News from Cotswold Food Club
Congratulations to Ollie Beardsley
who has become the youngest licensee in the entire UK! Ollie was born at the Old Fleece in 1994 and, after passing his exams whilst still 17, has now become a licensee.
Spring Watch
Looking back, we have had a fabulous Christmas and New Year, with a romantic New Year's Eve wedding for 230 at the Old Lodge and the biggest Boxing Day Bikers Event at the Tipputs ever, with Christophe and Nick cooking frantically on the BBQ for the estimated 800 guests.
http://www.bam-members.org.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=1373&start=0
The traditional January sale has been a massive success with many clients making use of the £10 vouchers
available in local papers and on the web site.
Events in MMXII
February 6th DiamondJubilee - the actual date (see June for holiday)
February Saturday 11th Valentine menus available
February Tuesday 14th Valentine night!
March 13th to 16th Cheltenham Gold Cup Festival
March 15th St Patricks Day
April 6th to 9th Easter
May
Christophe marries at the Old Lodge 5th May
Bank Holiday 7th May
Badminton horse trails 3rd - 7th May
Olympic torch reaches Stroud 23rd May
June brings us Diamond Jubilee holiday on Tuesday 5th, following the Bank Holiday on Monday 4th
July
Stroud Life awards 20th July held at the Old Lodge
Gatcombe Park Festival 13th - 15th July
Opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympics Friday 27th July
August
Olympics continue until August 12th
November
Friday 30th is Nailsworth's Good Will Evening where you will see Christophe and Nick in the regular Britannia Inn BBQ stall in the Mortimer Gardens, selling steak ciabattas and cajun chicken buns
December Schedule for Food Club
Christmas menus posted on-line July 2012
Dinner dance open to all at Old Lodge 9th December
Christmas Day lunch available at Tipputs and Old Lodge
Boxing Day - bikers show of their vintage and dressed up bikes at the Tipputs from 11am
Boxing Night - Britannia will be open as usual and the Old Lodge will serve Spanish Tapas around the fire.
The Old Fleece, Fostons Ash and Tipputswill be closed from 6pm
New Years Eve - everywhere open until 6pm, with the Old Lodge and Britannia opening for ticketed parties and The Old Fleece, Fostons Ash and Tipputs closed from 6pm
The Cotswold Food Club Comes of Age!
Turning 18 officially marks the end of childhood. Now you're an adult, you can make your own decisions, you can vote - and you drink down the pub! Back in 1993, pubs were a predominantly male environment with smoke and stale beer and restaurants were often a stuffy and pretentious experience. Nick Beardsley and Christophe Coquoin saw a niche in the market for good food, wines and service in a relaxed atmosphere. Add to this a mainly non smoking interior and they were ahead of their time when they opened The Old Fleece in Rooksmoor 18 years ago.
Their second venue, The Britannia in the heart of Nailsworth, was in a sorry state when they bought it in 1999. WIth careful renovation focussing on a more Italian style, it has now become famous for its stone baked pizzas. Tipputs, on the Bath Road, and Fostons Ash, near Birdlip, followed and a few years after that, The Old Lodge. Now the crowning glory to this successful local business, at the time it made the Britannia renovations look like a breeze!
They suffered a blow when, just as they opened for lunch service one Saturday in 2004, a fire, caused by an electrical fault, broke out in the upstairs flat, but the high points have outweighed the lows for this indomitable duo. “Buying The Old Lodge, now our flagship venue with a licence for civil weddings, was definitely a high point, in spite of all the work it needed”, said Nick, “and my wife giving birth to our son Ollie in The Old Fleece, while nerve-wracking, was a fantastic high point. Ollie will be 18 next year and will become one of the UK’s youngest publicans!”
Nick, Christophe and their team have worked together, honing their carpentry, decorating and design skills, with a number of mind-boggling 48 hour refits that would give ‘Changing Rooms’ a run for their money. At the same time they’ve kept improving the culinary skills and service in their venues, with menus that change with the seasons.
That’s all the more important now they’ve started their 'Farm to Fork' campaign, which encourages and supports Gloucestershire suppliers, to maximise freshness, taste and traceability while minimising food miles, packaging and preservatives. |
We're on the look out for local producers
Christophe and myself are continually looking for local produce and producers for our menus and this path is leading to some interesting results: Daglingworth pork, Newent chicken and wild venison from the woods around Amberley have all featured on our recent menus.
Next to the Old Fleece, Christophe and I are restoring an historic orchard and looking for a partner who will press the apples for juice in the autumn. We are also inviting partners to keep bees, pigs and sheep on the land and we will be setting aside areas for a kitchen garden, which we hope will be supplying our kitchens by the year end. This spring we have reared pigs, who have done a great job in preparing the land for agriculture.
We are also considering a "kitchen door policy" where local allotment holders and small producers can trade their surplus. Anyone interested, please call Nick on 07815 733683.
Going green
After undertaking an EU funded energy survey in the Spring, Christophe and Nick have undertaken measures to reduce further their carbon foot print with energy efficient lighting being fitted into all units and the replacement of boilers at The Fostons Ash and Tipputs. They continue to look for opportunities to increase recycling, reduce energy consumption and reduce food miles.
Tipputs Inn
Moggu at the Tipputs is our exciting venture into authentic Indian cuisine. Tipputs chef Tony is from the Chettinad Province of Southern India and re-creates recipes handed down from generation to generation. The menu runs along side the Continental menu choices so there is something for everyone. Tony, who has worked at Tipputsfor 2 years, has decided to move the family from Bristol to Nailsworth - so welcome to the community!
Lunch on the hoof.
Nick and Christophe are always happy to welcome the riders from Barton End Stables to the Old Lodge garden for a spot of lunch."We love the idea of riders enjoying the common and then popping in for lunch. Our gardens are large and walled so it's ideal for horses." Nick. www.bartonendstables.co.uk
Perfect gift
Gift vouchers are now available on-line and you can pay via Paypal. A great gift for Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries, 'thank you's or 'just because you're special' ! Delivered in a presentation wallet, Food Club gift vouchers can be used in any of our pub/restaurants, at any time. http://www.food-club.com/shop.html .
Food Club
The club goes from strength with increasing membership. The monthly e-shot has proved very popular as are the special events.
You can now purchase or renew your membership on line http://www.food-club.com/shop.html with more information at http://www.food-club/membership.html .
Special Offers
As regular visitors to the site will know, there are always monthly offers - see how much you can save
http://www.food-club.com/vouchers/voucher-menu.html and remember these offers are in addition to the generous discounts offered with membership of Food Club (see above).
And finally.....
look out for the new business cards which have a regular user offer on the back - you will find them on the bar & on restaurant tables.
Thanks for supporting us and we look forward to seeing you again soon.
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