Help save the pub for the Community….

Wine Sale

Need to restock your cellar? Now is your chance… and at hugely reduced prices!!

In order to give Matt a fresh start on his wine list we have bought all the previous stock off him at trade prices and intend selling it at those prices!! 173 bottles of varying grapes and vintages are available.

The Wine list can be found here … and pictures of the wine can be found here.

But hurry – it won’t last long!!

Please contact Linda Simpson on 07973 183684 or lindasimpson99@gmail.com

Upcoming Events at the Stars…

Matt has a couple of events starting next week…

Steak Night

The ever popular steak night starts up again next Tuesday, 16th April where you can eat steak and all the trimmings for just £11.

Book early, I suspect it may be very popular!!

Quiz Night

He is also going to start a regular Quiz Evening beginning on Wednesday 17th April!! Future events will then run 1st May, 15th May, 29th May etc.

Matt promises me that there will be something for everyone in the questions so don’t fear things getting too difficult….I think his comment was something like, “Even you’ll be able to answer some of the questions Phil!!”. Thanks Matt!!

Teams can have up to 6 people and the cost is £2 per person. The winning team takes all and the house is offering a bottle of champagne to the winner.

So gather your friends and call the pub on 01865 343337 to book your spot. Should be a fun night!!

Aunt Sally

Plans are already under way to create an Aunt Sally court (is that the right description??!!) in the garden.

A very popular Oxfordshire game, the intention is to run teams from the pub in one of the local leagues. Now, we may well be too late to join a league this season, but practice makes perfect so Matt will spend this summer educating and training!!!

Watch this space for more information!!

Brunch and Sunday lunch

Remember, the pub is now open all day for food and drink and on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. for brunch as well.

Sunday lunch has also proved great value and as a result very popular…make sure you book as early as possible.

And Finally….

We still have a number of tables to sell …we are looking for offers over £75 for the large ones and £50 for the smaller ones. If you go into the pub Matt can show you which are which.

Offers need to be sent to Sonja van Dijk at greenwellies@btinternet.com by 5p.m. next Friday, 19th April 2013. The highest offer (timed) will secure.

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Happy, smiling faces…kids and dogs in abundance…we’ve got our pub back!!!

Matt opened the doors at 10 a.m. on Saturday and everyone rolled in…and I think its fair to say, one or two rolled out again later in the evening!! I can personally attest to the reviving qualities of one or two of the best Bloody Mary’s I have had!!

A wonderful speech by our Chair, Liz Jones (we have to get her a bigger stool to stand on – only joking Liz!!)…the ribbon, held by 2 members of the “grey beards”, Dave and John…the scissors handed over by another of the “grey beards”, Laurence, was cut by James and Rafe accompanied by Dad, David Harding…and the Pub was open!! And who will ever forget Iris Wrights magnificent cake? A momentous occasion!!

A word for the Staff

Its well worth giving all of the staff a quick pat on the back.

Led by Matt, they all coped fantastically well. With an incredibly crowded pub and a new till system, they still managed to serve everyone and turn out top quality food… it was an awesome effort.

Back to the Bloody Mary’s… I think they may be very popular!! I did notice that we managed to drink the pub out of tomato juice within the first hour and Barry, Matts Dad, was sent out on a mercy mission to stock up on supplies!!

Saturday night was even better…51 covers in for dinner…many more than has ever been managed before; It was a fantastic testament to Alan, the Chef and his kitchen brigade.

Let there be many more occasions like it in the coming months and years!!

Pictures

Many people were taking pictures…including Andreas, our “ace” village photographer! We are trying to pull a book together that will document the process of getting the pub open so keep an eye out for that over the next couple of months.

Ric Mellis, a freelance photographer, who took the pictures that appeared in the Oxford Mail, was also on hand and I have provided a link to his pictures below.

Click here for Ric’s picures

The Future

So the pub is open, but it doesn’t survive without our patronage. As Liz said , everyone in the village has made a fantastic contribution in coming together to ensure we retain the “pub as the hub”… it now needs us all to use it, and frequently!!

Matt has lots of ideas and plans and is only too happy to talk to all of you about thoughts that you may have for future events… there is a Comments book just inside the front door for you to provide your feedback and ideas.

Email addresses

And finally a quick reminder… I will be passing all of the email addresses on this list over to Matt at the end of the week so that he can keep you all up to date with happenings in the pub.

If you don’t want me to do that then please scroll to the bottom of the list and “unsubscribe”.

Thanks to you all for your support over the last 4 months – see you in the Stars for a pint very soon!!

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Finally….the pub opens!!
Matt will be opening the doors of the Seven Stars at 10 a.m. today with a semi formal ribbon cutting ceremony at Midday.

Everybody is welcome!!

Opening Hours

Worth reiterating the opening hours for everyone. They are as follows:

• Mon-Thurs 12am – 11pm
• Fri-Sat 10am – 1am
• Sun 10am – 11pm

Remember, on Friday, Saturdays and Sundays Matt is serving a Brunch menu between 10 a.m. and Midday with the full menu from Midday onwards.

