Chef Mark Anderson planning Nottingham pub group

Mark Anderson is beginning by relaunching The White Lion in Bingham in partnership with Star Pubs & Bars.

The chef, who began his career cooking under Terry Laybourne at 21 Queen Street and has worked at Le Gavroche and Le Pont de la Tour, is reintroducing food to the currently wet-led White Lion.

The menu will focus on pub classics such as fish and chips, burgers, steaks and grazing boards of British meat and cheese.

An £180,000 investment is being spent on refurbishing the pub interior to give it a more contemporary feel and doubling the size of the garden to include fire pits and heated garden sheds.

Anderson is also introducing more craft beers to the menu, while keeping Foster's and John Smiths, as well as a range of 10 gins.

“I believe a good pub is about having a broad mix of clients which reflects its community,” says Anderson.

“This style of pub requires less skilled kitchen staff, who are hard to come by, and so can be rolled out more quickly.  My ambition is to have six pubs in similar large villages and small towns with a mixed demographic outside Nottingham.”

Anderson relaunched The Ruddington Arms with his wife Sarah in 2014 and the pub has been recommended in the Michelin Guide since 2015.