Mick and Carol Roche are enjoying a good measure of success running their first pub – The Dog and Partridge at Titchmarsh near Kettering.In their first five weeks they made a real impact on the village’s discerning drinkers, successfully introduced food and proved villagers’ fears, that The Dog would become a restaurant, unfounded.
Their traditional pub with food welcomes people who want to play dominoes, cribbage or that south Midlands favourite skittles, which is played every Monday.
“It’s going well so far and we are really enjoying it,” said Mick, who previously ran a refrigeration and air conditioning company.
Carol, who was previously a learning assistant at a village school, provides the food.
“She had a baptism of fire in our second week,” said Mick. “She had taken bookings for 17 people but ended up serving 34.”
Their mixed grill is a real favourite during the evening sessions and Sunday roasts are building each week.
The Roches are grateful for the helping hand from Charles Wells and TV gardener Alan Titchmarsh!
They attended the Charles Wells Retail Induction Support Programme (CRISP). “That was really good, really useful, especially for cellar management,“ said Mick.
“The villagers here know their beer and it has to be just right for them. Carol also did the food hygiene course which has proved useful.
“We certainly wouldn’t have liked to have come straight here and started trying to run a pub without the training.”
Alan Titchmarsh gave the pub a boost when he was attending a new shop in the village that bears his name. He was opening the shop which is across the road from the pub and run by local volunteers.
“We got talking to his driver and he got Alan in here to pull a pint before he left,” said Mick. “This is a tiny village but there were 500 to 600 people on that occasion.”
The Roches met when Carol was working as a bar person. Mick had also worked in a pub 27 years ago, but neither had the experience of running a pub. “We wanted a new challenge and we loved this pub,” said Mick.
The pub, parts of which date back to the 1600’s, attracts a broad customer base, from 18 year-olds to over-70’s. It underwent a major refurbishment two years ago.
When they arrived to take over in September 2007, the Roches interest in caravanning all over Europe proved valuable. “The upstairs was being refurbished and we lived in our caravan for the first three weeks,” said Mick.
“We are finding the hours quite long compared to what we were used to,” he added, “but that is outweighed by all the good things about running a pub.”
One of the good things, is seeing the return of old faces. “One guy was in here the other day who the regulars hadn’t seen in here for 10 years, so they are definitely coming back.”
