Sitting opposite the stunning 14th century St Mary’s Church in Ashwell, The Bushel – as it is affectionately known – has been a bastion of hospitality for over two centuries. With its carefully crafted selection of locally brewed beers, ales and fine wines coupled alongside a thoughtfully curated menu that continually evolves to encapsulate the seasons, there will always be something for you when you visit. Needing no extra incentive, Absolutely ventured to the Ashwell pub to meet the returning head chef and landlord, Martin Nisbet.
Martin Nisbet Q&A
Could you give us a potted history of the Bushel and Strike?
The present incarnation of the Bushel and Strike has been on this site since circa 1854, however there are beliefs that there has been a pub here since the early 17th century. Ashwell has a long history of ale houses due to the beautiful natural springs that are one of the sources to the river Cam, Cambridge’s main river. Clean water always meant beer in the olden days.
The Bushel, as it is affectionately known to the locals, has always been a firm favourite and was regarded as one of the first “Gastro” pubs way back in the 70s and 80s when long business lunches and expense accounts were very much the order of the day. Fast forward and the Bushel is very much still a community pub, serving great drinks, fabulous food and coupled with the warmest of hospitality.
Tell us about your career in hospitality – and what parts you think shaped you the most?
I have been a chef for nearly 30 years now. Having started my career in my native Edinburgh in the 90s, I then moved to the bright lights of London as a young 20-year-old due to my parents moving to Surrey for work reasons. Through connections with my college that I was training at in Scotland at the time, I found my way to the 5 star Churchill hotel in central London.
For someone who had never set foot in a 5 hotel previously it was a real eye opener and gave me a real understanding of what operating at such a high level truly is like. From there I went to work in the world renowned Savoy Hotel and stayed for 6 years, moving my way up the ranks to the position of senior sous chef. I have worked in a number of 5 star hotels and Michelin rated restaurants including the magnificent Hotel du Cap Ferrat in the Cote d’Azur in France over the years, however the Savoy will always be that one place that shaped me the most. I loved the organised chaos of the mammoth kitchen with its 90 chefs. I had never been anywhere as busy as it was, and had never been in an environment where the culture was about making everything possible, they never said no, we all just had to find a way, and we always did.
We cooked great food and service was everything. There was a culture of always trying to be better. Whether you were cooking for 2 or 2,000, the attitudes and values were always the same. We were all part of a machine that helped make magical moments. Today I still try to bring those philosophies to work with me every day.
What kind of chef would you say you are today?
That is a really interesting question. As much as I am a chef and I always will be, my focus today is far greater than just great food. I have always been conscientious of how our guests feel, however today it is far more important to me that everyone has a great time rather than how creative I can be with my pots and pans. Don’t get me wrong I still want to challenge myself and still do, but the true joy is quite often in the simple pleasures rather than being overly creative for creative sake. The challenge for me now is how to bring a better experience all round rather than just a fabulous meal. So the answer to the question is that I would say I am a far more thoughtful chef than I was all those years ago. Someone who thinks about how you feel from the moment you walk in through the door too when you wave goodbye, not just those moments with a knife and fork in hand.
Why did you originally take over the Bushel and Strike and what do you feel you achieved in that first stint?
Coming to the Bushel and Strike for the first time was very much based around the necessity to work. Lucy, my partner, and I, along with our then two and a half-year-old daughter were at crossroads with our careers and had been looking at options of having our own business. The opportunity to take on the Bushel presented itself and with Lucy having family in the village already, we both felt this had the possibility of making it work for all of us as well as giving us ready made babysitters!
During our first spell at the pub we worked incredibly hard at creating a pub for the local community. We became known for our hospitality and good food but more than that, a safe and comfortable space where everyone was welcome. We were very proud to have created a pub that was most fitting for a beautiful village like Ashwell.
Why did you decide to move on to pastures new?
We had reached the end of our tenancy and had agreed to stay on until the brewery found new tenants. The decision to leave was really a very difficult one, and in hindsight (which is of course a wonderful thing) we should never have left. We had burned out. We worked 6 days a week for nearly 4 years with less than 2 weeks of holiday in that time. We were doing everything for everyone else and not looking after ourselves and believed that the answer lay elsewhere. The grass is greener I think they say. The real issues were more to do with us rather than location. What was important to us is that we left in the possible way. We had now bought the house next to the pub and were going to be villagers. We loved Ashwell and wanted to bring our daughter up here. We thought we could manage to do that in an environment that was not so demanding of our time. As I said, hindsight is a wonderful thing.
What has enticed you back – and do you have different ambitions now compared to your first stint?
The problem with living in the house next door to the pub you used to run was that you are always aware of how well it is doing. In the 7 years we were away there had been 3 different tenants. During the last tenant’s reign it really wasn’t in the best of conditions. The pub had gone from being this central hub for the locals to almost nothing. They were only open limited days in the week, did not serve any food for an entire year and created nothing to entice you in. As I said in a previous question, food is important but what is really important is how we make people feel. It had become sad and depressing with quite often no one actually in there.
Whenever Lucy and I were out and about we were always being told the village missed us and repeatedly asked would we ever come back. So after a few years of opening a restaurant, closing a restaurant, dealing with COVID, death of a parent and being good employees for other people the opportunity came along to take the Bushel on again.
It was always an easy decision for myself. This is a great pub in a great village with an amazing community. The pub deserved to be open and the village deserved it too. This time is very different than before, we are villagers running a village pub and that personal connection to the pub is far greater than it was the first time. It is so important to me that we are open, serving food and just being as consistent as we can. Since returning the support has been overwhelming, really beautiful in so many ways and this just cements that the crazy idea of going back to somewhere we had been before was the absolute best decision for everyone.
In a nutshell, what are you looking to offer?
It may sound incredibly simple, but all we want to do is to create a space that everyone feels comfortable in. A space where you can pop along for a drink and bump into someone you may know or even better get to know. We of course want to serve great food, but this time being a little less pretentious with it. Just do the things really well. Of course there are bigger plans on the horizon, however we have only been back a few months and this is very much a long term project for us all.
This is probably answering part of the previous question but we want to be the best place for Sunday lunch around, we want to bring back what were the infamous supper club nights we had all those years ago, we want to be able to host an array of different events in our function room which holds up to 80 guests and help create everlasting memories. We want to employ as many local staff as possible, including a lot of youngsters who are taking their first steps into adulthood and helping them navigate that part of their life with fond memories they can take with them throughout life. There are so many things we would like to do, but we will continue to be ambitious and we will never stay static.
What do you think makes you stand out from other pubs?
Pubs are great places aren’t they, but not every pub is the same. Life would be really boring if that were the case. We will stand out to some and of course to others we may not be their cup of tea. I’m really ok with that. It’s important to have personality. We have 3 pubs in Ashwell and they are all distinctly different. I would encourage everyone to visit them all as we don’t want to lose them. It is important to the village that they all stay alive. It is really important to all villages that their pubs stay open and at the centre of their communities.
