The new owners of a village pub say they have "lots of ideas" for the future. Dan and Sandeep Thandi are taking over the reins at the Little John Inn in Ravenshead on Wednesday (March 8).
The married duo run another rural pub, The Plough in Caunton, which they took over last October, plus Lemon & Thyme Catering which creates bespoke menus for private dining, corporate events and weddings.
Dan said: "We are super excited. We have lots of ideas but at the moment our aim is really focus on customer service. We will continue to do amazing pub classics which is an absolute must with our talented kitchen team, who also have lots of ideas to bring to the Little John. Potentially we will have a guest ale of the month served from the bar.
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"Also we want to do events. It has such an amazing outside space with so much potential and we have lots of exciting ideas in mind. It has a barn outside which once was an active function room. We hope to bring that back to life."
Sandeep, who is well-known for his Punjabi cooking, will be introducing Indian evenings at the Ravenshead pub, just like they have in Caunton. "We have them at the Plough Inn and we get some incredible feedback. We used to provide a takeaway service from our home in Bingham and the locals loved it," said Dan.
Between them Dan and Sandeep have 35 years experience in the hospitality industry. Sandeep used to work in hospitality recruitment supplying staff to events such as Royal Ascot and Epsom Derby.
Dan worked his way up to general manager at the award-winning Langar Hall, starting there as a waiter at the age of 15. He attributed his love of hospitality to the hall's former owner Imogen Skirving, whose life was cut short by a horrific accident when she was struck by a motorist while walking in Menorca in 2016.
Dan, who worked there for nine years, said: "We have a real passion, myself and Sandeep on customer experiences, which is my ultimate passion with being taught by the expert Imogen from the age of 15.
"After we lost Imogen, who was so close to me, I didn’t want to waste the passion and drive she instilled in me so from opening up the catering business with my husband to having a permanent premises, I can use the skills she taught me and continue with her memory as she had some close friends also in Ravenshead who I’m very much excited to see.
"Being by her side whilst at Langar Hall, little things you didn’t think of at the time that you wouldn’t think as useful about running your own business have become so useful for me when starting up and running my current businesses so I have a lot to thank her for.
"I also want to give youngsters the option to do what I did, gaining qualifications whilst at work, so I will be contacting the local colleges. I was able to gain qualifications while I was a a waiter at Langar Hall which led to me becoming general manager."
The Little John Inn, in Main Road, is popular for its Sunday roasts and is dog-friendly. Dan and Sandeep are taking over from Nicky Mayoh and her partner Neil Crain, who said they leaving the pub with "heavy heart" and sadness. They urged the locals to support the new owners, adding: "They need your love and support to keep the Little John being the great place it is."
They will be running the Rose Cottage at Rufford and the Old Reindeer in Edingley. "They finished by saying: We would like to thank all our lovely customers for their support all staff past and present for making the John an amazing place for us."
Nicky and Neil saved the pub from permanent closure in April 2020 when the previous owners announced they would be calling time for good.
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