Former Chris Evans pub rescued by Michelin-starred chef

19-Oct-2014 - Last updated on 20-Oct-2014 at 14:39 GMT

Tom Sellers: Won a Michelin star within six months of opening the Restaurant Story

A West Sussex pub formerly owned by DJ Chris Evans is to reopen next month after been taken on by a rising star of the restaurant scene.

The Lickfold Inn, in Petworth, will return to trading following chef Tom Sellers’ acquisition of the property in May.

Villagers have been campaigning to save the pub, which has been closed for four years.

Sellers is the chef/patron of Restaurant Story in Bermondsey, London, which he opened in 2013 at the age of 26. The restaurant achieved a Michelin star within six months of opening.

He said the pub would be a “modern, independent pub with traditional values”.

Pub memories

Sellers, who lists Chelsea restaurant Tom Aikens and Danish restaurant Noma on his CV, added: “I grew up in pubs, and have fond memories of the happy atmosphere of a favourite local.

“I want to bring back The Lickfold with big impact – introducing some of my own cooking style but still respecting the legacy of a real, proper pub.”

Head chef at The Lickfold Inn will be Graham Squire, who has previously worked in London at both Trinity and Bistro Union with Adam Byatt for five years. Prior to that, he was at Claridge’s for seven years.

The upstairs dining room, seating up to 36, will be open for lunch and dinner from Monday through Saturday, and lunch only on Sunday, with a modern British menu, incorporating ingredients from the bounty of local specialist suppliers.

Typical dishes on the launch menu of five starters, five main courses and five desserts will include: chicken, Earl Grey and hay terrine; mussels, cider and lovage; cod, cabbage and buttermilk; partridge pot-au-feu; ox pie, buckwheat and oyster; bitter chocolate, clementine and lavender; and blackberry, apple and wheat crumble.

Proper pub

The ground floor will be a “proper pub” serving craft and local beer, a range of modern and traditional cocktails, and snacks, including Scotch eggs, pork pies and charcuterie.

Chris Evans bought the pub in 2007, but was forced to close it in 2010 after claiming the business was unviable.

Since its closure, ‘Save the Lickfold’ campaigners have successfully managed to list the pub as an asset of community value, which gave them the right to bid for the property should it be sold on for a change of use.

Left near derelict, the Grade-II listed pub is being restored by Sellers and a local private investor who has acquired the freehold of the property.