Leisure property specialists Fleurets has announced the sale of the freehold for The Flying Horse pub in Canterbury. Matt Sworder, an established chef and restauranteur, and his father David Sworder have acquired the freehold, off an asking price of £500,000.
The Corner House
Matt Sworder already possesses and runs a successful restaurant, The Corner House, situated in the historic village of Minster; which alongside being crowned Kent Restaurant of the Year 2015, is also featured in the Michelin Guide as well as the Good Food Guide 2016. The new venture’s menu will be similar to the popular and established menu of The Corner House, in that the emphasis will still be on locally sourced, fresh and homemade produce, including in-house produced bread, pasta and ice cream.
The new owner, Matt Sworder commented: “The menu will celebrate Great British local produce. A big part of the menu will be our sharing dishes available for either 2 or 4 guests, where you can expect to see dishes such as whole New Church Lamb shoulder for four, dauphinoise potatoes and seasonal vegetables or Bethersden Beef Briskett with triple cooked chips, slaw and super salad.
“We will also continue to champion the cuts of meat that are a little less well known yet totally delicious such as our Flat Iron steak, triple cooked chips, salad and homemade mushroom and tomato ketchups.
“The menu will be short and dynamic with many “Of The Day” dishes. Whilst there will be dishes that make it a Corner House restaurant, each kitchen has its own head chef and a creative licence has to come with each. As chefs we are a creative bunch and I enjoy working with the team on new dishes.”
Refurbishment
The property itself is yet to undergo extensive refurbishment, again replicating The Corner House’s contemporary and simplistic yet rustic interior. The floor plan is to be restructured to include an open plan visible kitchen area displaying the spectacle of the kitchen to the guests; Sworder comments, the “guest experience [is] at the heart of everything we do”.
Sworder further remarked: “It’s a beautiful period building with some stunning features so the refurbishment will be focussed on celebrating each feature and maintain the buildings natural character. I am working with some fantastic architects who have been tasked with breathing new life into the second oldest pub in Canterbury. We are hoping to have an open plan kitchen next to the dining room on the ground floor, and 3 beautiful en suite guest rooms upstairs.”
With approximately 50 covers, The Flying Horse is expected to re-open in April 2016, rebranded as The Corner House.