Ye Olde Bridge Inn

Hannah Lloyd

Ye Olde Bridge Inn, Oxton, Nottinghamshire

At Ye Olde Bridge Inn in the Nottinghamshire village of Oxton, refreshing Frosé, a mix of sparkling rosé and crushed ice, is being added for summer. Matching the seasonality of the food menu, licensee Hannah Lloyd says they like to use fresh seasonal ingredients such as elderberries in drinks in the summer. Under head chef Steven Elliot, lighter dishes and salads will be added but Hannah concedes that fish and chips remains an all-year-round favourite.

She took over Ye Olde Bridge Inn nearly five years ago. “We had a lot of work to do. The previous leaseholder had been here for a long time and had run it as a very different operation,” she explains. Investments included extensive changes to the outside area, extending the number of covers by more than 70 in the warmer months. “With increases in costs hitting hospitality hard at the moment such as minimum wage, we rely on that summer period,” she adds.

The garden is spread across two terraces seating 13 and 60 people and a “secret garden” plus a neighbouring field with a playground aimed at families. Furniture includes five 14-seat benches. “There was some mismatched old pub furniture when we took over but we built the benches for families and friends to sit together.” Three dining “domes” seat up to eight people each, and are fitted with Delonghi heaters, Bluetooth speakers and a waiter call system.

Hannah is installing a converted trailer housing and Italian wood-fired pizza oven for Friday and Saturday evenings. At night, the whole garden sparkles with coloured uplighters and garlands of fairy lights.

The Friday-evening live music programming moves outside when the weather is warm and dry. Ye Olde Bridge Inn also caters for families in the daytime, including craft workshops aimed at children. This summer will see visits by alpacas and other animals from nearby farms, and a big charity event. Although the garden makes it busier, Hannah says they can draw on the existing 30-strong team through extra hours. It has all helped the pub scoop awards such as Nottinghamshire Pub of the Year at this year’s National Pub & Bar Awards and Best Pub for Families at last year’s Great British Pub Awards.