The Walkhampton Inn has now reopened under new ownership! It has been approximately three years since the doors were last open and the new landlord, Frazer Reed, is proud to be part of such a historic country pub.
Frazer, 25, has lived on Dartmoor his whole life, growing up in Crapstone, moving to Horrabridge, and now residing in Milton Combe. He has spent much of his life in and around pubs and bars having been part of Drake’s Hash for many years, where frequenting pubs was part of the ritual. Not only that but his first job, at the age of 17, was in Yelverton Golf Club working behind the bar in between attending Newcastle University where he was awarded a masters in Civil & Structural Engineering. Towards the end of Frazer’s degree, his father took over the Who’d Have Thought It Inn which he then went on to run for nearly four years. Frazer had a part to play in this venture but also undertook one of his own by moving to Toronto, Canada for two and a half years. During his time there he worked in one of the oldest pubs in the city and worked his way up to a management role. It is with this well-rounded experience of the hospitality sector that he undertakes the challenge of running a country pub.
The chef, 26 year old Leigh Lawson, also has plenty of experience in this industry. He started his career behind the bar and then, at 20 years old, moved into the kitchen where he has gone from strength to strength. Frazer and Lee worked together at the Who’d Have Thought It Inn until Leigh decided to advance his skills at Quay 33 in Plymouth. He feels that he is now ready to run his own kitchen and is looking forward to working as part of an innovative team.
The Walkhampton Inn will be run as a classic country pub, which are now sadly becoming fewer and farther between, but will also include modern aspects such as a cocktail menu and some modern twists on country classic dishes. Frazer and Leigh feel that they are two pairs of fresh eyes that see the world with a new perspective, whilst also appreciating the beauty of a historic pub. Their aim is to create a dynamic food and drinks menu that offers patrons different options each time they visit. To complement their modern twists, they also want to focus on using local produce like meat, veg, ale and cider to create a menu which will provide high quality, traditional pub food with dishes such as the Wacky burger, Fish & Chips and varying Steaks.
This, along with many different tailored events, such as an Easter Beer Festival, Autumn Cider and Sausage Festival, and many celebratory events in between will lead to a thriving village pub that will attract a wide variety of clients whilst staying true and loyal to the locals.
One thing Frazer is determined to provide is a relaxing, comfortable atmosphere which is welcoming for all and that no one, be they on their own or part of a larger party, is intimidated to visit. They want to provide a great experience for both the drinker and the diner and will offer areas for both which are comfortable and enjoyable. In the bar the ciders and ales will be rotating with no beer staying on all day, every day. The Walkhampton Inn is a free house and Frazer intends to make the most of this by bringing in a variety of local drinks so that you don’t know what the line-up will be each time you visit. The same ethos will also be applied to ciders as, being situated in the best part of the world for scrumpy, they feel it would be a crime not to stock a wide range and therefore there will be four different varieties rotating a majority of the time. The same pride in local variety is present in the food, with dishes such as the Homemade Pie of the Moment changing regularly, ranging from Turkey, Chestnut & Bacon and Pheasant and Parsnip to a vegetarian pie.
The short term ideas, which include cleaning up the Beer Garden for use throughout the spring, summer and autumn, ensure that the bar and restaurant will be up to the quality required for the customers and then the long term plans include reopening the Bed & Breakfast, however this requires significant work. The plan is to have approximately six double rooms as well as a bunk house to accommodate anything from a single cyclist to a touring cricket team.
Frazer is determined to be running The Walkhampton Inn for the foreseeable future and is looking forward to creating a destination that people will frequent. The grand opening is the weekend of the 9th of February, when there will be a weekend of fun, including plenty of drinks and food specials and live music from local band, The Normals, on Saturday the 10th. Following on from this is Half Term when it will be Burger and Pie week, which will include many variations of Burgers and Pies for all to enjoy. There will be a big St Patrick’s Day bash organised by the locals and hosted by the pub which is sure to be memorable! This will build us up to our favourite event of the year, our Easter Beer Festival. This will incorporate all sorts of real ale both local and further afield, bringing the total barrels to somewhere in the region of 15 ales over the weekend. There will be live music over the weekend as well as many food specials!