Pub Chef Opinion: How we created an outside-dining haven

06-Aug-2012 - Last updated on 11-Mar-2017 at 22:42 GMT

Donoghue: "I think the perfect mix is not to over-clutter but to enhance the warm friendliness of the pub"

We have a lovely little pub, so people tell me, but that’s part of the problem. The pub is small, with seating for about 45 people spread over three rooms, so if customers want to book a large party in one large space rather than be split up, we miss out.

We found we weren’t able to justify the cost of building an extension or knocking walls down (which would also destroy the pub’s character), but like most pubs we had dead areas outside where things got dumped.

Ours had an old septic tank, an oil tank and an amazing collection of broken furniture. We decided that this would become our new outside dining experience.

I was applying for various planning consents at the time so just bundled them all together. The cost of clearing the site and laying a patio was about £5,000 with furniture on top, which we actually sourced from one of the suppliers advertised in the back of the Publican’s Morning Advertiser.

Now at this point, I’ll come clean — I do have some experience of garden design and setting up banquets. When it came to putting in planting beds and creating space for dining I knew I’d need a large open space that could accommodate a marquee — just on the off-chance it might rain again — and to be able to fix the marquee to the ground.

I treat the planting as wallpaper, while the trinkets create atmosphere. I think the perfect mix is not to over-clutter but to enhance the warm friendliness of the pub. The seating we chose was more lounge-like as our pub furniture is made up of traditional tables and chairs and we don’t have space for sofas inside.

The garden furniture had to be light and easy to move as we planned to use the space for weddings and birthdays.

The other problem we had was how to link it to the pub (as it can’t be seen from inside), so it wasn’t obvious how to access it. We resolved this by creating a corridor lined with flowers and natural light at the end to create a focal point and sense of mystery, encouraging guests to explore.

It’s almost a year since we finished the garden, and has it been worth it? The whole project cost £6,500 and so far, despite all the rain, we have hosted six private parties of 70 to 80 covers. They have added over £35,000 to our turnover and that doesn’t include the income from the days it is used by the public.