Marco Pierre White takes on first northern pub
He is taking on the family-owned lease of the Assheton Arms in Downham with business partner Francis Carroll. The pair have collaborated on projects including the Marco Pierre White Steakhouse and Grill at Doubletree and the White Swan in Aughton, near Ormskirk.
Current lessees David and Wendy Busby are retiring after 28 years at the pub.
White's portfolio of hospitality businesses including six other pubs. Last month he took on a 50% share of freehold the Rainbow Inn in Cooksbridge, East Sussex with co-owner Tarquin Gorst, who is involved in other pub projects including Piers Morgan’s Hansom Cab in Kensington.
The chef is also backing an initiative launched by Greene King which has almost 700 young apprentices working in its pubs and restaurants.
The company's Discovery Apprenticeship programme has been introduced to train and develop employees across the pub company’s 2,400 pubs, including its Hungry Horse and Old English Inn pub chains, Loch Fyne Restaurants and its main brewery site.
Jonathan Webster, managing director at Greene King’s Destination Pubs and Restaurants division said: "“Our aim is not to just provide a ‘pub job’ but to offer a clear career path for our employees. Our Discovery Apprenticeship programme allows our employees to gain qualifications while gaining hands-on experience on the job.
“We hope our current apprentices will become our house managers, regional managers, development chefs and even directors of the future, and we might even have a future Michelin star rated chef among this crop of apprentices,” he said.
