Notes from a Small Village - Richard Belcher makes 40!

Chobham visited West End last night, Sunday September 16th, to celebrate the coming of age of Richard Belcher, and they appeared fairly pleased to have made the journey. Copious quantities of Youngs and Pride were consumed, Rib of Beef was washed down with fine wine and English cheeses with some of Portugals finest, er Port. Gossip recent and ancient was shared, and Mel got his Sardines and Richard his pipe. Mopani worms were the after dinner delicacy for the rich and famous, despite not being Annelids at all but lepidopterous larvae. After dinner cigars were taken (outside) and everyone laughed at Richards speech, unfortunately in between the gags rather than at the carefully crafted humourous bits!

Well done Rich, thanks mum for paying the bar bill and the local taxi firms for taking them all back to the Chobham central. West End will never be the same again.

Nearly the end of April and I just don't know where the year has gone. Had a bit of a horrible start as we realised we were overstaffed for the turnover we were doing and we needed to have more flexible part time staff and less full time staff. We had to go through a dreadful selection process before letting two really good members of staff go. It spoilt my Christmas and was not particularly pleasant for any of us here for the first couple of months of the year. Now we are recruiting and training part time staff who we can call on when we are looking to be particularly busy.

Have you ever tried recruiting staff? You would be amazed at the number of people who call and make arrangements for come for interview and then don't show up. I mean just no show! The there are those who think that bar and restaurant work is easy and they can just turn up and start doing the job without realising that they will need training. Yes training in how to meet, greet, serve drinks, make coffee, serve wine, recognise the food we serve, understand the menus, recognise the food, serve the food, print the bills etc etc. No, they think they can just turn up and will know how to do it. It is when we are recruiting new staff that we realise just how good the staff we have are, and yes, we do remember to tell them.

One of the things I hate about this job is the beaurocracy. Two years ago we had to apply for new licences with new property plans and lots of forms not to mention the several hundred pound cheque to go with them to the local authority, Surrey Heath. We used to be licensed by the local magistrates at £30 per three years but this is now £195 per year in addition to the 'joining fee' we had to pay to start with. They have now discovered that they forgot to mention that the term 'licensed area' now means something different so we have all got to check that we got our original drawings right or we might not be licensed to serve drinks and food in the garden. Just another little irritation to get the blood pressure up to a suitable level.

I've just paid the tax and Ni final payment for the year, a meagre £78,000 to Gordon to help him keep the various causes he supports in money. Then there is the 20k plus we donate per quarter in VAT as well as our personal tax and NI, and our little pub of about 800 square foot gives around 200k per annum to the treasury for the pleasure of trading as a little local pub restaurant. Then there is the 10 to 15 hours per week to process such payments, licences etc and it is no wonder that Ann, along with many other potential entrepreneur, employers asks is it worthwhile? I would not be at all surprised to find England very short of business talent and young people wanting to take risks in the next ten to twenty years with all the problems that will bring with it. If there aren't small businesses then there is nothing to grow into large businesses. No large businesses and there will be much less employment. Oh Gordon, what have you done?

I'll try and get my happy hat on before I write the next of my little missives. In the meantime, keep smiling and keep visiting us at The Inn.

Cheers for now

Gerry

Dear Diners and Quaffers,

Welcome to 2007 at the Inn, when January would not be January without celebrating Burns Night, which we do this year on the actual day, 25th January. Lee has got a super menu together and with pipes and whisky we will toast the old bard. Do book a table and join us but be quick as this one fills up fast! £29.95 for a four course meal including a nip with the haggis. How about making the toast to the lasses, or the response on their behalf? Please give me a call or message on 07767 802241.

As we enter the new year we have had a few gongs passed our way. The energy and enthusiasm of all the gang has led to a great full page review in The Shooting Gazette for January. Amazing what a good meal and a decent bottle of claret for the editor can do! Also, we have just heard that we have been awarded the title of Gastropub of the South East by the trade paper The Morning Advertiser. The award dinner is on February 1st when the national winners will be announced so keep your fingers crossed for us. It is only just reward for all the staff at The Inn who work so hard to make it a great place to come.

On Saturday February 10th we will be holding a wine tasting and lunch from 12 to 2.30, to help you fill up your depleted wine racks. Come and have a simple two course lunch and taste some wines for just £17.50 - a bargain if ever there was one- or just taste the wines for £7.50. Talking of bargains, we are now running the same menu lunch and dinner on Monday to Thursday and Saturday Lunch. So what you say! So what? It means that if you just want to nip out for a bite to eat, as opposed to a special celebration, you can have our two course menu for just £10.75. That's bordering on that blasphemous word not to be uttered near The Inn, (schhh) cheap!

