It’s only been eight months since new owners took over Unicorn’s Head in Langar, but in that short time, there have been such big improvements. For starters, revenues at the country-style café with its atmospheric open-kitchen restaurant have quadrupled.
“It’s been amazing. The restaurant in particular has soared beyond our dreams,” said operations manager Simon Barnes. It’s starting to get a bit busier in the pub now. The villagers are very happy with what we have done and how we have turned it around.”
Inside the historic building is everything you could want from an idyllic country pub – good ales, good food, pleasant surroundings, friendly service, cozy fires in winter and a large beer garden and terrace, which has recently had a huge makeover. The number of outdoor seats brings the total indoors and outdoors to more than 100.
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To the front is an adults-only garden for drinks, an area that was previously overgrown but is now a grassy oasis surrounded by trees. But it is the garden at the back that has undergone the biggest improvement. When new owners Andy Hunt, of the White Horse in Ruddington, and chef Leroy Allen took over last year, it had been cordoned off.
The terrace has received a major upgrade. A tiled, wooden shelter that had fallen into disrepair has been rebuilt – no mean feat as the building, like the pub itself, is Grade II listed. The listing required the owners to jump through hoops with planners to ensure it was in compliance. Missing beams have been repaired and the wooden panels at the end have been replaced. Placing a rattan corner sofa underneath creates a lounge feeling.
Part of the terrace has been raised and forms an extension of the restaurant with full table service. The garden also has a number of pods, which have been refurbished. The plexiglass sides are being removed so that it is not too stuffy in the sun, but there is still shade from the awnings.
Simon said: “The potential when the sun is shining is huge. Only now, in the last few days, can we honestly say summer is here. It’s lovely. On Sundays we have a DJ on, if the weather is good.” nice. It’s really relaxed and quiet, nice relaxing background music and we really liked it.
One of the best features is undoubtedly the new private dining area – incredibly created in a walled part of the garden that was previously used to store the bins. The table seats eight to ten guests. “It’s beautiful, we’ve put up some fairy lights and we’ve got some flowers on the wall. It’s probably a two-year project to get it to where we want it, so this is phase one. It’s a great family space, we want to do full table service and people can book it.”
In addition to the terrace, there is a lawn at the back. There used to be a playground, but that was there before the takeover. In its place is a new table tennis table and there is talk of adding some giant garden games like Jenga and Connect 4 to keep families entertained.
The menu is restaurant standard, not typical pub fare. Those looking for a bargain will find a set menu with two courses for £15.95 and three courses for £19.95, served Monday to Thursday. Starters include hummus with rose harissa or bubble and squeak croquettes, mains include chilli beef shank, salmon fish cake or saffron arancini balls, and desserts include chocolate brownies, Bramley apple granola crumble or Colston Bassett Stilton.
The a la carte menu takes things to the next level with prices reflecting the superior quality. Diners can expect to pay from £16 for a halloumi and mushroom burger to £28.95 for Harker’s sirloin steak and chips. Starters start at £6.50 with desserts from £8.
New dishes with a lighter, more summery twist include crab and prawn fish cakes with lobster cream sauce, carrot and roasted beetroot escabeche with Beauvale blue cheese – made further afield – poached pear and Langar’s Selbee honey, supplied by a local farmer who has twenty beehives spread across the village.
Chicken Caesar salad, Packington pork belly with ground Jersey roast, salted hake and classic tomatoes with burrata as main course. And even though the weather is warm, there are still two dishes that are in high demand: the pie of the day and fish and chips.
Leroy said, “I just made a hot, fermented hot honey that will be ready for a burrata dish in two weeks. The Caesar salad is nice and light and tastier for the summer. Our best seller, however, is pies. It’s an illustration of how bad it is has been again.
“It’s going very well. We are very satisfied, and there is room for more. With this weather, we keep our fingers crossed that a few more people will eat in the garden.”
Weekend breakfasts are well underway, but Sunday is the roast that’s most popular, with 180-200 sold per week. For something a little more snacky and casual, fish stick, roast beef, prawn and salmon sandwiches are available Monday to Saturday.
Earlier opening in the week has been introduced. Coffee, pastries and cakes are available from 10am. Most of the baked goods come from Welbeck Bakery, such as the sourdough bread served with the meals.
Drinks-wise, the pub has three real ales – as an Everards pub, Tiger is always open with two others changing regularly. As well as Pimm’s and Aperol, a new Spritz menu includes long, cool drinks of rhubarb-infused gin and raspberry soda, and Lillet Blanc grape and apricot aperitif.
This achievement so far has seen them reach the finals in the Great Food Club’s Pub of the Year category. Simon said: “To be only eight months old and be nominated is one thing, but to get to the final is fantastic. We were very satisfied. It’s quite rewarding and a nice compliment.
“Our experience has helped us to hit the ground running, without being arrogant. We are very humbled by all this and still feel that we have a lot more to do here to reach the level we want to be at Being recognized is a nice thing.
“The villagers are really happy that we’ve raised the bar. They love everything we’ve done. They love that there’s a snack menu in the bar where they can come and have a relaxed bite to eat. They’re starting to use the restaurant to celebrate their own personal events and the Sunday roasts are fully booked every week. It’s incredible.”
Just as the villagers support the Unicorn’s Head, the pub supports village events. They will run a bar at the prom and support events in the village hall.
Things could have turned out very differently after a catastrophic fire in 2015 at the beamed property, which dates back to 1717. The fire destroyed the top two floors and left the ground floor a sodden mess. The chimney had to be rebuilt brick by brick, all 5,000 of them, and the entire roof had to be replaced. Due to the building’s Grade II listed status, nails were prohibited, so wooden dowels were used instead.
Simon said: “It took almost two years to build it, so you can see the detail. They’ve done a phenomenal job. The electrical, the plumbing, all the data cables, everything was modernized at the time. It’s almost like working on a new building of.”
Check out the gallery below for a look at the new beer garden at the Langar pub:
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The terrace has had a facelift
(Image: Joseph Raynor/Nottingham Post)
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The adult beer garden at the front of the pub
(Image: Joseph Raynor/Nottingham Post)
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The family-friendly garden at the rear now has a table tennis table
(Image: Joseph Raynor/Nottingham Post)
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The restaurant in the pub
(Image: Joseph Raynor/Nottingham Post)
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Co-owner and chef Leroy Allen
(Image: Joseph Raynor/Nottingham Post)
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A cozy sofa in the bar
(Image: Joseph Raynor/Nottingham Post)
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Chicken Caesar salad
(Image: Joseph Raynor/Nottingham Post)
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BBQ pulled pork, hash brown, corn salsa, dill pickle and aged Parmesan cheese
(Image: Joseph Raynor/Nottingham Post)
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Yorkshire fettle Greek salad
(Image: Joseph Raynor/Nottingham Post)
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Crab and shrimp fish cake with lobster cream sauce and a soft poached chicken egg
(Image: Joseph Raynor/Nottingham Post)
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Roasted beets, Beauvale blue cheese, poached pear, Langar honey and hazelnuts
(Image: Joseph Raynor/Nottingham Post)
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The private dining room at night
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