It’s an exciting chapter for The Chandlers Arms in Epwell as the former gastropub is taken over by Matty Cartwright and Harry Flockhart with an Ember BBQ ethos.
Matty had been smoking his own meat and cooking over fire, with an Americana style menu, at a farm pop up down the road. But as Ember grew in popularity, he began looking for somewhere more permanent and invited Harry to join him.
Harry Flockhart, former exec chef at The Chandlers Arms, helped run the hugely successful pub with his parents Sarah and Anthony
Harry Flockhart, former exec chef at The Chandlers Arms, helped run the hugely successful pub with his parents Sarah and Anthony for years – it was listed in the Michelin guide and had a huge foodie following. But when Sarah and Anthony decided to step back Matty, a family friend came up with a cunning plan – to take it over as the new Ember site.
“We needed a permanent site and have cooked together many times so know how the other works in a kitchen. Plus we are great family friends. So when I pitched the idea to Harry he loved it. So we go into Ember at The Chandlers Arms with the family’s blessing,” Matty says.
‘we think people will enjoy coming somewhere different, trying some interesting food and drink. We believe there’s a gap in the market for somewhere new’
Having been hard at work ever since, Matty says they’ve transformed the pub in just three weeks: “The building had been so well looked after, so we’ve just had to put our stamp on it.
Having enhanced the wooden historic pub with a funky, vibrant, welcoming interior full of velvet sofas, neon signs and art, Ember at The Chandlers Arms will offer a unique selection of craft beers, unique spirits and a diverse international wine selection already in place behind the vibrant bar.
So what can we expect when it officially opens on August 26? Well for a start not only does Matty know his craft, but he has learned to cook over fire from experts in Southern USA, where he’s visited countless times, while Harry’s decades of high end cooking proves the perfect combination.
Matty knows his craft, having learned to cook over fire from experts in Southern USA
Matty and Harry will use these skills and apply them to dishes from all over the world on their menu, bringing something really unique to Oxfordshire’s culinary table.
Think goat taco with pineapple salsa or buffalo wings with blue cheese and celery for starters, the 6oz burger with duck fat onions & bacon, béarnaise creme and gruyère cheese for mains, or maybe the 10oz Denver steak with juniper jus, tobacco onions and watercress, while our eyes are already on the smoked cherry and chocolate cremeux for dessert.
think the 10oz Denver steak with juniper jus, tobacco onions and watercress
“We want people to come here and try some new things in an informal atmosphere,” Matty says, “so food-wise we are about more than burgers and wings, although we do those too (Wing It Wednesday is already on the cards) but we can use the smoking and cooking over fire element on dishes from across the world like the beef short rib massaman with crispy shallot, Thai basil oil and flatbread or the smoked lamb flatbread with sukkah, whipped feta and pomegranate, using as much local produce as possible.”
“But we also have craft beer, non generic spirit brands – our house rum is from Uganda and we have wine from Jordan, while and the meat well its smoked, cooked over fire rather than BBQ’s, inspired by our travels in The States.
‘we can use the smoking and cooking over fire element on dishes from across the world’
So even though Epwell is a remote hamlet between Chipping Norton and Banbury, the noise around Ember at The Chandlers Arms is growing, appetites sharpening as we look forward to the results.
And bearing in mind Ember already had a cult following, combine that with the huge number of regulars at The Chandlers Arms, and locals who visited both, the signs are good.
‘We had a soft launch at the weekend and it went really well. We’ve had some incredible support from the locals’
“Ember at The Chandlers Arms is a way of evolving and people seem to love it. We had a soft launch at the weekend and it went really well. We’ve had some incredible support from the locals,” Matty says
So how are the duo feeling about opening properly? “I think people will enjoy it, coming somewhere different, trying some interesting food and drink. We believe there’s a gap in the market for somewhere new and we are really excited about opening up, and making our customers are already part of our story. Put it this way Ember at The Chandlers Arms is not your usual BBQ joint.”
Ember at The Chandlers Arms opens on August 26, Wednesday-Sunday. Go to: https://www.embertaproom.com