Wednesday February 14th is a special evening and you should book early for this, Valentines Night. We will have a great menu for £35.00 and look forward to making your romantic dinner go well. For those of you whose romance has turned into a more practical form of emotion, especially with interest rates creeping up, why not make up a table of six and have a free bottle of our Vilmart Champagne? Those with more careful wives will appreciate the economy and you'll probably have more fun with friends, sort of an all win I'd say. When you book just mention the 'Swingers Special' Promotion!

Another date for the diary, if only because it is sooo busy is Sunday March 18th , Mothers Day. Make sure you book a table and don't forget to invite mother!

For the golfers among you our Inn @ West End Golden Putter Golf Society has two dates to 'diarise' as my American friend says - Thursday April 5th at Worplesdon and Wednesday June 6th at Woking. Breakfast, eighteen holes and then lunch back at The Inn for Just £85.00 is really good value and great fun. Book early as we have just 24 spaces booked for each.

As you know we are an adult friendly pub and those of you with young children sometimes have trouble getting Baby Sitters. Why not try looking up nicksbabysittingservice.co.uk? They specialise in looking after under fives and I have heard good reports - it could just be the answer when you want to come to The Inn.

Rightly of wrongly we have stopped selling Courage Best and are trying Young's Ordinary Bitter at the moment. It is a lovely pint and just 3.7% so a good falling over value. Wines of the moment that need trying - The Quinta dos Rocques Tinto is rich and raisiny, great to go with winter stews and casseroles and also with the fab new pies Lee and the guys are producing now. Muga Rioja Rose also deserves a mention. Wonderful and fresh, from this traditional Rioja Alta producer. Finally, if you are into expensive but good value clarets, have yourself a bottle of the 1982 Chateau Montrose. Really great wine, though not for the financially challenged!

Best Wishes to you all and we look forward to seeing you soon,

Gerry, Ann and all the gang

November can be a bit of damp and dark month where we all think of hibernating or dream of being in the Caribbean but we have some alternatives here at The Inn. On Wednesday 29th November we highly recommend that you come to our Meet the Winemaker dinner with Luis Pato. An engineer by training, he now makes wine in the Bairrada region of Portugal and is well known for the fantastic flavours that he coaxes out of the Baga grapes but also for cocking a snoot at the regional winemaking authorities. £49.50 for eight wines with dinner and a really interesting evening.

For those of you with American roots we are having a Thanksgiving Dinner on Thursday 23rd November. This used to be Beaujolais Day and we are more than happy NOT to drink Beaujolais but to celebrate in style with our American cousins. £29.50 for three course dinner including a toast to the constitution. If any of you have ideas about Thanksgiving and want to share them with me, please do as I have never been to one.

On the Thursday 30th November we have taken up a request by some customers to have a Kilt Night to celebrate St Andrews Day. It wont be a rerun of Burns night, though I can't promise that there wont be some Haggis and a bit of Burns poetry on the night. £29.50 for dinner plus a wee dram to celebrate the special place Scotland has in our hearts, even us Sassenachs.

On Saturday 25th November we will be holding a Saturday lunch winetasting to help you decide what wines you might want in the house for dinner. A taster of about ten seasonal wines including Sherry and Port for just £7.50 or £17.50 including a simple two course lunch. Please book as this could be very busy.

As we move up to Christmas you will be thinking about presents no doubt and we can help in several ways. Some of you may not know that our Vicky is a jeweller by trade and on Saturday 18th November from 12noon until 6pm she will have a display of her hand made silver jewellery which could be just the thing to give someone special for Christmas. Why not come down for lunch at The Inn and do some present buying at the same time? You will also be able to buy Inn @ West End gift vouchers which we can print up specially for you. These make good presents for those friends that are difficult to buy for and can be for any amount to suit your budget. Finally, how about a special meal for six in our wine cellar room with wines to match? Lee and I arrange the Lunch or Dinner to suit your taste, so get six of you together and speak to us about your special meal.

For all enquiries either e-mail us on greatfood@the-inn.co.uk or call on (01276) 858652.

We look forward to hearing from you and seeing you soon.

