24/05/2026
We’re going to be completely honest for a minute.
We genuinely don’t know what else to do with The Bell.
When we first looked at this pub, it felt exactly like the kind of place we look for. A beautiful pub in a small village, with a strong surrounding catchment area and not loads of competition nearby. It matched the same sort of recipe as our other pubs, which are all absolutely flying with the same style of food, the same approach, the same menus and the same overall model.
So it’s been really difficult for us to understand why The Bell just hasn’t clicked in the same way.
Since taking it on, we’ve redecorated, invested heavily into the kitchen, improved the terrace, bought new furniture, backed village events and local teams, pushed social media hard, and genuinely tried our absolute best to create somewhere people would feel proud to have as their local.
We know we haven’t got everything right. We’ve had moments of inconsistency in the kitchen while trying to build the right long-term team, and we completely understand that people remember bad experiences. But the honest truth is that there are people behind the scenes here who care massively and are trying incredibly hard to make this pub work.
Tracey and the team have been absolutely amazing!
Yesterday we were serving fresh woodfired pizzas and still watched Domino’s driving through the village, and afterwards we honestly just sat there wondering… what are we missing? Is there something we just aren’t seeing?
This isn’t a sympathy post and it’s not us having a moan. We’re just asking honestly because we genuinely want to understand.
If there’s something we need to do better, tell us. If there’s something missing, tell us. If there’s a reason you don’t come in, we’d genuinely rather know than not know.
We care a lot about this pub, and we care a lot about this village. More than you probably realise. ❤️
