Lockdown Lodge founder is primary school teacher

A PRIMARY school teacher from Hambleden is using her summer holidays to run a pop-up riverside restaurant, café and bar.

Minna Hughes set up Lockdown Lodge in 2020 aged 19 after the coronavirus pandemic cut her travelling plans short.

The pop-up, located along the Thames Path near to Hambleden Lock, runs for a few weeks every summer and this year opened on Friday, July 18 and will run until Monday.

It comprises a number of converted shipping containers arranged to create a 40ft long building with bar/food service hatches on the ground floor and a fine dining restaurant above.

Miss Hughes has now qualified as a primary school teacher and works at a school in West Reading.

The 24-year-old, who attended Frieth Primary School and Sir William Borlase Grammar School in Marlow, did her teacher training at Oxford Brookes University.

Her father, Chris, runs Event Kitchens in Binfield Heath, which supplies temporary kitchen facilities for events such as festivals or weddings and she first had the idea for the pop-up after his work was put on hold due to the pandemic.

Looking back, Miss Hughes said she couldn’t believe the success of the venture.

She said: “We didn’t even think we’d get open the first year, let alone make it to the end and it be a success.

“To be five years in and have so many people saying, ‘Oh we have been coming since covid’ or ‘We came the first year and this is the first time we’ve been back and it’s changed’ is really humbling.

“Especially yesterday, when the sun was shining and we were really busy, you look around and it’s amazing that so many people are willing to come and see us.”

Miss Hughes said business this year had steadily increased throughout the run after a wet first week.

“People have really got behind us, which is lovely,” she said. “The weather is quite influential. But, when it’s sunny, it’s been really busy.

“It tends to build as the run goes on because we get a lot of people who come through word of mouth.

“It’s nice to see people enjoying the tents and getting outside. We’ve got no phone service here, so people sit and spend time together rather than sitting and checking their phone. It’s pretty magical.”

Since it first opened, Miss Hughes has changed the layout, including the addition of a covered section in the outdoor seating area.

She said: “We have a second stretch tent, so the garden’s got one as well as the one on the top of the containers. But we’ve got the same number of seats as the last few years, it’s just a bit more space in between them.”

The site is built in around three days and the containers are transported from Binfield Heath, where they are stored, to the site on lorries and lifted into place using a crane.

Miss Hughes said: “The set-up process is quite a rush because we get on site first thing on Wednesday morning and we have to be open by Friday evening.

“I work full time as a teacher now, so it’s done by the builds team and then I come in the afternoon or the evenings to see how it’s got on.”

Miss Hughes, who runs the day-to-day operations of the site, employs around 20 staff members, including catering company Christie’s Catering.

It runs a supper club at its restaurant, on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings in addition to a Sunday brunch and many of her family members pitch in to help out, including siblings Lottie, 27, and Barnaby, 22, boyfriend Roshan and her mother Lisa.

The lodge hosts events throughout its run, including Henley’s comedy night Honk!, live music sessions, a flower-arranging workshop and quizzes on Tuesday night. It has also hosted a number of “date nights” on its terrace. Miss Hughes described the staff at the lodge as “phenomenal”.

“They’re such a nice team,” she said. “They’re so bubbly and they don’t bat an eyelid at anything, even though we get some things that you never can quite can prepare for.”

Peter and Angela Collis travelled from Cockpole Green to visit the Lodge. Mr Collis said: “I think it’s a good idea. It’s a nice location, nice and relaxing and well run.

“A couple of years ago we went for the taster menu. A couple of us came down and it was hammering down with rain, but it was good fun.”

Richard, Linda and Rupert Riley travelled from Watlington to enjoy a drink by the river.

Mr Riley said: “It’s the first time we have come down. I think it’s really great but really sad it has to close next week.”

Sarah and Tim Williams, from Marlow, and Ian and Jackie Freeman, from Medmenham, cycled to the lodge on Saturday.

Mrs Williams said: “Every year we come down. We have been on our bikes today and once we came down on a boat.

“Each year it seems to get a bit better and better. There’s not a lot on the river in this area, so it’s nice.”