Easter Bookings

I know that bookings are full for dinner tonight (Saturday) and getting that way for Easter Sunday lunch too!! However, food is available pretty much all day, everyday, so get yourself a table for lunch or dinner on Easter Monday, or maybe even a walk followed by Brunch on Easter Monday…now there is an idea!!

And remember, this a pub…muddy boots and dogs (as well as their owners!!) are welcome for a pint, a glass of wine, a coffee or whatever takes your fancy!! What about a Bloody Mary to accompany that full English!!

Here’s to the reopening of the Stars!!
Good luck Matt!!

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Well…its been hectic and not a little fraught over the last couple of weeks as the cleaning, painting, decorating, repairs and maintenance have come together!! It was only last night that Matt and his new head chef, Alan, received a functioning kitchen!

However, despite the tight time scales to get everything up and running, Matt has very kindly agreed to open the doors for customers from Saturday 30th March at 10 a.m. onwards.

Fantastic news….but grab yourself a coffee because there are lots of other things to tell!!

Opening Ceremony

Although the doors will be open for drinks from 10 a.m. we plan a semi-formal, ribbon cutting, Opening Ceremony at Midday on Saturday.
It would be fantastic if everyone could get to the pub at that time to finally raise a glass to all the hard work that the Village has put into this project over the last couple of months …look forward to seeing you all there. A photographer will be on hand to record the occasion!!

Expectations

So what can you expect when Matt opens the doors…

First of all the opening hours have changed and will now be as follows:
Mon-Thurs 12am – 11pm
Fri-Sat 10am – 1am
Sun 10am – 11pm

In terms of food, Matt and Alan will be offering great quality, British pub food food all day including kids, vegetarian and gluten free menus. The base menu will be supplemented by regular Specials. In addition, on Saturdays and Sundays, he will offer a Brunch Menu from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. – time to get the walking boots on early and reward yourself with a hearty breakfast when you finish!!

The food menu will begin on Saturday evening – book early!!

Clearly, it is very early days for the pub and getting a fully functioning kitchen only 2 days before opening makes life pretty stressful for the kitchen team!! Matt will evolve his offer over time as he receives feedback from customers.

Pub Visits and thoughts…

Lots of people have put an awful lot of time in cleaning and refurbishing the pub and will want to have a look at the end result. However, this is now Matt’s business to make a success of and he and his team need some time and space in order to do that.

2 things that Matt has suggested in order to fulfil the Village curiosity:

• He is very happy to do kitchen tours at an appropriate time. Obviously, it is impossible to go into a fully functioning kitchen in the middle of service. However, if you ask him, he will agree a time when you can come in and have a look round. Be great to compare what you saw on that first “Clean up” weekend with the way it looks now!!
• There will also be a Comments Book on the bar. Feel free to add your thoughts and ideas to that book. There is also a feedback form on the website www.savethesevenstars.com

Book a table for Easter Sunday – Roast lunch and an Easter Egg hunt for the kids!!

Have you got your Easter Lunch sorted? No? Then call Matt on 01865 343337 and book a table quickly! There will be a full Sunday Roast available.

John Clarke and Liz Jones will be organising an Easter Egg hunt for the kids from 11.00 onwards.

Share Offer

As you know the Share Offer closes at midnight on Sunday 31st March. We are still a few thousand pounds short of our target of £150k and its not too late to invest!!

The Share Offer document can be found here Continue reading →

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Well…we really are on the home stretch now!! And I promise this is the last call for volunteers pre-opening!!

The bar has been stripped, walls have been taken down and some put up…and the painter arrives this morning!! He will be hard at it now for a few days before hopefully handing the pub over to Matt early next week to complete final preparations!!

So…the focus this weekend is the Garden. Nothing too complicated…its about tidying up, sorting beds and borders, a bit of seeding here and there and some power washing of the garden tables.

A merry band of volunteers is therefore required… usual start time of 10 am, Saturday and Sunday…any time you can give will be gratefully received!

And one final, final call….

The painter is due to finish on Tuesday. We would like to give the pub a final clean down and a bit of help moving things from the barn back into the bar area.

Tuesday evening from 5pm until we finish for any further volunteers…there might even be a drink available then as well!!!

Hopefully a number of you can make one or the other…or both!!

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Simpson displaying “the technique”!!

Best laid plans and all that…sandblasting the bar didn’t quite work so we have been grinding the paint off over the course of yesterday.

However, what that means is that we are very close to deadline for the painter – he arrives on Wednesday morning.

The guys will be finished with the grinding by 2pm, but there is an awful lot of dust.

John Clark – Domestic God
(Just don;t ask about the swimming goggles!!)

Cleaners are therefore needed from 3pm onwards. If we get a few people down it shouldn’t take that long in that the bar was pretty clean before we started to make a mess!!

So, in summary….Cleaners needed from 3pm today – Tuesday

If you could bring mops, buckets and any other cleaning materials that you have to hand that would be great. We will provide dust masks and a cup of tea!!

Despite all that as you can see there was still some fun to be had!!!

Notice the foreman to the left is the only one with a glass!!

