Restaurant dream comes true

Submitted by on Mon, 17.11.08

A couple who have spent more than £650,000 turning a disused country pub into their dream bistro-restaurant have celebrated its first anniversary – with a further £25,000 investment.

When Mike Oldroyd and Carol Nelson first set eyes on The Duke of Wellington, as it was then named, in the rural hamlet of Welbury, between Yarm and Northallerton, it had been shut for a year.

“It was boarded up, and a bit dark and dingy, but we fell in love with it in an instant. We could see the massive potential,” says Carol.

The couple, from Middlesbrough, bought the pub for £500,000, spent a further £150,000 completely refurbishing inside and out, and renamed it The Monks Table.

In just 12 months, The Monks Table, a freehouse, has become one of area’s most popular eateries, gaining a reputation for its bistro and a la carte menus and the warm welcome of its hosts.

Now Mike and Carol have invested a further £25,000, equipping the kitchen to the highest standards as recommended by their award-winning chef.

“We knew we were spending a lot of money, but we always said that if we were going to do go into the restaurant business, we wanted to create ‘a special place for special people’ – and that actually became our slogan,” said Mike, a former sales and marketing executive in retail.

“It is not just about financial investment, we have also invested a lot of energy and passion and imagination into creating the sort of dining experience we hope people will want to repeat again and again.”

The Monks Table is situated in a pretty hamlet deep in the North Yorkshire countryside, where the pub’s white walls, flower displays, parasols and cushions on the walls complete a picture postcard scene.

Before her and Mike’s life-changing decision to buy the pub, Carol worked in fashion and fine furniture – a background she called upon to decorate and furnish the interior.

She said: “The main dining room is very elegant, with a strong classic Italian and French influence, but the bar area and snug is quite rustic, and people tell us the overall ambience is warm and inviting. We’ve even had people asking if they can buy items of objet d’art I picked out, which is huge compliment.”

But it is in the kitchen where The Monks Table in winning the most plaudits – thanks to a team led by chef Neal Bullock, who gained five-star experience with hotel groups such as Hilton, De Vere and Malmaison, but is best known locally for his culinary work at Judges, near Kirklevington, Chapters, in Stokesley, and, most recently, the Cook’s Room, in Great Ayton.

His dishes have already helped The Monks Table become a finalist in the Flavours of Hambleton award for Restaurant of the Year, which will be announced at Thirsk Racecourse on November 20.

 

But prior to that, the pub has been given a birthday present recently when a new flyover opened to vehicles at the Black Swan crossroads on the A19, near Hutton Rudby, significantly reducing the travel time for potential diners from the Teesside area.

For more information about The Monks Table, call 01609 882464 or go to www.monkstable.co.uk