Michelin experienced chef to run the Rose Inn
Former St John and Marksman chef Billy Stock wants the Rose Inn at Wickhambreaux to remain a local drinking hole, writes Marijke Hall
Billy Stock - Image from @theroseinnpub
After more than a decade working in some of the capital’s trendiest and acclaimed restaurants, chef Billy Stock has swapped his fast-paced city life - and the commute - for the pumps of the Rose Inn (@theroseinnpub).
The historic village pub in Wickhambreaux near Canterbury is admittedly a world away from St John and Rochelle Canteen - just two of the places Stock has worked during his 15 year career. But the 30-year-old, a long time Kent local, says he won’t be modernising or changing the feel of the inn.
“It’s idyllic, it’s beautiful, you don’t have to do much for it to look gorgeous,” he said. “The pub itself is from the 13th century, so I don’t want it to look flashy or new.
“The idea is, even though I’ve got 15 years experience as a chef, I’m not trying to take the pub over, change it and make it all about food. I want it to be the locals’ drinking hole.
“I want it to be where you can drink and enjoy yourself and kind of be left alone in the corner if you want to have a couple of pints. But if you decide you want to go across to the other side of the pub and have some really good food, then you can.”
Stock - who also worked at Marksman Public House in Hackney, which was named Michelin Pub of the Year in 2017 - says he wants to take it back to the basics of an independently run tavern, with a limited number of covers and a small, happy team of staff.
“I’ve been looking for something to do for myself but I wanted a business that’s sustainable and where the staff are taken care of.
“People are coming out of lockdown thinking ‘I want to do better’, taking back relationships, friendships and family and not overworking themselves and getting exhausted. The industry is very well known for that.
“I knew if I was going to do something it had to be something that can be maintained and people are taken care of and feel like work isn’t the only thing in their life.
“The pub the size that it is and the number of covers means it’s possible for the staff and me to have a life as well as work, which is best for everyone and then it all feels a bit happier.”
He admits cheffing is a stressful job, with long hours, and you “don’t always see daylight”.
“At the end of the day, it is just food - I think surgeons have more of a stressful job - but yes it is stressful and the idea is to break that stereotype and say it doesn’t have to be like that.”
Despite his desire for a better work/life balance, he says he is currently the only one in the kitchen while also carrying out his new role of publican. But he says with 30 covers, it’s manageable and he’s enjoying it.
The food is local and seasonal using producers and suppliers from nearby.
“The menu changes pretty much daily because of the seasonality and what the farmers have,” he explains. “I don’t want to be structured with a menu that has to be the same all the time. If I run out of something, I will just change it to something else.
“For instance, we had crab and lovage for a starter the other day and then on the Sunday I changed it to mussels with lovage.”
He also has plans for the sun-trap beer garden, including an outside bar and a rotisserie chicken offer.
But he admits his main goal is to keep the community happy by providing a great restaurant and pub on their doorstep.
“I try to tell everyone that it’s a real, single handedly-run independent, which is traditionally what I think pubs used to be about,” he said. “I’m trying to have a warming atmosphere, which wreaks of the character of the pub.
“The food will follow suit, very simple but very tasty. I want it to be a great night out and not a business where you try to get everyone in and out as quickly as possible.
“You can come here and you can have your table for the night and just enjoy yourself.”
