While I’m sure that it would be the dream of some to be alone in a pub for three months plus, after the first week of lockdown we realised we aren’t cut out for sitting still.
Firstly, we joined the Eastington Coronavirus Volunteers. We were seeing posts about people struggling to get supermarket delivery slots, people who were immediately cut off from everyone and isolated. Boris closed us down so quickly, we had a kitchen full of food, we wanted to help! And this is how “Free Meals For the Elderly and Vulnerable” twice a week was born.
The first day we prepared only 27 meals but by the end of our lockdown just under 2500 meals had been prepared and delivered. We could not have done this without the help of our brilliant volunteers. Andrew Bingham and Emily Pegler (the chefs), Eva and Katie Underdown, Morgan and Paula Whiteside and Jack Baldwin and his girlfriend Elise, who all gave up their time to help us out. And also, Wickwar Brewery, who financially backed the project as the numbers increased.
A huge Thank You to them all.
With the free meals taking up 4 days a week, during the rest of our days we, painted, gardened, planted and re- upholstered. Basically we did as much as we could to fill in our time and make the Badger, cleaner, fresher and more modern.
Finally, we were given the green light to reopen. We watched as we poured over 1500 pints of ales, ciders and lager down the sink. The new stock came in and we were ready to go.
The hospitality industry has changed. We now have a limited number of staff allowed to work at any one time, we all fill out health questionnaires and have our temperature taken before every shift, table service only allowed, no menus handed out and sanitising every 30 minutes.
Yes, there have been bumps along the way, but we are getting used to this new way of working. For the customers that have visited already and those coming in the future, we hope we can make you feel comfortable, happy and above all safe.
We are now offering Take Away food and drinks every day.
Our kitchen is open
- noon until 3pm and 6pm until 9pm week days,
- noon until 9pm Saturdays
- and Noon until 3pm on a Sunday.
- Cream teas are served between 3pm and 6pm every day
We have enrolled onto the governments “Eat Out to Help Out” scheme. Which offers 50% off food and soft drinks (or up to £10 per person) Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
In the future we hope to hold a Cider Festival, have some live music in the garden, hold a children’s day and celebrate National Dog Day. Keep up to date by checking our Facebook page.
Here’s to the future, may normality return ASAP.
Heather, Mark and Team Badger
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