How the Sir Walter Raleigh pub in East Budleigh was saved

Too many across the country are closing, but our passion for pubs remains high. Fran McElhone visits the Sir Walter Raleigh in East Budleigh for a chat with the locals who came out fighting

All the locals say the same thing. ‘It’s more than a pub… It’s the centre of the community… If it wasn’t for the pub, I wouldn’t know anyone.’

And there are some interesting locals at the Sir Walter Raleigh pub: there’s Barbara, Britain’s first TV ‘weather woman’, and Andrew, a former Royal Marines Lt Col, who has an OBE and now takes part in aid expeditions to Ukraine. Also, people who worked in telly and film, etc.

Sir Walter Raleigh local weather woman Barbara (Image: Fran Mcelhone) All of them are why the clanging of the bell heralding last orders can still be heard ringing out from this beautiful, 16th century thatched, chocolate box cover-worthy, building twice a day. Instead of it being a couple of houses.

British pubs are in decline, particularly in rural areas. According to the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) 1,487 pubs closed in 2023 across Great Britain, up from 1,206 in 2022. Blame sits with rising energy costs upping costs across the board including for produce, bills and wages.

But, like a stick prodding a bees’ nest, this has provoked a fighting spirit in communities across the country which have rallied together and bought their locals, including in Devon where there are eight community owned pubs.

When their pub – named after the Elizabethan explorer who was born a mile up the road – closed in 2022 because the landlady was retiring, in the absence of a buyer, two retired gents called Mark and Paul sent out a call to arms, and, within six weeks 300 people purchased shares between £100 and £40,000 and bought the pub.

'The pub means everything to the locals' says Elaine (Image: Fran Mcelhone) ‘They put their heads together and got everything going,’ says Elaine Murray, who’s role on the six-strong committee, is head of volunteers, of which there are around 30. ‘They came up with the idea of buying it, and then everyone got their money out of their pockets and it was sorted.’

A community pub is an establishment which is owned and operated by a number of people living locally, who have both a financial stake in it and also a say in how it’s run, so, they are viable businesses which reflect the needs of the community, which, in this quaint enclave, is very supportive.

Elaine and the rest of the squad including two Marks, Clare, Angie, and Mike, quickly set about asking their neighbours what they wanted from their local. So, every month there is live music, takeaway fish and chips, a community supper, and a quiz (which, thanks to Jim, has raised over £5,000 for charity), also a five-course tasting menu.

Virtually all of the main meals on the menu can be gluten free (Image: Fran Mcelhone) Meanwhile, every week there are scrabble, crossword and ukulele club nights. And the cosy low-beamed venue also opens three days a week as a café. Annually, it hosts an autumn beer festival, and at the king’s coronation they served takeaway stuffed Yorkshire puddings.

‘The pub means everything to the locals,’ says Elaine. ‘Some people wouldn’t see anyone if they didn’t come to the pub. It’s a social hub, and this is exactly what everyone wanted it to be. We have all sorts of groups using the café including the bell ringers and the WI. And we have a group of widows who come in every week.’

The pub has two-and-a-half members of staff including the chef and sous chef. So without the volunteers, who do everything from being behind the bar and cleaning the toilets to the pay roll, the pub would be real estate. I wonder if the community pub business model is viable?

Sir Walter Raleigh was born just down the road (Image: Fran Mcelhone) ‘It’s going well, we hope it will be viable, but we’re not profitable yet,’ Elaine replies candidly. ‘We had to learn very quickly what we needed to do in order to make it a success, and we’ve had to do a lot ourselves; we’ve learnt a lot about things we didn’t know about, and things we didn’t know we would need to know about, like plumbing.

‘We don’t keep making the same mistakes. We’re getting there, but we’re very much at the will of the government. It will be tough if energy prices go up any more.’

As part of the initial funds raised through the shareholders, the pub interior underwent a revamp, which included volunteer Mel’s handmade Sir Walter curtains and cushions, and the flat above was converted into a joyful bijou holiday rental.

But, the pub is by no means just a locals’ haunt (incidentally, the locals think the pub has a resident ghost who likes the corner table by the bar). Thanks to the flair of chef Dan Kavenagh and his sidekick Amber Brice, the pub was awarded an AA Rosette in February and is becoming a destination gastro pub.

Dogs are welcome too (Image: Fran Mcelhone) Dan really cares about his craft. His enthusiasm for food provenance has permeated through all the staff and volunteers, who can tell you all about where your food has come from including where the meat on your plate was reared.

This all-pervading knowledge and enthusiasm paid off when the inspector popped in for a clandestine visit. Established in 1956, the AA’s rosette scheme (maximum five rosettes) aims to celebrate cooking at hotels and restaurants across the UK.

It’s clear, when my friend and I, and our two kids, ploughed into gluten free fish and chips, cauliflower steak with peppercorn sauce, a goats’ cheese parcel with gooseberry chutney, chocolate fondant and raspberry prosecco posset, that Dan is a very worthy recipient of the rosette which represents ‘food prepared with skills, care and using quality ingredients, marking establishments which stand out in their local area’.

Inside the beautiful 16th century pub (Image: Fran Mcelhone) ‘It’s important to me that our ingredients are fresh, local and seasonal,’ he says. ‘Nothing comes out of a freezer and into a microwave and on to a plate. The two microwaves went straight out when I arrived.’ Gordon Ramsey would love you, I suggest, as the bell dongs for last orders after the lunch service. Given its rural environs the pub closes between 2 and 5pm.

‘I didn’t know anything about community pubs before coming here,’ admits Dan, who has cooked at Gidleigh Park (work experience), the Royal Clarence Hotel (chef de partie) and most recently at the Five Bells at Clyst Hydon (head chef) before it closed. ‘There is definitely closer interaction with the community via the committee here,’ he says. ‘I love having freedom to write the menu and I like putting my own spin on traditional dishes.’

Creativity and business savviness dovetails for Dan. ‘I had to get them to put the prices up,’ he explains. ‘Keeping the prices down was really important to the committee. But I had to edge them towards a more viable business model because, unless we put the prices up to reflect the cost of our quality ingredients, we’d be asking the community for a hand=out at some point, otherwise.

Welcome to the Sit Walter Raleigh (Image: Fran Mcelhone) ‘Our menu changes with the seasons. Our fish dishes change with the weather. And our meat dishes change depending on our suppliers’ prices; if steak is too much, we’ll go for a pork chop instead. So our menu reflects good value for money.’

I’m sure Sir Walter Raleigh himself would agree, that with Dan’s conviction and the volunteers’ commitment, the pub is destined for another rosette soon.

sirwalterraleigh.co.uk

@swrkitchen