Gerry, Ann and all the gang at The Inn @ West End

Well let's hope so anyway! Having had a scorcher of a couple of months in June and July, we have certainly has some rain in August. Sunday 13th will be remembered in West End and surrounding villages for the deluge that affected so many people, with houses flooded, roads closed and travel plans disrupted. I could see carpets, furniture and the like being carried away over the following days and hope you weren't too badly affected. Fortunately, The Inn was in the dry but the 'phone lines were knocked out and we are having to run the business via mobile 'phone for the time being. Apologies if we haven't responded to e-mails or if your calls seem to be on rather poor lines, they are having to be diverted to my mobile!

Hopefully the dry weather, and the telephone, will be back for our Bank Holiday Barbecue next Sunday evening, the 27th August, when we will wish Hayley Bon Voyage on her trip to Australia. The barbecue will be on the go from 6pm for an hour or so and at £15.00 for a two course meal will be a great way to round off the day. If you don't fancy the barbecue the restaurant will be open too.

On Bank Holiday Monday, 28th August, we are having our annual Boules competition starting at about 11.30 with teams of three competing for the coveted trophy. Entry is £30 per team to include a sheep roast lunch by Juan the Argentinean sheep roaster and if you don't fancy Boules, the restaurant is, of course, open as usual. There will be a marquee in case the weather is a bit damp and a jazz band to up the tempo, so we look forward to seeing you for a great day.

Many thanks for your support with 0ur World Cup Raffle which raised just over £2000 for Children with Special Needs and Woking Hospice. Pity the boys didn't lift the World Cup but Manuel was very happy that he got one over on Tony! Cost Tony £10 I think. I hope you don't mind but we could do with your help again. Over the last three summers, Olwyn Bradley has become involved helping children who have been affected by the fallout, literally, from the Chernobyl disaster. Some of you have already helped hosting children or buying raffle tickets and on Sunday evening, September 10th, there is a chance to help again. We are holding a dinner to raise money and awareness for this very good cause. The evening will cost £25 for a three course meal of which £10 will go to the charity. Olwyn will tell us a little about the work, and some of the funnier moments of this years visit while we have some good food and wine. How about getting up a table of four or six and coming along for the fun? We would like to get 50 people for this fundraising night with the emphasis on Fun, so please ask a few friends.

On Thursday 14th September we are having another wine tasting dinner with a special look at Spain. I know lots of you like Rioja and we will have some wines from there but there will also be Ribero del Duero, Galicia and other interesting wines from this beautiful country. Why not come and explore them with us? At £49.50 including wine this is too good to miss.

Following on from the wine dinner, on Saturday 16th September we will be having a wine tasting lunch with various wines to buy for home. £17.50 for the tasting including a two course lunch or £7.50 for the tasting only. Please call to book as these lunches are usually very popular.

The Inn has been No Smoking since June and overall the response has been very positive. I am sorry for those of you who miss the occasional cigar but vast majority of our customers keep telling us how wonderful it is. We are looking at ways we can improve facilities for smokers outside, when we can afford it, and if you have any specific ideas, please let me know.

As the evenings draw in there is more attraction to indoor entertainment so why not come along for our next Quiz on Sunday September 2nd at about 7.30. Martin Owton, our fiendish quizmaster, will return with more challenging questions (can they get any more challenging?) while the landlords twisted, alcohol soaked brain will provide the food and drink challenge. Why not book a table and quiz at the same time?

Another plus to Autumn approaching is the thought of Venison,Grouse,Partridge, Pheasant and other game reappearing on the menu. Lee and his team in the kitchen make the maximum of this most free range of meat as they do of the produce we buy from the organic Hyden's Farm in Hampshire. They put an extraordinary amount of effort into sourcing the products, preparing it (they are great pluckers) and producing really tasty meals for your delectation. We hope the difference is noticeable in the flavours of the meals you eat. I, of course, consider it my duty to ensure the wines we serve are also special and taste as many wines as I can to bring you the best there is on offer. If I occasionally seem slightly off peak it could be that I have been trying just too hard on your behalf!

Another thought for Sunday evening entertainment, how about a return of the film night in the garden room? As we have a decent flat screen TV and DVD why not arrange to watch a film together and have a bite to eat afterwards as we tried with South Hill Park, before they nicked my idea! Please give me a call if you fancy organising such a cultural event.

We hope to see you over the bank holiday week-end or in the near future,

Gerry, Ann and all the gang at The Inn @ West End

PS don't forget, if you would like an exclusive wine tasting meal for six in the cellar room, please come and talk to us about your likes and dislikes and see what we can do to help you celebrate.

