Focusing on being 'a good, honest pub' has made the Goat Major in Cardiff a tourist hotspot for visitors to Wales' capital city. And now tourists and locals alike have one more reason to visit the SA Brain-managed site after head chef Adam Pavey won the much coveted Face of British Pie Week 2010 award in association with Jus-Rol Professional with his Wye Valley Pie - described as 'Heaven in a Pie' by judges.
It's quite an accolade for the pub - and quite an accolade for Pavey, after less than a year and a half of working at the Goat Major.
"We don't pretend to be anything other than an ale pub that offers an honest food menu," says Pavey.
"We are in a highly competitive location, with over 30 pubs in Cardiff city centre and nine within a five-minute walk from us, not to mention the large number of wine bars and Italian restaurant chains nearby. When I started working at the Goat Major 17 months ago, the food menu was non-existent and the pub averaged 35 covers a week; because of our location next to the Millennium Stadium we get a lot of drinkers in during sporting events, and because we've featured in the Good Beer Guide and are Cask Marque-accredited we have become known as an ale pub."
With the challenge of growing the food business without alienating the Goat Major's loyal ale fans, Pavey set about updating the pub's menus.
"Looking at the restaurants we are surrounded by, it was clear a complicated or expensive menu wouldn't be able to compete against the wine bars, or sit well with current customers," he says. "I spent seven years working in the pub trade before the Goat Major, so I had a good idea about what would and wouldn't work."
As simple as possible
Pavey didn't want to detract from the pub's traditional stance, and wanted to keep the menu as simple as possible, giving customers a taste of Wales with Brains Ale-battered fish & chips, Welsh rarebit, lamb cawl (stew) and a pie of the day, which also uses regionally inspired recipes and quality ingredients.
"Almost everything is homemade, including the pie of the day. It is not only more profitable but gives me control over the ingredients and it's far easier for me to tweak recipes when dealing with special dietary needs," continues Pavey.
"We are famous for our Celtic Pride Burger and Wild Boar sausages and the Wye Valley Pie is our most popular pie. We sold out of it in the first two days of British Pie Week last year."
A special feature of the pie is Welsh speciality Tintern Abbey Cheese - a creamy mature Cheddar that contains shallots and chives. The pie also contains chicken, asparagus, leeks and new potatoes.
"The filling is made in advance and then I use Jus-Rol Puff Pastry Ovals for the lids. I used to specialise in desserts, so I'm used to making my own pastry, but I find the product very easy to use - it gives me the consistency I need when offering made-to-order pies."
Plans for pie week 2010
After the success of last year's British Pie Week, Adam is now considering expanding the pie of the day to a dedicated pie menu.
"Last year for British Pie Week we cut back the menu and put on 11 pies, making sure there was something for everyone with a good mix of meat, game, fish, poultry and vegetarian options," says Pavey.
"The response was amazing. Our GP usually averages 59 per cent but by focusing on the pies it grew to 75.5 per cent during that week; we also made more in ale sales, with people looking to have a pie and pint.
"The potential for a successful pie menu is there, especially now the Goat Major has won the Face of British Pie Week Award. We're looking forward to running the menu again for this year's week and have already got people talking about it locally."
Pavey now averages 170 covers a week, with the food side of the business growing to be worth 17 per cent of the Goat Major's profits.
"The menu has really taken off in the past 10 months. People are more open to trying local produce and it has helped to set us apart from the competition. It has generated a lot of respect within Cardiff and the pub is just as reputed for the food as for the ales," he says.
"We have an excellent relationship with the tour guides at Cardiff Castle, who now recommend us to tourists looking to experience a traditional menu. We get a lot of American tourists making a point of coming to visit us."
The Goat Major's homemade menu has also meant Pavey and the dedicated team have been able to take further advantage of their location next to the Millennium Stadium.
"Sport events used to be our biggest and busiest time of year, but last year when Take That performed at the stadium we had a phenomenal amount of families come in to enjoy a meal that gave them value for money, something a lot of the bars in the area can't provide," he says.
"It's something we are continuing to develop and make the most of. Between our regulars, the tourists at the castle and the stadium it has meant that no matter what day of the week, we have a good footfall of customers."
And the pub's prize-winning performance in this year's British Pie Week competition is likely to add to the custom.
British Pie Week (March 1-7 2010) - British Pie Week is back!
In association with Jus-Rol Professional and supported by The Publican, we're calling on all pie fans to put Britain's most popular dish at the top of their menu this week. Visit www.britishpieweek.co.uk for a host of pie-tastic recipe ideas - including the Goat Major's winning Wye Valley Pie!