Pub operator and brewer Brakspear is reopening the Running Horses in Mickleham, one of its four managed pubs, on Friday 14 November. The pub has been given a major refurbishment which has given it a more informal and relaxed atmosphere, while retaining the traditional features that give the building its unique charm.
The pub’s menu focuses on traditional, rustic British food using local and seasonal ingredients where possible, with dishes such as crisp roast pork belly with champ potato, braised hare with chestnuts, and fish pie with mustard mash. There is also a new bar menu, offering ‘hearty’ bar snacks such as pork scratchings with apple sauce, or warm Scotch duck egg with watercress, a range of sandwiches and dishes such as fish & chips and sausage & mash.
Alongside the food, the pub will serve a good selection of wines and beers, including Brakspear cask ales. It is also introducing a new house ale, named ‘Dead Heat Derby’ to reflect the pub’s history as a stabling for horses racing at nearby Epsom, and in particular the famous Derby of 1828, when two horses passed the post at the exact same time. The pub was renamed the Running Horses after the race.
Brakspear chief executive Tom Davies said, “We’re delighted with the new look and feel to the pub. The refurbishment has achieved exactly what we wanted, to upgrade the pub where it needed it, but without changing its unique character. We’ve invested a lot of money in the pub to improve the drinking and dining experience, but the traditional bar area, for example, looks almost unchanged.”
The Running Horses has established a fine reputation for food, and was named as ‘Surrey Dining Pub of the Year’ in the Good Pub Guide for 2013. It has five en-suite bedrooms which have also been refurbished in a ‘boutique hotel’ style.
Brakspear bought the Running Horses in 2012, bringing it into its managed estate in May this year when the lessee retired. Brakspear’s managed estate also includes: the Bull on Bell Street, Henley-on-Thames; the Porch House, Stow-on-the-Wold and the Chequers in Marlow.
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Issued on behalf of: Brakspear
Further information: ShielPorter Communications
07841 694137 / 01403 267971