Dear Diners and Quaffers,

'At last you have the toilets that The Inn @ West End deserves'. So said one of our customers after Keith Bush, the Mayor of Surrey Heath, ceremoniously opened our new loos last week. We are very pleased with the reaction not only to the toilets, but to the general tidy up that we have carried out right through the building, new wine room and garden. It is of course a never ending job but we are happy that you like the gradual development that is going on at The Inn.

Now that the building work is not taking all my time we can plan the next wine tasting on Saturday July 1st between 12 midday and 3pm when I will show some new Rosés amongst other wines for summer drinking. The price is £7.50 for the tasting or £17.50 for the tasting plus a two course meal. If you spend more than £75 on wine, the tasting charge will be deducted from your order. Please call to book a table as these lunches can be very busy. On the subject of wine, we will be keeping stock of our more popular wines, as well as some more exclusive wines, in our new tasting room so you can buy these at off-sale prices. The room will also be available for wine tasting meals for six people. Please ask for more details.

In response to the overwhelming majority of our customers and with regard to the health of our staff, The Inn will be going no smoking as from Monday June 19th. The lawned area of the garden and the area to the front of the pub will still be available for those who need to light up but the dining patio and all internal areas will be no smoking. I hope that you, like us, will embrace this change positively.

The quality of food at The Inn goes from strength to strength, thanks to head chef Lee Watts and his team. Searching for quality local ingredients, some of which are organic such as the meat we buy from Hyden's Organic farm, and knowing what to do with them when you have them, makes The Inn stand out from the crowd when it comes to flavour and taste. The food at our Lustau Sherry dinner last week was outstanding and our summer menu, which will be introduced next Tuesday, looks really good too with some interesting salads, return of the lamb parcel and a wicked Summer Pudding! But it isn't just the quality that excels; on the 4th July, we have been invited to receive an award from Surrey Heath for kitchen hygiene over and above that required by legislation. All in all, it isn't surprising that the write up in the next AA pub guide is as good as it is!

On Thursday August 17th we are fortunate to have David Wright and David Williams to explore summer wines with a menu put together by Lee. Eight wines and five courses on an August evening at just £49.50 seems too good an opportunity to miss. Give us a call on (01276) 858652 to book your table.

On Monday August 28th ,we will have our annual boules competition, sheep roast and jazz day. Teams of three will compete for the coveted Inn Boules trophy so you better get practicing. In fact, this will be a busy weekend as Sunday night the 27th August we will be having Hayley's Hoolie to send her on her way for her three month trip to Australia. There will be a barbecue,(£15 including dessert) and you will be very welcome to come along and wish Hayley Bon Voyage. Barbecue served from 7pm and restaurant open as normal from 6pm. Why not use it as an excuse to have a practice game of boules for Monday?

As a predominately dining establishment we were not going to take too much notice of the World Cup but after I was offered a signed soccer shirt as a prize we have decided to have a World Cup Raffle in aid of Woking Hospice and Children with Special Needs. We have some great prizes such as a Magnum of 1966 Graham's Port, a bottle of 1966 Armagnac and a voucher for £196.66 to spend on a meal with friends at The Inn. I have enclosed a book of FIVE (not ten as it says on the front) raffle tickets and if you would like to help us try and raise £10,000 by July 9th, please bring them, with £10 for the tickets, next time you come in for a drink or a meal. If it is more convenient you can pay for your meal and the tickets at the same time.

While on the subject of helping others, regular customer Olwyn Davidson is secretary to Chernobyl Children Lifeline Group who are hosting a four week stay for fifteen children who have been affected by the nuclear disaster twenty years ago. This is the second year they have arranged such a stay and when the children return to Russia they are given supplies of things like vitamins and over the counter medicines. If you would like to help in any way, please call Olwyn on (01276) 473929. We will also be holding a fundraising dinner on Sunday 10th September. The three course meal will be £25.00 with £10 of that money going to the charity. A fun evening with raffle, auction and quiz, please do come along support Olwyn and her team.

Finally, a mention for the two gardeners at The Inn, Henry and, of course, me! With no hint of modesty I have to say that the hanging baskets and garden at The Inn really are a treat at the moment. With our own well to draw on, the herbs, runner beans, nasturtiums and everything else are now growing beautifully after a slow start. If only for horticultural reasons, you really should come down and see how the place is looking, you won't be disappointed.

Whether for a bite to eat, a glass of something refreshing or just to bring your raffle tickets in, we look forward to seeing you soon.

Best Wishes

Gerry, Ann and all the gang at The Inn @ West End

PS don't forget, if you would like an exclusive wine tasting meal in the cellar room or small get together in the garden room, please come and talk to us about your plans.

