Jack Anderson and Dave Phillips are proudly showing me around the The Mole Inn in Toot Baldon which they have just taken on, both brimming with ideas and plans for the historic pub.
Alongside Jack’s business partner – builder James Morris – the trio have plans to shape up the sizeable gardens, convert the huge secret car park into an area for community events and weddings, as well as building extra accommodation in the derelict barns, introducing an outdoor al fresco menu, and much much more.
“the duo want to bring The Mole Inn back into the heart of the community and extend its offering”
Hugely excited about their new freehouse where Dave has previously worked as head chef READ OUR REVIEW OF DAVE’S FOOD AT THE MOLE HERE, they want to bring The Mole Inn back into the heart of the community and extend its offering.
And while the food there has always been excellent, becoming a gastropub with rooms will only add to The Mole’s appeal.
Run brilliantly by Sarah Heather-Holt for the past five years, she recently relinquished the reins, and having been on the hunt for a suitable hostelry, Jack, James and Dave jumped at the chance to take on The Mole and reinvigorate the destination gastropub.
“We want to take it to the next level, because The Mole has got all the right elements for a really successful pub, so we aim to give it a new lease of life. We have been looking for the right venue for the past 18 months and this is such a lovely pub that it just ticked all the boxes,” Jack adds.
‘We’ve been looking for the right venue for the past 18 months and this is such a lovely pub that it just ticked all the boxes’
So what have they got in store? “There is so much unused space and untapped potential at The Mole but ultimately we want to run a really great destination gastropub with rooms with a real community vibe,” Jack says.
As for the food Dave says: “The menu will still be modern British, local and ethically sourced, but we’ll have more local beers and drinks, a wood-burning oven for pizzas, an outdoor kitchen, a BBQ, fire pit and an al fresco menu as well as bigger kitchens.
“We also want to welcome back the locals by making The Mole much more of a community pub so we are reconfiguring the bar to make it more spacious and holding lots of events from live music to tapas and pizza nights – we’ve got so many ideas,” Dave adds.
“The local pub should be the centre of the community and we want to bring that back by giving people more reason to come here, rather than just a special occasion.
“But the feedback from the locals and regulars has already been really positive, with lots of people popping their heads in to see what we are doing,” Jack adds.
‘the local pub should be the centre of the community and we want to bring that back’
Having opened this month, The Mole will then close from July 1-6 to refurbish the pub and gardens, and reopening on July 6 with a big party where the village, locals and regulars are invited to come and celebrate the new venture with some great food, drinks and music.
“We are will be introducing the menu as small plates on July 6 so people can get a taste of what we are doing and try it out,” Dave says, “and we want everyone to come and have a great time, to welcome everyone back and show them what we intend to do.”
Phase 2 includes plans for 12 rooms and a bridal suite, where James will come into his own, and with Jack already experienced in event catering with his company Nood, he brings a whole different skill set to the party by focusing on renting the site out for events and weddings.
But first The Mole itself needs a lot of work: “That’s our first project, to get the pub itself back where we want it to be , but yes, we are really excited about the future,” Jack and Dave said, looking around them, before heading off to get started.
In short, it’s going to be all hands on deck at The Mole Inn of the next few years, so watch this space!
The Mole Inn, Toot Baldon https://www.themoleinn.com
