Ringing the changes at The Bell in Ticehurst
As The Bell undertakes Phase II of a development plan that has already delivered an extended function room and bar, two key new appointments have been made take the business to the next level. Quirky in the truest sense of the word, The Bell’s reputation for eclectic design, great service and amazing food means there is pent up demand for more rooms and a glorious new restaurant. The completion of the project, with an investment of £2.5million, will result in a better segmented busines to deliver bespoke weddings, maintain a local pub that welcomes all and enhances the village of Ticehurst, as well as a rural destination that delights.
Daniel Courtney has been appointed as General Manager. Daniel spent his formative years in hospitality at luxury hotel and spa, Calcot Manor in Gloucestershire where he stayed for 10 years progressing up the ranks. He was awarded a scholarship to the prestigious Lausanne Hospitality School in Switzerland before moving on to Middleton Lodge in Yorkshire. Here he played a key role in developing this historic property as their Estate General Manager. Daniel will lead the team to realise the ambition of a boutique hotel with 17 rooms, a unique pub and restaurant as well as a prominent wedding venue.
Working with Daniel is new Head Chef, Mark Charker. Cutting his culinary teeth at Ockenden Manor Hotel, under the guidance of a Michelin Star chef, at just 23 he was the youngest successful candidate for the Roux Scholarship. Mark believes in cooking for the guest, not the chef, and promises an honest, clean and creative menu of essentially British cuisine with French influences at The Bell. There will be burgers but they will be the best bloomin’ burger you have ever tasted, as well as many new dishes on a seasonal menu to relish.
Daniel feels he has found his niche at The Bell; “Hospitality is all about individual expression and creating spaces where everyone feels welcome and well looked after. The Bell has all the right ingredients within its walls, with a great team, to deliver extraordinary experiences that are about to get even better”
What new and improved looks and feels like
Over the coming year a striking new restaurant with an adjacent kitchen to cope with increasing demand will be built and the existing kitchen will service an increasing number of weddings and functions. The new restaurant will give space back to the pub allowing more tables for drinkers, mindful of keeping local and loyal customers happy. Amazing food will be served in the restaurant of 62 covers but there will also be some simple but beautifully done pub favourites.
In the summer months, the kitchen is designed to create a buzz for alfresco dining, giving the garden a chilled holiday atmosphere with great music and lighting.
Four more bedrooms and three more lodges will be created, welcoming guests from far and wide. This additional footfall will help to ensure significant ‘secondary spend’ in other village businesses and more employment for local people, important in this part of rural East Sussex.
Timescale
Barring pandemics and world crisis, the aim is to have project completed by the end of this year/early 2023 with the ambition of being fully operational in time for they busy Spring season next year.