The Clog & Billycock reopens

11th December 2013

A landmark village pub has reopened following a £250,000 investment

The Clog and Billycock, Pleasington, Blackburn has reopened earlier this month following a £250,000 refurbishment and is the second Ribble Valley Inn to go through such a transformation in the past six months.

The Clog and Billycock is now being led by a new management team who are working together to raise the already high standards that the pub is renowned for.  Carolyn Richards (General Manager) and Matthew Castelli (Head Chef) have years of experience within the hospitality industry and are extremely passionate about making The Clog and Billycock the leading pub in the area.

Matthew, Head Chef has been in the industry for nearly 20 years and comes to The Clog and Billycock from The Bear’s Paw Inn, Warmingham.  During his career he has also worked at The Marco Pierre White Steakhouse Bar & Grill, Newcastle and The Marco Pierre White at the Swan, Aughton.

Nigel Haworth, Chef Patron of Ribble Valley Inns, has worked closely with Matthew to develop a new menu that has the usual Ribble Valley Inn favourites and a few new twists.  However the emphasis remains on using the finest regional produce from as many artisan suppliers as possible. 

Commenting on the menu, Chef Patron, Nigel Haworth, “I have continued to champion seasonal local produce which is so readily on our doorstep.  The classic dishes such as our award-winning ‘Lancashire Hotpot’ and ‘Cheese and Onion Pie’ are still firmly on the menu, but I wanted to spice things up a bit!”

Nigel continued, “Blackburn is a town full of tradition with a multi-cultural community which I have tried to embrace in some of the new dishes.  Customers can enjoy a nibble of ‘Spiced Onion Dabs, Cumin & Little Town Dairy Yoghurt Dip’ to a main course of ‘Chicken Kebab, Leg & Breast of Chicken, Spiced Lentil Sauce, Onion Dabs, Coconut Rice.”

This passion and influence of the region doesn’t stop with the menu.  The new décor and interior has been inspired by the beautiful countryside and history of the area.  Wall lights have been created using old weaving shuttles; traditionally used in the Lancashire textiles mills and lamps have been made out of shoe stretchers used by traditional cobblers.  The original portraits of local suppliers located around the pub are now joined by some modern custom designed artwork on the walls.  Nicholas Saunders a North West artist has captured elements of the history of Blackburn and the pub, previously known as The Bay Horse.

Areas of the pub have been altered and enhanced for customers to enjoy pre and post dinner drinks whilst listening to the new addition of background music in some areas which creates the perfect atmosphere.

Commenting on the refurbishment, Wayne Chapman, CEO of Ribble Valley Inns said, “We are making sure that each Ribble Valley Inn is sympathetically unique to their region and specific locality, not only in the menu but also from a design perspective as well; hence the marked difference between The Three Fishes and The Clog and Billycock. We have refined the look at The Clog and Billycock to ensure we bring it back to being the iconic pub of the region.  We feel that the refurbishment will enhance our customers drinking and dining experience and look forward to sharing the plans for phase two of this exciting project in 2014!”