Restaurateurs and sisters, Siobhan and Caitriona Peyton, are set to open their first pub on 12 July. The Peytons have purchased the historic Norfolk inn, Sculthorpe Mill, on the River Wensum, just two miles west of Fakenham in Norfolk.
Having acquired the lease from Greene King, the free house pub is currently undergoing a six figure major refurbishment by Shaun Clarkson (Harvey Nichols, Oxo Tower, Wallace Collection).
As well as an expanded pub area, there will be two dining rooms, a private events suite and two dining terraces at the back and front of the pub, with landscaping by Paul Brewster. Also being developed are six en- suite bedrooms scheduled to open towards the end of July with additional rooms and garden cabins to be installed for 2022.
Heading up the food operation is Elliot Ketley (pictured right) - Soho House Group, Square, Coast - who is developing the all-day menus, using produce exclusively from local farmers, fisherman and growers.
Open for breakfast through to dinner, the pub will offer weekend barbecues throughout the summer with a menu of smoked meat and whole fish on the bone, cooked outside on ‘the grizzly’ - a large charcoal fired Josper.
Siobhan Peyton (pictured left) commented, “We’ve been regulars at Sculthorpe Mill for nearly 20 years and having relocated permanently to Norfolk, we jumped at the opportunity to acquire the lease.
'This historical riverside pub is in a natural area of beauty, and we are confident it will appeal to both locals and visitors to the area. We are looking to grow the portfolio and are looking for similar rural pubs in iconic locations.”
Recruitment is currently at the top of the agenda and the sisters are hoping to recruit around 40 local staff. They will be joined by their brother, restaurateur and BBC’s Great British Menu judge Oliver Peyton, as they host a Staff Open Day today, Monday, 14 June between 4pm and 8pm.
Caitriona Peyton (pictured centre) said, “We want to showcase the exciting opportunities available at the Mill and have taken a somewhat unconventional approach by inviting prospective new staff to come along and meet us, try Eliot’s food and explore the pub. We hope this will lead to great some hires.”
Siobhan and Caitriona have hospitality in their blood. The two sisters, along with their brother Oliver Peyton, have been behind some of the UK’s most innovative restaurants including the then ground- breaking, Atlantic Bar and Grill, Mash micro-breweries, The National Dining Rooms at the National Gallery and the Wallace Collection.
They continue to operate Peyton and Byrne, British bakeries in Greenwich and central London’s Great Portland Street.
