“It’s a pub that does food, not a restaurant that does drinks,” Richard Turner said sitting in the bar of his new pub The Hollybush which he now runs with Dan Woolaston.
The new landlords are busy preparing for tonight’s launch party, with the doors open in full tomorrow and the kitchens open from Monday.
Yes The Hollybush is back and Dan and Richard can’t wait to get going.
So what can we expect? “Not a lot has changed apart from what we are offering. It’s drinks and dining – food you want to eat – real ales and a great drinks menu, as you can see,” Dan, the former GM, says looking around the bar in the 18th century inn.
“Witney is busy again. you can feel the buzz!”
“And the feedback we have had already has been amazing. It’s given us a lot of confidence in the future,” they agree. “People are so excited and I think l the old regulars will come back. We want it to be a locals pub again.”
Dan has always wanted to run his own pub, and after being GM at The Horseshoes over the road and The Hollybush over the years, now is his chance. Richard ran the nearby guesthouse Corncroft before taking on the Maybush in Newbridge, which he still runs.
“Not a lot has changed apart from what we are offering”
Raring to go, with two new chefs – husband and wife team Chris and Cassia Matthews – you can look forward to the mix-and-match deli boards alongside classics like fish and chips, burgers, steaks and daily specials.
So why Witney? “It’s where we live and it’s becoming a really affluent town. People want to go out again. It’s been a rough few years but in the past few months you can feel a change. It’s busy again, you can feel the buzz.
“reputation is a big thing – that’s what it’s all about, so we are going to give it our all”
“We are so excited, we can’t wait. we just hope it will be busy because we want people to enjoy it here as much as we do. But reputation is a big thing – that’s what it’s all about, so we are going to give it our all.”
The Hollybush is on Corn Street in Witney. For more information go to https://www.hollybushwitney.com
