It would be hard to start without mentioning Tom Kerridge. The two Michelin-starred chef finally added to the Hand & Flowers, in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, when he opened the Coach, also in Marlow, at the start of this month.
Kerridge described the Coach as an all-day dining venue that would compete more effectively with high-street coffee shops and casual dining chains.
The 40-cover pub comes with an open kitchen that is heavily focused on rotisserie cooking. Prices range from £6 to £15, with some dishes changing daily.
MasterChef winner
But the year hasn’t been just about Kerridge. Anton Piotrowski, winner of BBC’s MasterChef: The Professionals in 2012, opened his second site back in February.
The Springer Spaniel, in Treburley, Cornwall, serves modern British classics similar to those at Piotrowski’s other pub, the Treby Arms, in Sparkwell, Devon – which won its first Michelin star in August.
Josh Eggleton is another Michelin-starred chef to have grown his business interests this year.
Eggleton, whose pub the Pony & Trap, in Chew Magna, Somerset, won Best Food Pub at the Great British Pub Awards (GBPA) 2014, is opening the first of what he hopes will be a series of fish cafés.
His Salt & Malt café, a conversion of the Chew Valley Lake Tearoom, is due to open in February. Along with the traditional fish & chips, menu dishes include whole grilled plaice and half-pints of prawns.
Egg theme
Neil Rankin, executive chef at Noble Inns site the Smokehouse, in Islington, north London, has also been diversifying into new areas.
Rankin’s Bad Egg restaurant will, as the name suggests, specialise in dishes that contain eggs. The self-confessed ‘egg-pervert’ has claimed that far from being a gimmick, the restaurant will showcase a variety of global cuisine. It is set to open this week.
Another Milestone
Pizza is currently the menu item of choice for Matt Bigland, owner of Sheffield pub the Milestone. Bigland has just opened an artisan pizzeria called Craft & Dough, which is also in the Kelham Island area of the city.
Complementing his two other Sheffield restaurants – Fancie and the Wig & Pen – Craft & Dough will specialise in pizzas with unusual toppings.
Vintage year
In Scotland, Edinburgh gastropub the Vintage opened a second site in Glasgow with the help of brewer Drygate. Situated within the brewery, the Vintage at Drygate offers the same innovative charcuterie boards made famous at the Edinburgh site.
Also north of the border, the team behind the Best Food Pub for the Yorkshire, North East and Scotland category at this year’s GBPAs bought two new sites.
Graham and Rachel Bucknall, who run the Bridge Inn, in Ratho, have acquired the Ship Inn and the Golf Tavern, both in Elie, Fife, where they are keen to develop links with local food and drink suppliers.
In October, the Bridge Inn was awarded Best Pub in Scotland at the AA Hospitality awards.