Landlord takes on second pub (for the time being)

THE landlord of a pub in Stoke Row will take on another pub.

Dan Redfern, 47, of the Cherry Tree Inn will start running the Red Lion in Woodcote from September 23, which is owned by Greene King.

He will take over from the current tenants Chris Shelton and Jay Smith, who are retiring.

Mr Redfern, who moved from Harefield in Middlesex where he used to run a pub, signed a 10-year lease with Brakspear in 2018 when he took over the Cherry Tree.

He will run both businesses with his wife Natalie, 31, until they find a new tenant to take over the lease for the last four years.

Mr Redfern said he is looking forward to starting a new project and replicating the atmosphere and quality of the current pub.

He said: “It needs love and attention but it’s a lovely old building that’s been there for around 200 years. I feel it just has so much potential to be brought back to life and I’m very excited about it. I love a project and a place that you feel you can add something to and really enhance, and this is definitely one.

“I like the layout of the pub because inside you’ve got an L-shaped bar so you can see every table from it. We want to make it look a bit like it does in the Cherry Tree with lovely, reclaimed furniture, brass picture lights, full of pictures everywhere and homely bric-a-brac and nice rich rugs.”

Mr Redfern will also be upgrading the appliances in the kitchen and refurbishing its outdoor space. He said: “I’ve got a vision. The car park at the back has a tiny patio which is south facing, so we want to put a nice long garden in with a gazebo or a pergola with grow pots and plants growing up, like an oasis.”

Mr Redfern said he hopes to replicate the kitchen garden at a nearby allotment, which he had introduced at the Cherry Tree. Over the last six years, he built raised beds and a polytunnel for fruit, vegetables and spices and introduced bees.

He said: “We want to keep it as local as possible and provide honest, decent food. Nothing too pretentious, just really good and proper food. We’re going to use local producers for everything where we can. We’ve been in touch with Blue Tin Produce up the road about supplying us and English Farm Longhorns.”

By providing a breakfast club during the week and takeaway frozen lollies and ice creams for children during the hot summer months, he hopes to support families.

Mr Redfern likes beer and has plans to get the pub recognised by the Campaign for Real Ale, which advocates the production, availability and consumption of quality real ale.

He said: “Greene King has a really good range of beers that we can buy from and I think there’s enough there to be able to do a really good beer festival and actually get recognised by Camra.

“We hear so much from people how they want us to bring the village back into the pub and be the village pub that they are all crying out for.”

Two years after taking over the Cherry Tree he met his wife and she moved in with him before the coronavirus lockdown in 2020.

The couple share five children between them and they celebrated the arrival of Sofia, who arrived early on the bathroom floor in March.

Mr Redfern said while he is looking forward to a “fresh challenge” he was also sad to be leaving.

He said: “It’s really exciting but I think part of me is here. It will be sad for the kids as well. My daughter Freya wasn’t even two when I first met Nat and she moved in so for her it’s a big deal. My son George cried when I said we were going because he loves it because we’ve got rabbits, the dog, the veg garden, tractors and they play football outside.”

But Mr Redfern is proud of their changes they have made. He said: “We’ve transformed it. It used to be pretty messy and scruffy and there wasn’t much of a garden. There were no flower beds, patios or veg gardens. What we’ve done to the interior has totally revitalised it.

“Covid was tough but we just carried on working, decorating and doing the garden. I cut the edges of the lawn with a pair of scissors, refurbished the bed and breakfast rooms and built more raised beds.

“We had some Canadian rescue crews staying because they had to be in an isolated environment because of covid. They had flown over in the prime minister’s private jet because they were training on the simulators here.

“We cooked them a meal every day at breakfast, lunch and dinner and we gave them a piece of paper and just said to them help yourself to the drinks. We had three or four different crews and every single one of them was fantastic.”

His favourite moments were during the summer and big celebrations, such as New Year’s Eve. He said: “In the summer it’s fantastic, we’ve got a full garden and everyone’s enjoying it. Some of the family fun days we’ve done have had a petting zoo of animals and pizza. They have been the most fun.

“We’ve also had great New Years Eve parties and when we opened from covid we had our huge marquee and it was just bustling.”

An opening party will be held at the Red Lion on Saturday, September 28, with live music.