Margot Henderson OBE announces her new pub The Three Horseshoes will open in April

Alex South

Alex South

Editor

The Three Horseshoes with food from Margot Henderson OBE, will open April 25th 2023 and will be open from 12pm - 11pm seven days a week.

Located in the countryside village of Batcombe, The Three Horseshoes is an 18th century pub, dining room and lodging lovingly restored from its origins and rewoven into a luxurious pub with rooms, offering glorious isolation and country comforts, where food is heartfelt, wholesome and produce driven.

Margot is now one of Britain’s most respected and acclaimed chefs.

After training in her home country, Margot moved to London where she later opened the French House dining room with her husband and founder of St John, Fergus Henderson, who she met whilst working at The Eagle.

Commenting on her new venture, Margot said: “I’ve spent many weekends over the years visiting family and making lifelong friends in the area. Through these years I’ve become inspired by the rich, quality produce available in Somerset, so I’m excited to be embarking on this journey to the South West and taking advantage of all that is available there”

Margot and Head Chef Nye Smith have created a menu driven by seasonal ingredients from their suppliers.

The menu will be concise and perfectly formed, allowing the quality produce from trusted suppliers including the family-run smokery by Brown and Forest, Swaledale, Westcombe Dairy and Marcus & Penn from Feltham’s Farm, to speak for itself.

Available from lunch through to late evening, the dining room menu will have a delicate simplicity at its heart, featuring plates of Westcombe Dairy cold cuts; wild garlic and bread broth; grilled Old Spot chop and apple sauce; roast beetroot, goats curd and watercress; double lemon pudding.

Margot and Nye’s menu will be accompanied by the beautiful bar which will boast a range of local ciders, craft beers and a concise wine selection - all joyfully poured by the bar team and making the perfect pit stop and dining backdrop.

Stone steps will lead from the lower terrace to the main garden, which boasts borders and beds bursting with continuously flowering roses, geraniums, hydrangeas and an abundance of salvias; while falling plants such as rock-roses and Mexican daisies will spill over garden and pub walls.

Moving inside the pub, guests will be greeted by an original, roaring inglenook fireplace, stone and wooden floors and beamed ceilings in the bar, leading visitors to the ovulated dining area, which has been restored in collaboration with interior designer Frances Penn.

A 16th style century bench will take pride of place by the entrance - joined by Georgian chairs and tables from the 18th and 19th centuries in the bar and dining room. Natural tones and fabrics on the ground floor will be contrasted with burgundy and chestnut curtains, ochre velvet window seats and detailed bar joinery.

Looking to the five bedrooms above, each will be stylish whilst retaining the historical character of the pub - fit with comfortable beds, spacious en-suite bathrooms and luxurious furnishings.

All rooms will feature traditionally-styled armchairs, while three bedrooms will feature sofas - upholstered with fabrics from the likes of Fermoie, Linwood and Guy Goodfellow.

Antique 18th and 19th century desks, bedside tables and chests of drawers will complete the bedroom furniture; while bathrooms will be finished in traditional Victorian styles from CPHart, with white ceramics, nickel fittings and white terracotta glazed tiles.

In these challenging times…

The Staff Canteen team are taking a different approach to keeping our website independent and delivering content free from commercial influence. Our Editorial team have a critical role to play in informing and supporting our audience in a balanced way. We would never put up a paywall and restrict access – The Staff Canteen is open to all and we want to keep bringing you the content you want; more from younger chefs, more on mental health, more tips and industry knowledge, more recipes and more videos. We need your support right now, more than ever, to keep The Staff Canteen active. Without your financial contributions this would not be possible.

Over the last 12 years, The Staff Canteen has built what has become the go-to platform for chefs and hospitality professionals. As members and visitors, your daily support has made The Staff Canteen what it is today. Our features and videos from the world’s biggest name chefs are something we are proud of. We have over 500,000 followers across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and other social channels, each connecting with chefs across the world. Our editorial and social media team are creating and delivering engaging content every day, to support you and the whole sector - we want to do more for you.

A single coffee is more than £2, a beer is £4.50 and a large glass of wine can be £6 or more.

Support The Staff Canteen from as little as £1 today. Thank you.

Alex South

Alex South

Editor 31st March 2023

Margot Henderson OBE announces her new pub The Three Horseshoes will open in April