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Well, yes!!! But this time with a difference!!

Thursday 14th March at 7.30p.m. in Marsh Baldon Village Hall
Bring along your own bottle!!
Please note the change of date to Thursday, not Friday.

We have about 2 weeks to go before the pub, hopefully, opens on 30th March.

This will be a great opportunity to meet the new Landlord, Matt Ford, and give him some of your ideas and feedback direct. We also intend giving you a quick update on the repair and maintenance work and whats next in the development.

Subscription forms

The majority of people have now filled in their Subscription Forms for shares and sent their money by cheque or bank transfer. For those who haven’t quite got around to fulfilling their pledge remember the Share offer is time limited….it closes on March 31st.

Thursday might be an ideal time to bring along both your form and a cheque!!

Look forward to seeing you all on Thursday evening

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And I wasn’t there for any of it!!!

However, I can send a very grateful message from Liz Jones…

“Thanks to the many volunteers who turned out this weekend to tackle the big clean up job. Your efforts mean that we are ready to let the builders in tomorrow. It was even fun doing removals and cleaning with so many people there!”

More Volunteers Needed – 8/9th March – 16/17th March

We now need volunteers to do painting this weekend (8-9 March) and next weekend (16/17 March). If you can wield a paintbrush please contact Dave Greenaway on d.j.greenaway@hotmail.com or turn up between 10 and 4 on Saturday or 11 and 4 on Sunday (hours a rough approximation).

Change of date

Unfortunately we dropped a bit of a ricket on the date for the Village Hall meeting!!! Nuneham Courtenay village has already arranged their very popular Film Night for the evening of Friday 15th March …Les Mis this time I believe!

As a result we have changed the date and time of the Village Hall Update Meeting to Thursday 14th March at 7.30pm in Marsh Baldon Village Hall. Please change the date and time in your diaries.

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At 12 o’clock on Friday 1st March The Baldons and Nuneham Community Society Ltd completed the purchase of the Seven Stars pub!!!

Fantastic news and congratulations to everyone in the village who has come together to make this happen….give yourselves a great big pat on the back!!!

A few specific thankyou’s to make…

• David Harding – for offering advantageous terms and making the purchase as simple as possible.
• Management Committee – for all their hard work in communicating what we are trying to do and enthusing everyone around the village to want to get involved.

So…we are in the home straight but still have lots to do to get the pub open…

New Landlord!!!

We can also announce that after a detailed interview process we have appointed a new Landlord. Some background to the process…

• 32 applicants
• Detailed application including:
  • Their vision for the pub
  • Meeting the needs of the village feedback
  • Experience of operating pubs
  • Appealing to the wider community
• Slimmed down to a short list of 4
• 2 further interviews with various members of the Management Committee

And after all that we have appointed a gentleman by the name of Matt Ford

Matt has been in the business since he left university. He has nearly 15 years experience in managing pubs and bars of all different sizes right across the country. His family comes from Botley so he also knows the area.

Matts references have been outstanding:

“Really personable guy – builds great relationships with his customers”
“Really sorry when he left for competitor – knew he would do well there …and he did”
“He’ll be ideal for a local pub…expect big things from him – he’ll deliver what you want and a lot more”

No pressure then Matt!!!

Share offer

Please remember the Share Offer closes on 31st March. We currently have pledges of £146,900 and have actually collected just over £110k in the Bank.

Many people have actually increased the amount of shares they have subscribed for over and above the amount they pledged…thank you.

There is still time for people who haven’t subscribed to do so. For those who have pledged but haven’t yet filled in the Subscription Form we would really appreciate you doing that sooner rather than later. The Subscription form is here…

Repairs and refurbishment

A significant amount of work is about to start on refurbishing the pub. This work will be led and managed by Laurence Attewill and a group of volunteers are going into the pub on Saturday and Sunday to begin the clear out and clean up operation so that skilled tradesmen can start work on essential items on Monday.

We still have an aspiration to open on Saturday 30th March and will update everyone on that likelihood as we move forward with the refurb works.

Village Hall Meeting – Friday 15th March at 7.00 p.m.

We want to update everyone on the medium and long term plans for the pub at a Village Hall meeting on Friday 15th March at 7.00 p.m.

Please come along – this will be a very informal session – Matt Ford will be there to meet people and we will have plans and architect drawings of the refurbished back dining area and some ideas on the longer term developments.

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A further shout for volunteers…

It probably got a little lost in the length of my last missive…but we do need volunteers for the weekend of March 2nd / 3rd to help on 2 crews… “heavy lifting crew” and “the marigold mob”!!!

Any time you can give will be gratefully received….the more the merrier and the quicker we can get the job done. It would also be helpful if you could bring any boxes and/or packing material – cardboard or otherwise that we could pack things into.

Heavy Lifting Crew

Please contact Dave Greenaway on:
Dave Greenaway – 01865 343496 / 07747 388541 / d.j.greenaway@hotmail.co.uk

“Marigold” Mob

Please contact Sonja van Dijk on:
Sonja van Dijk – 07931 290972 / greenwellies@btinternet.com

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