Brendan Padfield (left in picture) has retired after 11 years running the Unruly Pig in Suffolk – passing ownership to Dave Wall (centre), the head chef from the beginning, and his deputy Karl Green (right).
Brendan, now 66 and planning to spend more time with his grandson, leaves the pub in great shape, having topped the Estrella Dam Top 50 Gastropubs three times in quick succession – in 2022, 2024 and 2025
It is a second retirement for Brendan, who left behind a 30-year career as a litigation lawyer to fulfil his dream of running a restaurant business when he took over the former White Horse pub in Bromeswell, near Woodbridge. He persuaded Dave – who had worked under Gordon Ramsay at Claridges – to join him through his “tenacious desire for high standards”.
As he left, Brendan paid tribute to his successors: “The Unruly Pig is a success principally down to Dave and Karl – what a lucky chap I am in life to have worked with these extraordinary individuals.
“It’s a huge success story in troubled times. When I set out on this journey, never did I imagine that they would actually make us a national name.“
Dave said: “I am immensely proud of all of our team and what we have achieved so far. I’m obviously nervous because of the financial landscape, but there are some really exciting challenges on the horizon as well.
“We’re just loving feeding our customers and hosting guests every day, so things should continue business as usual with some minor changes. We just want to get better and better.”