Life in The Old Dog. And it's not the first time I've used the headline...
It’s not as if I haven’t called in a few times but what an absolute pleasure it was to be back at the Old Dog at Thorpe at the weekend.
A big part of the pleasure was to be there with friends from my regular walking group – and relatives, since both daughters, Sharon and Molly, and one of my granddaughters, Sadie, were among the 10 of us, 11 with Lois the springer spaniel.
The rest of the pleasure was seeing the pub as busy as it was. OK, it was a sunny Sunday lunchtime in the school holidays, so you could argue they’d be in trouble if they were not busy but that’s not quite the whole point.
I have kept a close eye on goings on at the Old Dog since first writing about it in 2015 and here’s the potted (modern) history. It had been a Greene King pub called the Dog & Partridge but, typically for a large pubco, they thought it unviable, as it is in a relatively isolated position on the edge of a very small village.
It is also close to Dovedale in one direction and the Tissington Trail in the other but pubco accountants tend not to be moved by things like that.
The pub had been closed a couple of years before Martin Ball and his family bought it and spent two years restoring it, bringing back the previous Old Dog name. They made a fabulous job of it. When Covid arrived, the pub closed again for a time and, after that, the Balls decided to offer the lease for sale.
Ross and Gemm Pollock had moved up to Derbyshire from London, relatively newly-married, and had begun to use the pub. They applied for the lease but, lacking experience in the trade, were initially turned down.
Then, a potential new licensee withdrew and Ross and Gemm got a call. Gemm told me at the time: “They said ‘we liked you but felt you hadn’t the experience.’ But then they thought ‘well, that’s how we started.’”
So, in May, the Pollocks completed four years at the pub. They have two boys now, Sebi and Caspar, and dogs Neep and Mabel.
In a lot of ways, they are living the dream but, of course, it has not all been plain sailing. They have recently put up a Facebook post “reintroducing” themselves and telling their story, which I recommend you seek out.
It’s a good move that I have suggested to a few licensees over the years – people like to see who’s behind a business, especially if they have a good story to tell, but many people fight shy of the limelight and I get that.
Ross had been in corporate procurement for 20 years. Gemm had been a live-in nanny.
At least in terms of the public face of the business, it was Gemm who took the lead initially and when I visited and wrote about the pub for my Derby Telegraph column in 2022, I suggested that it was impossible to tell she hadn’t been in the business her whole working life. She was just so switched on and full of plans.
None of my visits since have changed that view. The Pollocks have a determinedly local approach. As far as possible, all food and beer comes from within a 30-mile radius.
The menus are imaginative and change regularly. The beer choice is not over the top but always wisely curated: there will usually be something from Whim Ales and Thornbridge and you can’t go wrong with either.
If, for a moment, I’m giving the impression that they’ve cracked it and it’s all comfortable, hold up – it isn’t. As any country pub licensee (or any licensee) will tell you, it’s a constant battle.
As they say in their Facebook story: “These are tough times in hospitality with rising costs but we are digging deep, refusing to cut staff or compromise on quality. We’re incredibly proud of the community we’ve built around our pub.”
They have music nights, they have quizzes, they have a running club – and they are open seven days a week, which many are not.
Before going on Sunday, I messaged Ross to check it was OK for us to put about four cars in the Old Dog car park before they were open, as we set off on a walk. We were obviously going to use the pub when we got back.
We missed Ross, who messaged to say he had a surprise visit from his sister, but when we were about to set off for the walk, it was Gemm who cheerfully dashed across the road to take the picture you see at the top of the article.
If I’m also giving you the impression that the Old Dog is a superb family-run pub worthy of a visit, then that is wholly my intention. It does my heart good to see Ross and Gemm doing so well.
This was my 2022 article for the Derby Telegraph about the Pollocks taking over the Old Dog: www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/whats-on/food-drink/life-old-dog-again-country-7519472
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Great article as usual Col. A very enjoyable walk, good company and a great finish at the pub. It had been a number of years since my last visit to the pub. I can honestly say thats the most vibrant I've ever seen it, so well done to the current landlords!