Since re-opening in November 2005, the Carnarvon Arms, situated in the village of Burghclere in Wiltshire, has established a reputation for providing quality food in relaxed surroundings.
Following a four month refurbishment programme, under the watchful eye of owner Merchant Inns executive chef Rob Clayton, the dilapidated venue was restored to its former glory. Michelin star holder Rob is actively involved in the refurbishment programmes and menu design at each establishment and is working to increase the portfolio of pubs within the group.
By offering a lunchtime and evening menu, conference facilities, venue hire for weddings and a wide choice or evening meals, the Carnarvon Arms is now a popular haunt for locals and visitors to nearby attractions Highclere Castle and Newbury races. A proud supporter of the best of British, Rob insists on locally sourced produce and the menu currently includes ingredients such as Devonshire corn fed chicken, Berkshire black pig pork and local sausages.
Prior to the refurbishment, the Carnarvon Arms was taking about £4,000 per week. Now it is up £21,000 per week. With the pub catering for up to 50 covers at lunch, 120 for dinner and 165 for Sunday lunch, plus breakfast for the residents of the 23 bedrooms, Rob needed to be sure that the equipment he sourced for the kitchen would stand up to the demands of busy kitchen life.
He turned to Imperial Catering for a six gas burner range, plus a stockpot burner. Rob says: "The reliability has been excellent as our output has increased. "Imperial's ranges are easy to use, extremely robust and represent excellent value for money. With space at a minimum in the kitchen here, it was essential that the equipment we had installed was well-thought out and the range we have really is - it maximises the space available.
"We have recently upgraded the range here to a bespoke IHR-2-1FT model, tailor made to meet our needs, but our original IR6 model still has plenty of life in it," says Rob. The original range has now been installed at the Black Boy in Milton, the latest pub to open in the group.