How Rutland's oldest pub is rising up after lockdown

When the government announced the closing of pubs and restaurants from 21 March, just before Mother's Day, it was catastrophic for cash flow and the future of Rutland's oldest inn looked uncertain.

Within a week, The Blue Ball had reinvented itself as a Takeaway and Delivery offering proper pub food to enjoy at home, and had also set about sourcing and delivering weekly essential provisions boxes to villagers who were self isolating.

On VE Day Anniversary on 7 May the village showed it's undefeatable spirit by pulling together to put on a socially distanced commemoration and celebration starting with 2 minutes silence. The villagers put up bunting, arranged afternoon teas at the front of their properties, played 1940s music and many dressed up in 1940s outfits.

Landlord Dominic Way said: "It was a great day and a much needed boost to everyone's morale and connection during lockdown. We were proud to have helped make the day go with a swing and sold 52 boxed afternoon teas prepared by Kavanaghs Tea Rooms in Oakham."

Takeaway trade was healthy, after leafleting and social marketing, but in reality resulted in the pub taking a third of it's pre lockdown break trade.

"It was a loss, but less of a loss than shutting up shop."

Dominic continued: "We still had many of our fixed costs to meet and staff to pay. The furlough scheme and government grant helped somewhat and also the sales off Pay It Forward Vouchers" but we're still left with deferred VAT, rent and trade debts that we didn't have before closedown and still need to recoup".

The Blue Ball closed its doors in early June to get everything right and ready to reopen in July.

After deep cleaning, redecorating, reorganising all its rooms and seating, retraining staff, and extending its outdoor seating onto the former car park under a new gazebo, The Blue Ball commenced a phased reopening from 10 July with a fresh new menu and chef.

The food quality has always been a cut above pub grub but is now simply stunning - fresh, inventive and bursting with flavours, thanks to the lead of Calum Nall, a young local chef with a big following and future.

Within 4 weeks, the pub has repositioned itself as an accredited AA 'Covid Confident' and Visit England 'Good To Go' distanced dining pub, that has been awarded Tripadvisor 'Best of the Best' based on customer reviews since reopening, and has just heard that it is one of 4 finalists in Dining Pub of the Year in Great Food Club's annual awards. The winner will be announced in October.

Who knows what future challenges face the hospitality sector, with media mutterings of perhaps a second closure of pubs to preference the reopening of schools on September.

The correlation between the 2 sectors is unclear, and it's a real concern as to how many pubs can survive a second lockdown.

It would be especially hard for those venues like The Blue Ball that have turned themselves inside out and upside down to meet changing restrictions and regulations with such attention to detail.

The government Eat Out To Help Scheme running throughout August means that customers dining in at a range of participating chain and individual eateries throughout the country get a 50% discount of up to £10 per person off their food and non alcoholic drinks per visit, Monday to Wednesday, which is then claimed back from the government.

The Blue Ball is open on Wednesday evenings and Weekends, so the discount is available to all on Wednesday evenings.

Landlord, Dominic Way, explained: "Our distanced dining tables were already fully booked by the time we opened on our first Eat Out To Help Out evening. We had to turn people away on the day to maintain our reduced capacity limits. We're almost fully booked for Wednesday 12th August too.

"So it really is encouraging people to eat out. The demand is there but we are being careful to continue our rigorous Covid secure measures so there's a limit to how many people we can accommodate."

The Blue Ball offers staggered 2 hour time slots for table bookings. Outdoor tables can't be booked but people may transfer to an outdoor table on arrival if the weather is kind. Everyone arriving on site has their temperature checked before being seated. There's full table service indoors and outdoors with no standing, sitting or ordering at the bar.

All staff are thoroughly trained in proactive coronavirus

measures and everyone's hands and all touch points are regularly sanitised.

All tables and chairs are sanitised between customers and condiments are now in individual sachets or pots. Tables are no longer laid up in advance and only those from the same household or support bubble are permitted to sit at the same table, although the rooms have been redesigned to create semi private dining rooms where 2 households may sit at adjacent tables.

Their Snug and Club Room and The Old Bar are ideally set up for this and offer a cosy, semi private space for 2 households to meet up and relax together, while maintaining social distancing measures.

Dominic continued: "The thing that we've had the most difficulty with is customers occasionally attempting to bend our clear stipulations regarding single household tables.

"It's very difficult to have a customer arguing that our safety measures to minimise any risk of transmission, which have been clearly explained to them in advance, are ridiculous, then proceeding to flout them and even complaining that it's spoilt their visit that we had to insist they adhere to them.

"Most people really appreciate the reassurance that we're doing all in our power to protect them and our team, it's just the odd one who doesn't understand and tells us that they've been allowed to sit together elsewhere, as if that's relevant when we're the ones observing current government guidelines to the letter in the interests of everyone's safety here, not just theirs."

So far, with determination, agility, creativity, customer and community support, and pure love of the this quintessential rural village pub, the oldest pub in Rutland continues to offer superb food and service in a Covid secure yet relaxed and charming environment.

Long live the local!

Previous Nub News stories about the Blue Ball can be found here and here.

OPENiNG Hours:

Weds & Fri 5-11pm

Sat 12-11pm

Sun 12-8pm

TABLES

Weds & Fri 5.30-8.30pm

Sat 12-2pm / 5.30-8.30pm

Sun 12-4pm

Call 01572 722135

Text/What's App 07377 954176