The Ginger Fox

Here it is,” says chef and restaurateur Ben McKellar as we pull up outside his new country pub The Ginger Fox.

I am the first journalist to be given a behind-the-scenes tour of his new establishment and have the ultimate guide -– the owner.

It’s Friday lunchtime and despite being ten miles north of Brighton in the sleepy village of Albourne, The Ginger Fox’s windows are steamy and the place is packed.

It seems demand is already high for the latest addition to McKellar’s Ginger empire, even though it has only been open two days.

The launch wasn’t advertised.

With three venues already the toast of Brighton and Hove’s fine dining scene, Ben relied on the reputation he has gained from The Gingerman in Norfolk Square and The Gingerman at Drakes on Marine Parade, plus his food pub The Ginger Pig in Hove.

“I just left business cards around and hoped our regulars would want to come along and try out The Ginger Fox,” he says.

“The phone’s been ringing off the hook with bookings even before we opened, so I guess it’s worked.”

This pub is very much a rural treat.

Formerly Shaves Thatch, it has the character of a country cottage and is surrounded by a spacious garden dotted with wooden tables.

Inside there are pretty beams and open log fires which reveal its 1930s origins.

Ben parks up beside the pub and walks me around to the front to admire the straw sculpture of a fox hunting a pheasant, which is poised on the thatched roof.

“We wanted a countryside theme for the pub so we were thinking of names on the lines of the Ginger Pheasant or the Ginger Badger,” he says.

“In the end we decided that the Ginger Fox would be the most memorable.”

Ben and Pamela, his wife and business partner, have given the place a mainly neutral decor but have livened things up with funky rainbow sofas, deep purple lampshades and a gleaming new bar.

While atmosphere is important, it is ultimately the food which will be tempting people to make the short journey out of the city.

Having previously won accolades including a six out of ten rating in the Good Food Guide for the Gingerman at Drakes (the same as Gordon Ramsay at Claridge’s) and a Bib Gourmand at The Ginger Pig, Ben is looking to make a similar stir with The Ginger Fox’s menu, which takes rustic pub dishes and gives them a modern twist.

“We wanted to be adventurous, but not so adventurous that we’d put people off,” he says.

A perfect example of this philosophy is the starter of flat mushrooms and duck eggs on toast which Ben describes as “garlic and fried shallots on toast with a local fried duck egg and local mushrooms on top.

Simple, unpretentious pub food.”

Moving on to mains, the char-grilled rib-eye steak is, Ben says, “a classic bistro brasserie dish spiced up with beef dripping chips and Bearnaise sauce.

“The braised veal cheeks is something people may not have tried before but they should, because it’s delicious.

The veal cheeks are braised in local beer and served with buttered mash, onion beignet and sage.

It’s a simple twist on a good rustic dish.”

Veggie options include roast tomato gnocchi served with charred peppers and buffalo mozzarella.

“There’s always a veggie special on the blackboard,” Ben says.

But whatever you do, save room for dessert.

Sweet options range from his personal favourite, steamed plum pudding, clotted cream and port which, he says, is “an old favourite we’ve been doing for ten years”.

Other tempting treats include the “classic” pear and almond tart and a selection of home-made ice creams and sorbets.

Despite his clear passion for food, the softly-spoken Ben has relinquished his role as head chef for the first time in the history of his Gingerman empire.

“The business is now too big for me to take overall responsibility for the food in any one restaurant,” he says.

“We’ve got four venues, 25 chefs and 100 staff.

So what I’ll do is meet with every head chef to discuss menus, ingredients, suppliers and we’ll decide what’s right for each particular venue.”

After a pause, he admits: “I really missed the adrenaline rush of being in the kitchen when the first orders came through on the opening night of the Fox.”

Only time will tell if Ben will be able to maintain his famously high standards without being head chef at The Ginger Fox, but the pub looks likely to be able to tempt punters through its doors by virtue of its distinctive personality alone.

“We are a bit worried about having too many restaurants in Sussex, which is the reason all our restaurants are a different,” he explains.

“The Gingerman is an intimate neighbourhood bistro, while The Gingerman at Drakes is a more upmarket fine dining restaurant.

The Ginger Pig is a big, bustling, no bookings, brasserietype pub where you can just drop in and have a bite to eat.”

So where does The Ginger Fox fit in? “It’s our only country pub so we’ve capitalised on the rustic theme with a modern slant.”

Ben’s admits it was daunting opening the doors for the first time.

“We always get a bit of cold feet and worry about jeopardising the success of our other venues,” he says.

“But this opportunity came up when the broker who sold us The Ginger Pig asked us to take a look at a new site back on October.

We were excited by what we saw so we leapt at the chance.”

It was not all plain sailing.

Derelict and vandalised, the site had been empty for three months.

The roof was falling in, the toilets had been smashed and copper piping from the central heating had been stolen.

“It took six weeks just to get the roof re-thatched,” says Ben.

“Plus we had to gut the building and completely rewire it.

Because it was in such a state, we had to redo everything, including the toilets the bar, kitchen and restaurant.

“We suffered a few near-break ins too, by people trying to steal the lead from the roof and the copper piping again.

Because of its isolated location, it will always be a target.”

Aside from the pub’s security, Ben had other worries on his mind.

“The fact that most people live at least two miles from here was a concern, as we thought people would be reluctant to drive here knowing they can’t drink.

“Being in the country, we were also worried about mid-week trade, but we checked out other establishments like The Griffin at Fletching and The Jolly Sportsman at East Chiltington and found them bustling during the week, so that was encouraging.”

Ben also had to grapple with the idea of competing with old friends, but he insists the top end of the Sussex restaurant world is one big happy family.

“I have eaten many times at The Griffin and I know the owner of The Jolly Sportsman very well – in fact I had my wedding reception there,” he says.

“I don’t think of it as competing.

I think we complement one another.

Most of the top restaurants of Sussex all know each other and are all very respectful of one another.

We all visit each other’s restaurants and swap advice.

There’s a mutual respect.

I think there’s enough business in Sussex for people who do good things to co-exist.”

What about the future of The Gingerman empire? “Who knows,” shrugs Ben, smiling.

“We’re not thinking of number five yet as we’ve got a baby on the way, but maybe sometime in the future.”

Sample the menu

Starters
Aubergine, tomato and roasted garlic agnolotti with sweet pepper sauce, £5.50
White onion soup with smoked bacon dumplings, £4.50
Poached ham hock, with vinaigrette dressed leeks and grated egg, £5.50
Flat mushrooms and duck egg on toast, £5
Grilled tuna loin with beetroot puree, beetroot dressing and herb salad, £6.50
Black olive and tomato tart with buffalo mozzarella, £5.50
Mains
Char-grilled rib-eye steak with dripping chips and Bearnaise sauce, £16.50
Braised veal cheeks with buttered mash, onion beignet and sage, £13.50
Spiced lamb neck kebabs with roast tomato couscous and chilli aubergine, £15
Corn-fed vhicken with Swiss chard and confit thyme potatoes, £12
Smoked haddock, mussel and leek pie, £12
Roast tomato gnocchi with charred peppers and buffalo mozzarella, £11
Desserts, all £5.50
Homemade ice creams and sorbets
Iced vanilla and mascarpone parfait with Marsal pears
Steamed plum pudding, clotted cream and port
Pear and almond tart

Open Monday-Friday 11.30am-11pm, Saturday and Sunday noon-11pm