04/01/2026
It is with heavy hearts that we share the difficult decision to suspend the business for the foreseeable future.
The past nine months since the fire have brought immense challenges. While we have overcome many obstacles, time has continued to pass with little support from either our landlord or the insurance company, and we still have no confirmed start date for the kitchen rebuild. We had hoped the container kitchen would provide a workable interim solution and allow us to increase cover numbers, but in reality the space is simply not large enough to generate the volume needed to meet our overheads.
On top of this, our insurance premium has risen dramatically following the fire, alongside increasing costs across the board. To date, the investment made has been almost entirely personal. We have seen very little financial support from the insurance companies, meaning that all works completed — including rewiring, new fire and burglar alarm systems, garden benches, office conversions into a prep kitchen, and the container itself — have been funded personally by Ian and Mary.
As a family, we have now reached a point where we cannot continue to invest in a business that is not currently able to sustain itself.
That said, we would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to every single one of you who has supported us over the past nine months. The number of people who offered their time, equipment, prep kitchen space, kindness, and encouragement has truly blown us away. Your custom, goodwill, and spirit have meant more to us than we can express.
We have shared some wonderful moments together — from weddings and music events to birthday parties — and welcoming in 2026 with you all once again filled the pub with soul and love. We celebrated the start of The Shoe’s 400th year in such style, with fantastic music from Ady Bright and the support of the community, this is something we will always treasure.
We are incredibly grateful for your continued encouragement and belief in us, and we are deeply saddened that we have not been able to navigate this period. Unfortunately, this situation is bigger than us, and as a family we have reached a point where we cannot move forward at present.
We do not know what 2026 will bring. Much of this is now out of our control, and the future of The Shoe lies with the insurance company and the landlords.
Thank you all.
Rich, Jenny, Ian and Mary
xx
