Cheers for best pub award

A PUB in Woodcote has been voted pub of the year in the south East.

Dan and Nat Redfern, who also runs the Cherry Tree Inn in Stoke Row, recently took over the Red Lion in Goring Road.

The accolade was presented by the Prestige Awards in the London & South East England category.

Dan Redfern, 47, and his wife, Nat, took over the Greene King-owned pub in September last year, taking over from Chris Shelton and Jay Smith who retired.

He said: “It’s really nice to receive the recognition so early on. The Red Lion was terribly quiet and sad, and we’ve injected life into it, and the village has followed and is loving the journey. It makes it worthwhile. It was a heck of a surprise because we feel that we’re a long way from where we want to be with everything.

“There’s still so much more to do to improve the pub, such as the décor, the menu, the garden and the social media, but it’s just the beginning of our journey.

“For us to receive an award already has made us feel really pleased that we’re going in the right direction, and things will just get better and better.

“Because we haven’t gone looking for the award, it’s come along to us instead, it feels more organic and that’s a really positive way of growing the business.”

Since taking on the pub, the couple have had to come a number of challenges. He said: “It’s been a good journey so far, but there are a lot of issues with the building, such as having a chimney fire, burst water pipes under the kitchen floor, and issues with the cellar.”

Mr Redfern said he is looking forward to working on the small garden, ahead of the summer.

He said: “It’s quite a small space, but we’re going to fill it with lots of colour, lovely smelling jasmine and honeysuckle and hanging baskets with nice colours.”

He added that the community has supported the pub’s re-opening and has welcomed the couple.

He said: “We’re hearing a lot from review sites and social media that we’re very welcoming and people are really appreciative.

“The village pub, for me, is about somewhere that you go, whether you have had a good or bad day, and you can just sit and have a drink, a bite to eat and relax.”

Mr Redfern moved from Harefield, Middlesex, where he used to run a pub in 2018. He signed a 10-year lease with Brakspear when he took over the Cherry Tree but last year he signalled his intention to transfer the lease.