GRAPEVINE THE
YOUR INSIDE SCOOP ON ALL THINGS CHESTNUT
SUMMER 2025
InnTRODUCTION
WELCOME TO THE SUMMER EDITION OF OUR TEAM UPDATE.
The sun’s out (mostly), terraces are buzzing, and we have lots to celebrate across the Chestnut family. From shiny new rooms and pubs joining the fold, to inspiring partnerships, and cricketing triumphs.
First, here is a warm welcome from our founder, Philip Turner.
Inn-the KNOW
NEW
FACES, EXCITING PARTNERSHIPS AND TEAM WINS. HERE ARE A FEW OF THE HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE LAST FEW MONTHS…
PUBS WITH ROOMS
A big welcome to The White Horse in Blakeney and The Red Lion in East Bergholt — the latest new gems in the Chestnut collection
The White Horse is a well-loved village pub, a short walk from panoramic views over the salt marshes of North Norfolk.
The Lion is in the heart of Constable Country and will be roaring back to life later this summer, after a touch of Chestnut sparkle.
Welcome to all the new team members — we are thrilled to have you on board.
COMMERCIAL
Connock Verdant launch
Connock marked the launch of their new signature scent — Verdant — in unforgettable style, with 25 influential women (and Philip) gathering at The Maltings for a special overnight retreat.
Guests explored the essence of Verdant through hand massages, a scent inspired dinner, followed by an early morning sea dip and yoga on the terrace.
The new fragrance is now in all the bathrooms at Chestnut pubs and Big Houses – and we can vouch that they smell divine!
New season, new pours
Our updated wine lists have now been rolled out across the group.
The three Drinks Fairs at The Maltings, The Crown and The Packhorse were an opportunity for team and guests to explore our new wines, speak to our drinks partners, learn together and share the experience with other team members – we hope you found the events worthwhile!
Chestnut INN-SIDER
CHRISTMAS COMES EARLY
The Tavern is getting a festive make-over this month as we deck the halls for our team Christmas launch on July 15th
Expect crackers and festive tunes as our senior team and Christmas Champions plan ahead, to make sure we are all ready for our season of sparkle.
PARTNERS IN WINE
Peter Graham Wines have teamed up with Barnham Broom Hotel—and as part of the new partnership, they’re offering Chestnut team members the opportunity to tee off and enjoy the golf course free of charge. If you are interested, get in touch at sales@petergrahamwines.com to find out more.
In other exciting news, PGW also served as the official wine partner for Porsche at last month’s Royal Norfolk Show—a fantastic opportunity to align with a premium brand, collaborate on socials and showcase the wines to a high-net-worth audience.
DOING THE ROUNDS
The Chestnut Cricket Team is on a winning streak, having played four matches against local community sides and remaining unbeaten this season!
The matches and sponsorship ties have brought a great sense of community spirit, with players and spectators regularly heading to our pubs for well-earned post-match drinks.
CATEYS AWARD FINALIST
We were proud to see Chestnut shortlisted for this year’s Cateys Pub and Bar Award— at one of the most prestigious events in the hospitality industry. While we didn’t take home the trophy this time, being recognised among some of the most innovative and respected names in the sector is a fantastic achievement. With over 200 entries, making the finals is a true testament to the passion and hard work of our entire team.
Check -INN
THE CHESTNUT PROJECT TEAM HAVE BEEN VERY BUSY WITH GROWTH AND EXPANSION PLANS OVER THE LAST FEW MONTHS. HERE IS A SNIPPET OF SOME OF THE EXCITING REFURBISHMENT AND REDEVELOPMENT WORKS BEING CARRIED OUT ACROSS THE GROUP.
Dune Bar and Café – Officially Open
Open from 9am daily the newly refurbished beach hut at Le Strange.
is the perfect seaside destination for a quick snack and is already proving to be a big hit with holiday-makers. Offering convenient sandwiches, pastries drinks and soft serve ice cream… with a view to die for.
