Pub Operator of the Year

Last year was the inaugural year for the Pub Operator of the Year Catey. It attracted a host of entries from one of the fastest growing sectors of the catering market - the food-led pub. This new breed is setting different standards for pubs, taking away market share from other sectors and proving that pubs have recognised a changing market-place and are adapting to its needs.

The first winners of this award, Steven and Marjorie Doherty of the Punch Bowl Inn, Crosthwaite, near Kendal, Cumbria, are typical of this new generation. For Steven, who threw away city life for the country pub - he was once Albert Roux's head chef at Le Gavroche - a move into pubs was a high-risk strategy.

But it was also the realisation of a dream, to make good food accessible to a wider range of people. "I wanted to cook decent food without pomposity," he affirms.

Now that dream has paid off. In the three years since taking over the running of the Punch Bowl, a 16th century coaching inn, the Dohertys have established a thriving business, serving roughly 1,000 covers a week in peak season.

But running a tight ship needs a good partnership, and it is the joint efforts of Marjorie and Steven that make the Punch Bowl so successful. "As host at the Punch Bowl, Steven and Marjorie pool their joint talents to provide hospitality, friendliness and good food," read one nomination for last year's award.

The judges were in agreement. "They are clearly a team. They have taken real standards into the more informal dining-out sector and proved to be immediately successful. It's fresh and new," said one.

And it hasn't stopped there. The Dohertys have now spread their wings, taking over the Spread Eagle at Sawley, near Clitheroe in Lancashire.

Being the innovative pair they are, they have of course managed to turn winning a Catey to their advantage. Both pubs make mention of the Catey in their marketing brochures encouraging would-be customers to visit: "The Punch Bowl, Caterer & Hotelkeeper Pub Operator of the Year."

Astute operators will recognise the business opportunities the food-led pub still has to offer. Doherty sees himself at the start of a revolution, one which heralds a new era in catering. "There's still lots of potential in pubs," he says. "And there aren't enough people doing it."

Does Doherty have any regrets? Only one, he replies. Not having made the move into pubs sooner.

To nominate someone as Pub Operator of the Year, fill in the form on the back page of this brochure. If you wish, include a supporting statement of not more than 200 words on a separate sheet of paper.