Forging ahead
Amanda Wragg finds out how Mark Wilson and Alexandra Warricker, chef/proprietors of the North Yorkshire Anvil Inn, have made their business a success
Mark Wilson trained at the Yorkshire Coast College in Scarborough, then worked at the Royal, in the same town. He was head chef at the Fox & Hounds, in Sinnington, North Yorks, from 1997 to 2005, where the couple met when Alexandra joined as chef.
How we got the pub ready for service
We'd been looking for the right place for more than three years, and took on the Anvil in July 2005. It was a run-down beer-festival pub, with sticky carpets, nicotine-yellow walls and non-existent food trade; but we didn't know it had been the subject of a number of noise-abatement orders, and some locals had been banned. We wondered what on earth we'd done — as we didn't know any of this before we bought the pub, it came as a bit of a shock.
Our kitchen mantra
Freshness, seasonality, creativity, originality, simplicity. If it's not right, it doesn't go out of the kitchen.
Our restaurant
Our restaurant has only seven tables, which are all different in design. People often comment it is like being in someone's home.
Our favourite suppliers
Our fish comes from the east coast, nine miles away. Mark has used the same butcher in Thornton-le-dale, four miles away, for many years. Locals bring us vegetables from their allotments and gardens, and we get game from local shoots.
Most popular dishes
Field mushroom rarebit, with apple & thyme, topped with Cheddar is a favourite starter. For mains, the extra-mature rib-eye steak with mango chutney, melted Stilton & fat chips, and the posh burger, on a mini-naan, with red onion marmalade & chips. Dessert wise, the English trio is popular: bread & butter pudding, steamed treacle sponge and Eton Mess.
How we recruit and motivate staff
We have 12 part-time staff, mostly girls from local villages — they've all been with us from the start, so I guess they must like it here. Our front-of-house person, Kerry, came with us from Sinnington. All our staff are very loyal — I think our enthusiasm rubs off on them.
Our marketing methods
We're very pleased with our website (complete with movie), but we've done very little marketing apart from that. Most of our trade comes via word of mouth, and lots of customers followed us from Sinnington. The local paper gave us a good review early on, which made a difference. We're in a bit of a black hole, good pub-food wise, so I think we've picked the right location.
Our best investment
The loos. The original ones were shocking - the ladies' loo had a transparent blue loo seat with razor blades inside it. A year ago we spent about £9,000 on very luxurious, comfortable loos.
The type of experience we'd like customers to have
Utterly memorable. One local reviewer wrote "invention without pretension" — we liked that a lot.
Future plans
We have opened a self-catering cottage next to the inn, which is let on a weekly basis — and we'd like a Rosette this year please.
Our top tips
Be consistent, from food to service to opening hours. There's nothing more annoying than finding somewhere nice to eat — and it's shut, or it's the chef's day off. When we go out, we expect a certain standard, and we make sure people who come here enjoy that standard. We always pass on a bargain in the bar and kitchen: if Mark gets a good deal on fish, the customer is charged accordingly, and feels the benefit. We hate being ripped off, so we don't do it here.
Strange but true
Sawdon is (in)famous for having a witch's coven!
Pub facts
n Contact: The Anvil, Sawdon, nr Scarborough, North Yorks, YO13 9DY; 01723 859896; www.theanvilinnsawdon.co.uk
n Tenure: Freehold, bought for £435,000 in July 2005
n Covers: 320 covers a week over six days
n Turnover: £290,000 per year
n Average spend: £32 for three courses, including wine
