New landlady reopens popular Vale of Belvoir pub

The new landlady at a popular Vale of Belvoir pub says she wants to bring back the traditional village local.
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Trish Conway, who has more than 20 years experience of running pubs, has taken over The Nevile Arms at Kinoulton.

It has remained closed for five months after the previous tenants moved to Redmile to re-open The Windmill.

Since taking on the Owthorpe Lane local, Trish has invested her own money to bring it up-to-date.

She said: “The bones of the pub, which is the only one in the village, were really good.

“It just needed a few tweaks to create a raw pubs style.

“I want to resurrect the old school pub in a modern way.

“People can come in their work clothes, bring the dog, sit wherever they want, eat at the bar, and just relax.

“That way, they’re more likely to engage with the staff here, too.”

A classically-trained chef, Trish has worked for Slug & Lettuce pub chain founder Hugh Corbett, in London.

She moved to Nottinghamshire to work as a senior pastry chef and then ran The Cross Keys, at Epperstone.

Trish, who has won a number of awards for her work, is keen to offer good quality food at her new pub but work needs doing to the kitchen and it won’t be fit for purpose until early in the new year.

“The food will be traditional, value-for-money, freshly- cooked fare with a twist, using locally-sourced ingredients,” she promises.

With a four-strong team of part-time staff, Trish has future plans that could see her introduce ‘glamping pods’ – to take advantage of what she describes as ‘the stunning countryside around here’ – a farm-type shop, and summer events in the pub’s garden.

The response from the locals has been very positive in the three weeks she has been open: “The locals have been phenomenal, and their reaction to what I’m trying to do here has been really positive. I just want to make it comfortable and welcoming.”

She added: “We’ve lost that sub-culture of local communities using their pubs, and people no longer connecting with bar staff but that won’t be the case here.”

Gerry Carroll, CEO of Hawthorn Leisure, which owns The Nevile Arms, said: “With all her years of experience, Trish knows exactly what sort of pub will work in Kinoulton, so we’re happy to support her in taking it back to being a traditional village pub.”