PRESS RELEASE

‘TOUCAN JAM’ AT THE COMPASSES AT PATTISWICK

The Compasses at Pattiswick announces a line up of fantastic music nights!

Award winning gastro pub, The Compasses at Pattiswick not only offers a sumptuous choice of a la carte dishes, they have added entertainment to the menu.

They launched the first of their monthly music nights last Thursday with a soul and jazz evening. Essex duo, ‘Toucan Jam’ (pictured) livened up the country pub with Lara George on vocals and brother, Adam George on the bongos. They  performed songs by Stevie Wonder, Olly Murs, and the Jackson 5 to the diners who filled the dance floor after enjoying a meal and a couple of bottles of wine.

“Lara is a great entertainer, she performs every other Thursday at The Compasses sister pub, The Swan at Felsted and never fails to have everybody up dancing even the staff! She has a great way of interacting with the crowd!” says marketing manager Emma Smeaton.

The Compasses at Pattiswick will also be welcoming ‘Stars in their eyes’ contestant Wayne Dilks, a George Micheal tribute act who went down a storm at The Swan at Felsted. “George Michael [tribute] certainly pleased The Swan’s female diners back in November, he was getting mobbed whilst attempting to sing ‘wake me up before you go go’! Anyone would have thought he was the real George Michael. We expect the tribute evening at The Compasses at Pattiswick will also cause utter mayhem” says marketing manager, Emma Smeaton.

Jono Clark, owner of both gastro pubs stated, “we have decided to host a couple of tribute evenings and music nights a month to brighten up those later weekday evenings for our guests to soak up the atmosphere, our guests will be pleased to know admission is free of charge!”

PRESS RELEASE

THE SWAN AT FELSTED SCOOPS BEST GASTRO PUB

The Swan at Felsted has struck again! Having snatched Best Food Pub in East Anglia at last year’s Great British Pub Awards, the North Essex Gastro pub reeled in Best Gastro Pub at the 2010 Essex Food & Drink Awards.

Owner of the Felsted pub, Jono Clark, was presented with the award by Victoria Carson of Menu Mate at a glittering dinner for 250 guests at Braxted Park on Tuesday evening. “I am over the moon! For the second year in a row the Swan at Felsted has been recognised for the quality of its food and service’ says Jono. ‘What a fantastic recognition of the huge effort the team put in at The Swan.’

Front of House Manager for The Great Pub Company, Paul Gooding, was amongst the guests at the awards ceremony as the judges commented on the outstanding presentation of the food and the superb level of service and hospitality. ‘You can’t ask for more than that!’ says Paul. ‘This will mean so much to both the kitchen and front of house crews. And a massive thank you must go to all the guests who voted for us throughout the awards. I suppose they’ll all be wanting me to buy them a drink now!’

Since taking on the derelict village pub in 2002, Jono & Jane Clark have transformed the Swan at Felsted into one of East Anglia’s foremost eateries. Serving a blend of traditional  English cuisine with influences from the continent and Asia, the menu offers an exciting balance of old and new with quality of ingredients and exciting presentation at the forefront of the mix.

Asked what he was looking forward to most on his return to The Swan, Paul replied with a wry smile; ‘first we’ll get the award up on  the wall, then launch it with a bottle of something fizzy and last but not least start work on the plans to refurbish which I have just got the boss to agree to!’

The Swan’s sister pub, The Compasses at Pattiswick, was also highly commended as one of four finalist in the Best Large Restaurant. Judging the awards, Jayson Ball representing Salix, said Front of House Manager, Paul Gooding, was ‘without doubt the best Front of House Manager in Essex.’ Reluctant to let go of the award, an emotional Paul was full of praise for the crew behind him, ‘We have all worked so hard on the Swan at Felsted this year. It’s a cracking pub and we are all really proud of the effort every one of us has put in and now that been rewarded.

The Swan at Felsted and The Compasses at Pattiswick are both part of The Great Pub Company which also includes their outside catering arm, Passionate. Asked if the recession had impacted the business, the answer was quite the reverse. ‘The past year has been fantastic for both pubs.’ says Jono. ‘Business was up 35% across 2009 and we I am encouraged to see are just topping a further 10% increase across quarter one in 2010.’ And the secret to these rises? ‘Consistency. Without a doubt consistency, we have worked really hard over the past two years on nailing down our systems and training procedures so that we deliver a consistent product every time.’

The Great Pub Company this summer announced its intention to extend its holdings in East Anglia with the acquisition of two further sites. Asked how progress was going with these plans Jono Clark was upbeat. ‘I obviously can’t say too much at the moment, however, we are in the early stages of negotiations on one site with a view to opening discussions on a second very soon. All I can say is that it is a very exciting stage for the business and great to be able to offer a positive story during unpredictable times.’