Softroom were approached by Michelin-starred chef, John Campbell, to create a restaurant, bar and cookery school on the site of the former Five Bells pub in Newbury, Woodspeen, Berkshire.
The extension to this 1827 Victorian pub relies on natural materials, including its distinctive detailed thatched hipped roof, to complement the original building. houses a 70-seat restaurant. With an adjoining half-acre kitchen garden supplying the restaurant, the design and remodelling of the 19th-century property celebrates the local and seasonal food philosophy, whilst reinterpreting the traditional English pub vernacular.
Local and seasonal are honest, ‘slow’ values and Softroom were inspired by these to salvage much of the remaining fabric. The first response was to use contemporary detailing and paintwork to sensitively rework the time-honoured pub interior.
In contrast, the adjoining cookery school employs British craft and materials in a sleek and homogenous manner. Housed in a barn building that dates from 1811, the mix of tradition and modern technology echo the contemporary culinary approach to time-honoured recipes and cooking techniques.