This week, The Black Horse’s head chef Martin Sherriff plans to be masquerading as the Naked Chef and making Coq Au Vin!
“It’s just a bit of fun to try to encourage people to cook at home and be a bit more daring with what they eat,” he laughs.
Last week Martin was the Hairless Biker, kitted out in full motorbike leathers, his video teaching us how to make a cracking paella.
And his recipes and videos are going down a storm at the Standlake pub, the accompanying recipe boxes encouraging the locals to have a go at cooking his weekly suggestions.
“People are really enjoying their cooking, and getting involved, and it’s fun to take the mick out of some of the celebrity chefs.”
And with a kids cake box planned, which this week will feature cupcakes, all the ingredients, the recipe and colouring materials, the ideas just keep on coming.
As a result, the recipe boxes are flying out of The Standlake pub’s doors and this weekend saw a meteoric rise in takeaway numbers. “We did 70 takeaways every night over the weekend. In two weeks I think we’ve done 500 takeaways and it’s rising all the time.
“So we are really pleased we haven’t closed because we want to be here for the local community and to prove that we are more than just a gastropub.
“The village has been incredibly supportive and we are so grateful. In return we hope to offer a lifeline to many villagers, some of whom are unable to leave their homes.
“But more than that, I want to share my gift of cooking with everyone while having some fun too. I want to keep everyone eating good food and smiling.”
Martin added that the team at The Black Horse will continue to operate a delivery and takeaway service for as long as possible.
Having only taken on the role of head chef in November, the pub had been flying until Coronavirus took hold of the country, and everything changed. “We don’t want all our hard work to go to waste, so while we aren’t making any money at the moment because the overheads are so high, we want to keep going until this is all over and then resume where we left off.”
Martin added that he is also aware some people may be in difficult financial circumstances and added: “We would ask people to feel free to get in touch and will endeavour to help out food-wise if we can.”
Kitchen Opening Hours:
Monday: Closed
Tuesday – Saturday: 5PM – 9PM
Sunday (Sunday Menu): 12Noon – 5PM
More information at www.theblackhorsestandlake.com
01865 300307