Dear Inn @ Westenders,

The last two months seem to have just rushed by. In that time Kircher Building Services from Lightwater have done a great job creating our new 'Garden Room' to replace the old lean to conservatory and it truly look as though it belongs to The Inn. Renoned local artist Emma Gregory has a stunning painting of hers on the wall and the bookshelves have given me a chance to expand my library slightly. There is a 32" flat screen hidden away which can be linked up to a laptop for your powerpoint presentations, so the room will be available to hire for meetings, slide shows and film nights. There might even be the (schhh) occasional World Cup England game on too!

Having finished the garden room, Kirchers have moved on to refurbishing the toilets and adding a new boiler for that end of the building. A little company called 'Loos for Doos' have made quite a name for themselves by providing the smartest, most upmarket set of temporary toilets for us while the permanent ones are being rejigged. I have visions of local paper headlines such as 'Diners relieved at temporary toilets' or some such thing! You simply HAVE to come down and see them for yourselves, as if you need an excuse!

Despite the building work the good food and wine continue as ever. On Thurday May the 11th we are exceedingly fortunate to have Dirk Nieport at The Inn hosting a Dinner with Douro wines including Port. Dirk is one of the worlds finest winemakers and all round good guy so we are very happy to welcome him to West End. There are still a few places left for dinner which is £49.50 including wine.

With any luck you will receive this before the next quiz night which is on Sunday 7th May at around 7.30 pm. Why not come down for a meal and quiz as you eat? Martin Owton is our quizmaster as usual and there may even be one of my dreadfully devious food and drink rounds. Please book if you are going to dine.

As I write this, Lee our head chef is off in the wilds of Hampshire collecting a whole organic lamb from Hyden Organics, a farm not far from the A3(M) and so convenient for us to visit when we go to Portsmouth to collect fresh fish. One of our ideas is to buy locally bred and reared whole lambs and make dishes for your delectation from the various parts of the whole animal rather than just buying in, say, rump. Organic, local lamb is more expensive than animals that have travelled long distances (strange really, huh?) but we are trying to go with the food miles idea and will see how it works. Feedback please.

Another event not to be missed is on June 8th when we will be having a Sherry and Spanish wine dinner in conjunction with Lustau Sherry. From bone dry fino with Olives to Rioja with, say, Lamb and rich, sweet Pedro Ximenez with the Vanilla ice cream as well as a few others to show you just how good Sherry can be, this is an evening not to be missed. At £44.50 for five course dinner including wines, thanks to support from Lustau, this is great value. Get a few friends together and call us to book your table.

At the back of The Inn behind the garden room is a small building which I think used to be a laundry. We are smartening it up in a rustic sort of way so that we can use it as a wine tasting room for six to eight people. I am hoping to have a full range of wines available to sell at off sales prices and maybe some wine books and gifts too. Should be ready middle to end of June, so keep a look out.

As well as spending money on the building, we are also investing in two new stoves for the kitchen as we have worn the others out already! We serve about 500 meals per week or around 25,000 per year, so the kit gets quite a hammering. The new ones should be more efficient and harder wearing than the old ones and will make Lee and the guys life a bit easier, especially on those busy nights when maximum cooking space is needed.

The new Alastair Sawday 2006 Pub Guide is out and we are one of their main entries again. I have a few spare copies which I will give away to the writer of the best Limerick involving The Inn or any of the team here. Not too rude please! Entries to me at The Inn by June 9th please. I don't know if you are familiar with the Alastair Sawday guides but they are well worth getting to know. Smaller and more personal than some of the others they are very useful when travelling round the country and Europe too. You'll see some of them on the bookcase at The Inn so do take a look.

The new vintage of Quinta da Murta white wine has arrived and is as good as ever, especially for Summer drinking. Bordeaux wine producers are into their annual hype of wines 'En Primeur' and prices look quite daft. I am hoping some of the smaller Chateaux will be more reasonable or else I won't be buying any this year. From Australia we have just started to stock the Peter Lehman Riesling 2004 which is dry, and zesty with citrus flavours. Really good for the warm weather (we hope), as is our Quinta da Giesta Rosé from just north of Lisbon.

Finally, don't forget Boules on the Bank Holiday on May 29th and the big day, August 28th. If you want to practice at any time just ask at the bar for some boules and if I am not doing anything, I might just challenge you to a couple of ends.

That's the news folks. I hope we will see you at The Inn soon for dinner or a spot of lunch or just a glass of something when checking out the super loos! Keep clinking!

Best Wishes

Gerry, Ann and all the gang at The Inn @ West End