The Chickpea Group will open their seventh pub with rooms (tenth site to join the group) and their first in the county of Somerset on Saturday 1st February. The opening of The Manor House Inn comes following a lengthy and sensitive renovation of a historic pub dating back to the 1600s and situated in the heart of the countryside.
The trio behind the Wiltshire based Chickpea Group are excited to have acquired The Manor House Inn in the pretty village of Ditcheat near Bruton. Sitting centrally in the village, which is probably most famous for Paul Nicholls racehorses and the production of Barber’s Cheese, the pub itself is packed with charm, period features and views of the surrounding Mendip Hills. The pub had been closed already for six months when acquired and has since been under extensive renovation for a further six months by the Chickpea team.
Keen to retain the character of the building and the wealth of original features, the team have sensitively restored the building and redesigned the upstairs to add four bedrooms above the pub and a further five in the courtyard outbuilding to the rear. The inside will have around 80 covers for drinks and dining, with a further 100 covers outside in the garden which wraps around the pub on three sides. The main bar will boast flagstone floors, exposed beams, an open fire and plenty of comfortable banquette seating and cosy corners. The old skittle alley has been opened up to hold more covers, a dedicated ‘Nole’ pizza kitchen and the addition of bifold doors to add light and an open walk through to a new outside terrace in the warmer months.
The bedrooms will have a calming colour palette with pops of colour coming from the eclectic artwork, soft furnishings and armchairs. All the bedrooms will have king size beds with feather down bedding, Moroccan rugs and en-suite bathrooms with Land & Water products. Two of the bedrooms will boast roll top tubs, with all the rooms above the pub featuring arched gothic windows.
The kitchen will be led by Head Chef, Jamie McDougall who joined the Chickpea Group in 2022 and has been Head Chef of the award-winning Bell & Crown in Zeals since then. Joining as General Manager is Ed Boylan who previously managed The Old Pharmacy in Bruton and has been running the Chickpea Group’s newest pub, The King’s Arms in Shaftesbury in Dorset until now.
As with the group’s existing sites, the food offering will be of great importance and the team are excited to work with the abundance of excellent local suppliers here in the South West. Diners can expect the usual ‘Pub Banger’ menu of hearty fare, alongside pizzas from the Nole pizza kitchen and an array of bar snacks and delicious puddings. The wine list will be provided by Gardner and Beedle, plus local beers from Rude Giant and Woodshedding at Westcombe among others.
Sample dishes for the launch menu will include:
Westcombe rarebit croquettes, pickled walnut
Brixham crab flatbread, lemon, capers
Pig’s head scrumpet, piccalilli, shallot
Beer battered haddock, chips, smashed peas, tartare, curry sauce
English rose veal liver, mash, onions, greens, gravy
Chicksgrove beef + stout pie, mash, gravy
Whole Cornish seabass, agretti, tardivo, caper butter
Roasted squash, goats cheese, spinach, pangrattato
Rib eye steak, poached carrots, nduja butter, chips
Spatchcock Castlemead chicken, rainbow kale, chimichurri
Sticky toffee pudding, butterscotch, vanilla ice cream
Somerset Cider Brandy syllabub, shortbread
Vanilla burnt cream, blood orange
Scroppino
“We are so excited to head west and get stuck into the Somerset food and drink scene. The Manor House Inn is a truly beautiful pub with cosy nooks and plenty of outside space. It offers everything we look for in a Chickpea country boozer. The pub has always been incredibly well-supported by the local area, so we hope people are as excited about opening as we are. We’re buzzing to meet our new locals at the bar – the first one’s on us!” Ethan Davids, Co-Founder, Chickpea Group
The Manor House Inn will open on the 1st February and reservations are now open via their website. Overnight stays are priced from £100 per night B&B based on two people sharing.
Find out more through their website at www.manorhouseinn.co.uk and www.chickpea.group
