Emily Watkins sells Kingham Plough pub in Cotswolds

Former Great British Menu winner Emily Watkins has sold the Kingham Plough pub near Chipping Norton for an undisclosed sum.

Experienced hospitality operators Matt and Katie Beamish, who have previously worked with Raymond Blanc, Jamie Oliver and Fergus Henderson, have acquired the leasehold of the business which comprises the 75-cover pub and six bedrooms.

The couple had been searching for a foodie pub in the Cotswolds for several years.

Matt Beamish said: "We took our time to find the right one and this is it. It is pretty much there. We aren't planning to change a great deal about it other than bringing our personalities and energy to freshen it up a little.

"What we are hoping to do is open the doors to villagers and people in the area and inviting them to come and say hello."

Watkins bought the Kingham Plough with her husband Miles Lampson in 2007. She went on to achieve success in the BBC TV series Great British Menu in 2014, when she won a place in the final banquet at St Paul's Cathedral with a fish dish inspired by her grandfather who fought in the Second World War.

Peter Brunt, director of Colliers International which brokered the sale of the pub, said: "Kingham Plough is not just a wonderful example of a Cotswolds country pub. It is a highly successful business.

"Little more than a low volume ‘wet pub' when it was acquired by our clients it has been transformed in to a profitable and busy gastro-pub. This is possibly the leading example of a successful inn in the heart of the Cotswolds."

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