When The Muddy Duck in Hethe closed in 2022 due to Covid and staff shortages, we went into a period of mourning. The fantasy land within housed one of the finest dining experiences in Oxfordshire https://oxinabox.co.uk/review-the-food-is-so-good-youd-eat-it-blindfolded-want-to-eat-in-a-forest-the-hollow-at-the-muddy-duck-in-hethe-is-like-nowhere-else/ It was a huge loss.
But owner Nigel Harris is ready to go again, and The Muddy Duck is reopening next weekend (June 19) with an entirely new concept – Pan-Asian Japanese.
‘it will be exciting to see The Muddy Duck spread its wings again’
Bringing in The Smoking Lobster from the Isle Of Wight to collaborate on the menu, Nigel wanted to reflect the change in the way people are eating, while using the best ingredients.
“We have learned, and we knew it called for something new at The Muddy Duck – something exciting and different, where it’s about the food and its provenance and heritage,” he says.
Dining room aside, it also means that the bar will also be opening its doors once again after a four year hiatus, something the locals are no doubt delighted about.
“The Muddy Duck is a pub with a dining room, so the bar will remain unchanged and people can just come in for a drink – Hawkstone, Timothy Taylor, Guinness, Hook Norton and some great cocktails. You can eat the same menu in the bar if you want, or you can eat in style in the dining room,” he explains.
‘You don’t buy a car to leave it in the garage and you don’t buy a pub not to open it’
But why now and why this? Nigel shrugs: “I know, everything is against it, and with three pubs closing a day it might seem like a mad time to open, but we have the luxury here of trying something different, and there is a determination in people to push the boundaries and experience dining out in different ways, and that’s what has spurred us on.
“So it felt like the right time to reopen, even though so many places are closing. I think it’s a travesty what is happening in hospitality at the moment, and that so many pubs and restaurants have closed or failed, but there has to be a way to reignite them and re-engage their customers again.
‘It’s a conscious decision to open three days a week to begin with. We want to get it right’
“So we are putting in a Pan-Asian Japanese concept here, and the menu is really exciting with a lot of sharing plates and a focus on high fibre and high protein dishes.”
Think katsu maki rolls, bao buns, Charsiu Iberico pork, Wagyu beef tataki, yellowfin tuna tataki, Miso black cod, sashimi, native lobster, Miso aubergine, teriyaki, Thai coconut yogurt yellow curry, scallops and heaps more goodies, which we can’t wait to try!
But why did Nigel pick Pan-Asian Japanese? “Just because The Muddy Duck is a pub doesn’t mean we have to serve fish & chips and burgers. We wanted to do something completely different here which is why we brought in The Smoking Lobster to help train our chefs.”
‘I know everything is against it, and with three pubs closing a day it might seem like a mad time to open, but we have the luxury here of trying something different’
The fact that Nigel also runs The Menu Partners and Absolute Taste – leading UK food service companies, obviously helps, his contacts in the food industry, and his on site food development kitchens perfect fodder for the new pub concept. He also sold his company Fresh Direct in 2015, where provenance and ingredients were the name of the game. The right man for the job then.
Throw in the fact that he ran The Muddy Duck as a successful gastropub since 2012, and you’ll see why he is passionate about food. https://oxinabox.co.uk/exclusive-the-weird-and-wonderful-world-of-the-new-muddy-duck-pub-restaurant-and-of-course-pierre-koffmann/
So how’s Nigel feeling about reopening next weekend? “I am massively excited about it. I’ve missed The Muddy Duck being open and the buzz. You don’t buy a car to leave it in the garage and you don’t buy a pub not to open it. So it will be exciting to see The Muddy Duck spreading its wings again. We want to see people’s faces here, to see them enjoying the food.”
A mention must go to The Muddy Duck’s forest-like interior and its space station toilets, the full refurb taking place just before Covid when Pierre Koffman was brought in to oversee the new menu.
I am massively excited about it. I’ve missed The Muddy Duck being open and the buzz
“The decor here works really well with the Asian dishes,” Nigel says. “We just want to offer something different to the local area. There are plenty of really great pubs and restaurants nearby serving great food, and we don’t want to compete with them, but if people want to try something different then come to The Muddy Duck.”
“We applaud the great British pub – it offers such a great range of things – but to stand out in this economy you need to be different and hospitality needs to keep adapting. People are eating differently now and with the tax, VAT, fuel and supply costs its a difficult time, but if you’re asking the customer to part with their pennies, it needs to be exciting – to be different and imaginative.
“And besides, it’s good fun here,” Nigel says gesturing around him at the vines climbing the walls and the open plan kitchen where chefs are hard at work for the soft launch this weekend.
‘The trick is to keep people engaged with food, and the way to do that is to keep pushing the envelope and give people new experiences’
“We are opening on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays to start with and we will see how we get on. It’s a conscious decision to open three days a week to begin with, to make sure we achieve consistency and ensure the staff are happy, and then we will make a decision in time. We want to get it right so let’s wait and see.”
“The trick is to keep people engaged with food, and the way to do that is to keep pushing the envelope and give people new experiences. And that’s why food is always exciting.”
The Muddy Duck, Hethe reopens on Friday June 19. https://www.themuddyduckpub.co.uk
FULL REVIEW TO FOLLOW
