A funky American-inspired barbecue using sustainable locally sourced ingredients opens next week in a 17th-century village pub on the northern fringe of the Cotswolds.
Ember at The Chandlers Arms is in the hamlet of Epwell, between Chipping Norton and Banbury in north Oxfordshire, and combines the expertise of two old friends, chef Harry Flockhart (left in photo) and barbecue specialist Matty Cartwright.
Harry helped run the venue for many years as a successful gastropub with his parents Sarah and Anthony. When Sarah and Anthony decided to step back, Matty suggested using it as a permanent site for Ember, the barbecue project he has developed as a pop-up on farms around the country.
Matty says: “We’re great family friends, and when I pitched the idea to Harry he loved it. So we go into Ember at The Chandlers Arms with the family’s blessing.”
The duo have transformed the interior of the pub in just three weeks, putting their stamp on it with vivid colours, velvet sofas and music-themed art, including a bust of Jimi Hendrix and a portrait of Prince.
Matty developed his interest in barbecue cooking in the Carolinas and Texas, and is sourcing most ingredients from within a ten-mile radius. Surplus bread from the kitchen will be used in the production of the pub’s own beer at a small brewery across the Warwickshire border.
Matty adds: “We want people to come here and try some new things in an informal atmosphere, so food-wise we’re about more than burgers and wings – although we do those too – but we can use the smoking and cooking over fire element on dishes from across the world like the beef short rib massaman with crispy shallot, Thai basil oil and flatbread or the smoked lamb flatbread with sukkah, whipped feta and pomegranate, using as much local produce as possible.
“But we also have craft beer, non-generic spirit brands – our house rum is from Uganda and we have wine from Jordan. Put it this way, Ember at The Chandlers Arms is not your usual BBQ joint.”
Ember at The Chandlers officially launches next Wednesday 26 August, but tables are available for bookings this weekend during a soft opening.