New landlord and landlady of Four Bells Inn in Woodborough say 'we're here to stay' after changes

Different faces have come and gone and opening times have frequently changed at a village pub in Nottinghamshire but the new landlord and landlady hope to put the Four Bells Inn on a firm footing. The Woodborough pub has struggled since the pandemic.

In September 2022, the then-landlady left after just six months, resulting in the pub having to close for several weeks. It was rescued from a potential long-term closure after Shipstone's and the Reunion Pub Company stepped in.

But last September, they pulled out. Negotiations have been on-going since then but finally Charlie Clipstone and her fiancé Jake White have been able to acquire the lease. They're not strangers to the pub as both were already working there, Charlie as general manager and Jake as head chef.

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Jake said: "We have signed a five-year lease. We're here to stay and really want to improve and involve the pub with the community." They're relishing having the freedom and creativity to try different things - ideas that were previously shut down.

One major step is to open the pub every day. "There were so many times the old owner would moan about the staff costs and close the doors. People forget about you if the doors are closed.

"The community is centred around here, with the gym, the school, the art club up the road. Having the doors closed seems like a waste. Before it was about three evening opening times. It was changing a lot as well. We weren't really doing lunch. You don't want that 'oh shall we go to the Bell?' 'Well I don't know if they're open'," he added.

Both have previously worked in pubs boasting AA rosettes and the menu revolves around good quality seasonal food. Rather than competing with the fine dining at Woodborough Hall or traditional pub fare at the Nag's Head, this falls somewhere in the middle. "We just want to serve really good homemade food. We are trying to source local where we can," said Jake.

The pub is now open from 8.30am for breakfast at the weekends and recently Tuesday has been added. Customers can choose from a wide range, including a full English, a vegan version, American pancakes, chicken waffle, smashed avocado and sandwiches.

Later in the day steak ciabatta and halloumi panini are amongst the sandwiches served along with salads, including a burger bowl with the meat but not the bun. The full à la carte menu has starters of ham hock terrine and lamb samosas, mains of lamb rump, fish and chips, seabass pappardelle, and Korean bibimbap, and desserts of sticky toffee pudding and lemon posset.

After breakfast on Sundays, the attention turns to roast dinners, something that has grown from around 18 a day when they first started working at the pub, to now averaging 80 to 100. Jake's brother Tom works in the kitchen as well.

Themed nights, focussing on burgers, curries, tapas and sushi are being considered, along with wine pairing, whiskey nights, and a Beaujolais Breakfast in November, when the famous wine is celebrated by toasting the vintage with some of the young wine produced that year.

Charlie said: "We're trialling stuff to see if it works. If it doesn't work we'll try something else. When we were managing it we were gradually building it up anyway so it's just expanding that a bit more to do the stuff we were trying to push before and just kept getting shut down. The village wants two pubs and wants to be supportive of both pubs."

With Charlie in charge behind the bar she's enjoying the freedom to pick different ales. Previously five Shipstone's beers were on tap. She is now working her way through a list of different breweries including many local ones, so there is always a different beer for customers to try. Currently there's pints of Citra from Nottingham Brewery and soon there will be an ale from Pheasantry Brewery in Newark. Meanwhile, cocktail lovers can look forward to drinks made from scratch once staff have been trained.

"Villagers know we're going to be here. We're open and they can just pop in. They are liking the fact we are open the majority of the time and they are liking that we have a different range of ales and all the new food as well," she said.

When it comes to entertainment, the Four Bells has live music every other Saturday, a quiz and close-up magic from Jacob Betts every Monday, and an open mic night on the first Tuesday of the month.

Jake said: "The village is really nice. The people are so friendly. When we first came here we did a Facebook post and every time we took the dog a walk, everyone knew our faces and they were saying said hello. Lovely people, lovely building as well.

"When we first started here we were always looking at getting our own pub. It's been a long-term goal for us. We thought it would be lovely if this could be the one and it ended up falling that way. We are going to try and get more involved with the community, do some fundraising and stuff. We've got artwork from the local art group on the wall and cards on sale at the bar. When it's your own (business) you can really get motivated."

It's not just the couple's professional life that's taken a turn. In September Charlie, 28, and Jake, 30, will be getting married. Charlie said: "We must be crazy taking on the pub and getting married in the same year."

The Four Bells is open from 8.30am on Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday and from noon the rest of the week.