Second Enterprise pub for Thompson
Former Ritz executive chef Giles Thompson has taken on a second Enterprise pub.
Thompson, who was executive chef at the Ritz from 1997 to 2003, has taken on the lease of 17th-century pub the Partridge Inn on the Goodwood Estate, in Singleton, near Chichester, West Sussex.
Thompson said: "The emphasis is on local, regional, wild and healthy food with good, earthy dishes for the adults. The menu is in contrast to the more upmarket food that my team of chefs and I cook at the Earl of March."
The Partridge holds 70 covers inside and 140 outside. The menu focuses on pub favourites such as fish and chips; steak, ale and mushroom pie; chicken pâté with country breads, and seasonal soups. Thompson is planning events such as game promotions and steak tartare nights, plus letting rooms at the site.
Thompson took over the Earl of March in Lavant, also in West Sussex, in July 2007. He also runs a seafood and Champagne bar, housed in a former bakery next to the pub. This operates from Easter to mid-September and turns into a game shack through the winter months.
The menu features half a dozen rock oysters with red-wine shallot vinegar (£9.50); pint or half pint prawns with lemon mayonnaise (£6); whole smoked Sussex buckling and horseradish cream (£9.50), and dressed Selsey crab salad (£14.50).
Thompson said: "The shack has proved very successful, a real business boost, and has helped considerably in us increasing our levels of business during the summer months."
