The Dirty Duck, Woolsthorpe

Return of The Duck

The Dirty Duck in Woolsthorpe, formally The Rutland Arms, will soon be reopening.

One of the most popular pubs in the Vale, the pub's closure earlier this year became a popular topic for discussion, with people speculating on why it shut and if it would ever return.

Situated beside the Grantham canal and owned by The Belvoir Estate, The Dirty Duck was very popular with hikers, dog walkers and visitors from Nottingham, as well as being a locals' favourite.

This week Belvoir Life was invited for a look around the site and we are pleased to report that renovation work is well underway and we can expect the return of the newly branded "Duck at Woolsthorpe" within the next few weeks.

Managing Director Andy Hunt, Chef Director Leroy Allen and Operations Manager Simon Barnes will be familiar names to some, being the same team behind popular pubs The White Horse in Ruddington and The Unicorn’s Head in Langar, the latter recently winning a coveted Pub of the Year Award from The Great Food Club.

The team were on site to meet with contractors this week and were keen to show me the fruits of their hard work and talk about their vision for the latest of their enterprises.

What's new at The Duck at Woolsthorpe?

The kitchen itself has been gutted and will be completely new and designed for the space. "A proper blank canvas," Chef Leroy Allen says with a smile.

It is clear that apart from some internal reorganisation and decoration (think Farrow & Ball Stiffkey Blue), the main changes will be to the food on offer at The Duck. "Pub classics with a modern twist," says Leroy. As with their other pubs there will be a very strong emphasis on local produce from suppliers in the East Midlands.

The Duck at Woolsthorpe kitchen
The kitchen is being rebuilt from scratch

Externally, visitors won't notice a lot of changes, although the team admit that more work will be needed going forward. "Our priority has been getting the indoor spaces up and running," Simon tells me, "once we are through the Christmas and New Year period we will start updating other areas of the site like the function room."

Walking through the main entrance, the first change you will notice is that the soft seating to the left of the doorway has now become a functional area for the staff. There will be a coffee machine here and it will also provide access to the kitchen pass.

The Duck at Woolsthorpe bar
The bar area will be familiar to many

The main bar area will look familiar to previous guests and will cater for drinking and bar snacks, along with the tables outside.

The more formal restaurant area will be at the far end of the bar, where the space expands round to the right.

The Duck at Woolsthorpe restaurant area
The formal restaurant area around the fireplace.

When will The Duck at Woolsthorpe reopen?

An official opening date has not yet been finalised. The previous tenant gave up the licence which means that the team have to now start the licensing process from scratch which is time consuming. They do hope to be open around the end of November or early December in time for the festive period. Enquiries are welcomed via social media but bookings will be dependent on when the pub opens.


2 comments on “Return of The Duck”

  1. We area church group & organize walks in the area,how much would i5beto hire the function room for 2-3 hours after our walk for tea/ coffee making &. chat ?

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