing and we're very conscious of these. People often phone in advance to tell us and we put them onto our chefs.
Marketing
We've spent a lot of time and money on brochures, tent cards and our website (www.foodatthebell.co.uk). It's important to get a professional to take photos, rather than snapping a few yourself on a digital camera. We used somebody locally who knew the town and the area. It's also a good idea to have a logo designed because it can create a brand and identity. We recently changed the logo's typeface to give it a looser feel. We advertise in the local Cotswold Life magazine and take a half-page every month, which has worked well.
Garden and terrace
The terrace at the back used to be an old function room but we redesigned the area into a Mediterranean courtyard. In the summer, it gets very full - adding an extra 35 covers. We do all the designing for the gardens and each winter we think how we're going to change things or add things for the following summer. We choose the colours for the garden very carefully. We also have a private dining room, which we use at weekends. It's non-smoking and that has become a very popular option because it makes people feel like they're having their own dinner party.
No-smoking
We have a no-smoking policy throughout the restaurant areas, with smoking only allowed in Harry's Bar. We now get so many people who don't want to smoke that often we have to allow smoking only at the bar top itself in that room. We get a lot of feedback from people who are pleased that we have made the most of the pub non-smoking. You've got to think of your staff as much as anybody else. We had a cigar box at the back, which was always full, but we've let it run right down, and now there are only a dozen or so cigars in it. When they're gone we won't sell cigars any more.
Stock control
Having once managed a pub for a brewery, we had it rammed down our throats all the time how important it is to keep stocks in control. It's so easy to carry on buying because you get so many reps calling in saying, "Buy this, buy that." It all adds up and you've got to learn to say no. In the kitchen, make sure food stocks don't escalate so that you end up wasting produce that you can buy on a daily basis. The same applies to the cellar. All of the real ales go out of date and if you haven't got that turnover, or you buy too many, you've got £100 worth of sour beer that you can't use.