New rooms for the Crown
The three new rooms at The Crown are now open for bookings. With roll-top baths, large double doors and views overlooking Constable Country, we are expecting these attractive new lodges to be a very popular choice with guests.
Marketing INN-ITIATIVES
THE PANTALOONS RETURN
Already proving very popular, The Pantaloons have been touring across our pub gardens again this summer with a fun twist on the classics — including Sense and Sensibility, Hamlet, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Murder Mysteries:
Coming to pubs and Big Houses this October and November – expect clues, costumes, conundrums and cocktails.
GIN & CIDER FESTIVALS
The three day Summer beer and Cider festivals are back for the summer, where guests can enjoy bar snacks, seasonal dishes and plenty of ice-cold refreshments.
The Weeping Willow 8th - 10th August
The Crown 15th - 17th August
The Ship 1st- 3rd August
The Cricketers 2nd - 3rd August
The Gin Trap 26th July and 6th September
Marketing and Event Support
Just a quick reminder to please use the google sheets for any marketing and event requests, it really helps with planning.
Chestnut Live ‘25
AT CHESTNUT, WE WORK HARD, AND WHEN IT’S TIME TO CELEBRATE —WE GO FULL RODEO DISCO!
May’s team party was a wild ride of glitter, cowboy hats, and good times, and everyone brought the energy and spirit that makes our team so special.
Here are a few snapshots to help you relive some of the fun moments.
Thanks to everyone who showed up and showed out!
PEDALLING FOR A PURPOSE
This year’s Cycle Safari was a great success, raising a whopping £27,000 for food banks across the East of England and supporting those facing food insecurity. This donations will be split between 10 food hubs in our region, providing hundreds of emergency food parcels. helping with staffing and food delivery costs. Your incredible support has helped push this vital initiative forward—thank you!
If you’d like to keep the momentum going, please reach out to your local food bank. With one in five UK households living below the poverty line, these important facilities are always in need of volunteers and food donations.
NORFOLK SUPERHEROES RISE TO THE CHALLENGE
Last month Burnham Overy Staithe in North Norfolk played host to the one and only Norfolk Superhero Challenge.
The electric atmosphere and community spirit of the 226 determined participants was matched only by their superhuman fundraising effort, raising over £200,000 to help children across Norfolk get active.
The Chestnut team set-up and ran the bar for the event, with complimentary stock provided by our fabulous drinks suppliers. The bar team, led by Superwoman Emma Woods, raised over £16,000 towards the fundraising total.
A big thank you to Dom Bidwell, Harry Bidwell, Will Chaplin, Tori Dexter and Lewis Mann for supporting the efforts over the weekend.
Also a big well done to Ben Foxcroft, who represented Chestnut in the uber-challenging Superhero Quadrathlon.
Epic effort all-round!
NATURE GUARDIAN
Chestnut have partnered with Suffolk Wildlife Trust to become official Nature Guardians of Lackford Lake (a beautiful wildlife sanctuary 10 mins from the Weeping Willow). The partnership cements Chestnut’s commitment to protecting the landscape and wild beauty of the region we love.
Watch this space for collaborations in other regions.
Food INN-SPIRATION
TRY THIS AT HOME!
Impress your friends and family — with Head Chef, Luke McKenna’s Thai red curry with prawns and coriander rice
Ingredients
• Vegetable oil
• Sea salt
• 1 tbsp ground coriander
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• Pinch of black peppercorns
• 2 red peppers
• 1 red chilli
• 2 lemongrass stalks
• 50g fresh ginger
• 6 cloves of garlic
• 1 bunch spring onions
• 800ml coconut milk
• 1 lemon
• 1 lime
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 100g basmati rice
• 1 bunch fresh coriander
• 8 king prawns (peeled and deveined)
• Roasted veg of your choicewe used courgette and peppers (roast ahead of time for 40 minutes)
Method
1. Add the coriander, cumin, peppercorns, red peppers, chilli, (1) lemongrass, ginger, garlic, and spring onions into a jug blender. Blitz to a smooth paste and set aside.
