The former Red Lion in Staple Hill, Bristol is to reopen as The Forge & Fern, a neighbourhood restaurant and café bar.
The 19th-century building will be renovated and relaunched as a family-friendly venue, serving food and drink all day. A new 3,000 square feet extension will include an alfresco terrace and all-weather garden with full wheelchair access.
Hospitality group The Forges are giving this, their first venue, a strong environmental focus and aim to “work closely with local people and businesses to help accelerate the regeneration of the area through great food and hospitality.” The outdoor terrace will have a huge living wall to promote biodiversity and provide an ecosystem for the rooftop beehives which will provide honey for dishes on the menu as well as encourage local pollination.
The Forge & Fern’s menu will feature produce from local makers, growers and producers including herbs from their garden. Food will include cakes from local bakery Cakesmiths, artisanal nibbles from Mevalco and breakfast, lunch and dinner plates using meat from Buxton Butchers. The drinks offering will take in craft ale, Somerset ciders, and a selection of wine and prosecco.
The pub’s basement will house its own gin distillery, visible to visitors through a glass floor. They will be able to sample the gin on the drinks menu.
A spokesman for The Forges told Bristol Live: “We’ve been having an input on the old Red Lion site since its acquisition in 2019. To say this has been a long time in the making is something of an understatement, and we’re incredibly excited to be so close to opening.
“Everything we’re doing with The Forge & Fern is focused on the community, from employing local people to help us renovate the old site, right through to providing a place for everyone in the area to enjoy once we open our doors. We’re extremely proud of how it’s all come together.
“We can’t wait to welcome all of our new locals to see what we’ve done with such an iconic Staple Hill venue, and are really looking forward to serving up some great food and drinks and becoming part of the community.”
The Pub is due to open in June and will be serving from 8am, Monday to Sunday.
