Good to be back, says landlord after taking over pub

TWO old friends are now running the John Barleycorn in Goring.

Pete Fisher, who was born in Streatley, has taken over the Brakspear pub in Manor Road while chef Jim Ayliffe is running the kitchen.

Mr Fisher, 70, lived in the area for 30 years and worked as a carpenter and window fitter.

He left in 1986 and went into the hospitality trade and ran businesses across the country.

He had been working in Weymouth when he returned to this area last summer to take over the Sun Inn in Whitchurch Hill with Mr Ayliffe. They then left at the beginning of the coronavirus lockdown in March, when the pub had to shut.

The pair then offered to take over the John Barleycorn when the previous tenants Stephen Clay and Monica Urbaniak left last month.

The couple had run the pub for seven years and moved out of the area to take a break.

Mr Fisher, who is married and has three children, said: “We’ve been open for a few weeks and trade has been building up steadily. It’s a lovely pub and I think people in the village are really happy to see it open again.

“It’s nice to be back in Goring and meet some old friends — a lot of people I knew years ago are still living in the area and they’ve been really happy to see a face they know.”

Mr Ayliffe, from Burghfield Common, is offering a traditional pub menu along with specials such as paella and moules marinière.

He originally trained as a chef on cruise liners. He then joined the army in 1969, serving as a gunner in the Royal Artillery for nine years before working in double-glazing for a period.

Mr Ayliffe said: “We’ve redone the menu slightly but I can do whatever you like as long as I get enough notice.

“I do everything fresh, which is important because a lot of places now cook from frozen.

“I had been retired for a while but Pete and I started working together again when he needed my help and it has been great.”