2. In a pan, sweat the spring onions in vegetable oil until golden. Add chopped garlic and cook for 1 minute.
3. Stir in tomato paste, red Thai curry paste, and the reserved lemongrass. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly.
4. Add the coconut milk, the paste from Step 1, and dark brown sugar. Simmer on low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Remove from heat, add lime juice, remove the lemongrass stalks, and blitz again for a smooth sauce.
6. Add the roasted vegetables and peeled prawns directly into the hot curry and cook for 2 minutes until just done.
7. Meanwhile, wash the rice under cold running water 3 times. Bring a pot of water to a boil, add salt and rice, and cook at a simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off heat, cover, and let rest for 10 minutes. Strain and mix with chopped coriander.
8. To serve, press the rice into a cup to shape, then invert onto a bowl. Spoon the curry alongside and garnish with extra coriander if desired.
Château D’Aqueria, Tavel – The perfect pairing, chosen by The Old Bridge Bottle Shop Team
Tavel rosé is easily recognisable in the glass from it’s opulent red hue, lighter than a red wine but darker than most rosé’, and ready to challenge any pre-conception that colour equates to sweetness! Notes of raspberry, strawberry and pomegranate along with nuances of spice help this wine match up with sometimes ‘tricky’ flavours such as Asian spices or smoky BBQ flavours – one to be brought out when the big flavours are at the table.
Chestnut CHATTER
A big welcome to all those that have joined our Chestnut journey over the last few months.
A few big appointments to note are;
Joanne Lake
Assistant Accountant
Lisa Doran
Marketing Executive
Stacey Rice
Payroll Manager
Rosalind Aycock
Central Reservations Executive
Isabel Carter Head of Procurement
Amber Davis
Central Reservations Executive
Dawid Broda
Head Chef at The Globe
James Taylors
Head Chef at The Gin Trap Inn
Stewart Fairbrass Roving General Manager
Oliver Trezise Head of Operations
Also a big well done to Taryn Torrice who has been promoted from Supervisor to Assistant Manager at the Chequers
Earn up to £1,500 in our “Refer-a-Friend” Scheme
Have you got a friend who would shine at Chestnut?
Spread the word and earn up to £1,500 for each person you refer!
How it works:
• You’ll get 50% of the referral bonus once your friend passes probation.
• The final 50% will be paid after they’ve completed six months with Chestnut.
It’s super simple: just email people@chestnutgroup.co.uk with your referral’s CV, and our People team will take it from there.
We’ve already paid out a whopping £3,500+ so what are you waiting for?
Tourism Business Chat with Philip
Earlier this month Philip was the key-note speaker at The Larking Gowen Tourism Business Seminar; where he shared his journey, growth strategy, the importance of community impact and his run-in with Jeremy Clarksondefinitely worth a listen!
Competition TIME
IN THE LAST EDITION OF GRAPEVINE, WE ASKED YOU TO NAME THE CELEBRITY BEHIND HAWKSTONE BEER.
ANSWER – JEREMY CLARKSON
We received a fantastic number of entries — thank you to everyone who took part!
We’re excited to announce that the winner, selected at random, is…
Steve Smith, Commercial Manager at Peter Graham Wines!
Congratulations, Steve — a £50 HAWKSTONE VOUCHER is on its way to you.
CHAMPIONS
LEAGUE TICKETS
UP FOR GRABS
For this quarter’s competition, we’ve partnered with Heineken to give you the chance to win two Champions League tickets to see Arsenal, Chelsea, or Tottenham in action.
SIMPLY ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTION: Which team has won the most UEFA Champions League titles?
Email your answer to: Tori@Chestnutgroup.co.uk
Good luck — and may the best fan win!
T’s and C’s; As demand is always high for these games, Heineken won’t be able to specify the game and date until after the draw. The prize winner can specify the team they would prefer tickets to, but first choice cannot be guaranteed.