When husband and wife team Ted and Julie Van Zeller returned to the picturesque Scotts Arms they felt it was like coming home.
“We were previously the managers here and moved on to pursue an opportunity elsewhere a couple of years ago. But when the chance to take the lease came up, following Punch Taverns decision to move the pub from managed to leased, we decided to go for it. In over 20 years in the trade we had always been happy as managers, but the Scotts Arms is special – it’s the only pub we’ve been tempted to take a lease on in all those years”, explains Ted.
And the pub is special. Dating from 1659 and set in the pretty village of Sicklinghall, near Wetherby, West Yorkshire, the pub has featured in the ‘Touch of Frost’ series starring David Jason, with actors from a certain Yorkshire-based soap also popping in from time to time as filming allows.
The Scotts Arms is an integral part of the village community, hosting the village Post Office which currently opens once a week, and which will soon be integrated into a planned farm shop and delicatessen.
“We really enjoyed living here before, and when we returned in September last year we were given a really warm welcome by the locals, and expressed our thanks by throwing a party for the village on Boxing Day”, continues Ted.
Since Ted and Julie took over they have stamped their own style on the Scotts. All the food is freshly cooked and sourced locally, with suppliers including Johnson’s of Wetherby, Sykes House Farm, DK of Leeds, H&B of Thirsk, and Smiths and M&J Seafoods.
They employ 25 people, including five chefs. And if you can’t make it to the Scotts, the chefs will cook to order in your own home, or their expertly cooked meals can be delivered.
Add to the great food an extensive range of wines, spirits and cask ales and you have what looks like the perfect country pub.
But what about the future plans for the shop? “We already have the Post Office based here once a week, and we aim to integrate this into a farm shop and delicatessen”, explains Ted. “We will offer organic vegetables and a range of produce such as pickles, jams and delicious Yorkshire cheeses, and aim to open in July.”
“Since we have returned to the Scotts Arms the support for our ideas from Punch Taverns has been great, with business relationship manager Mandy Southall particularly helpful.”
After approaching 30 years in the licensed trade, and with 11 pubs behind them, Ted and Julie are now settled and are confident this will be where they end their careers behind the bar.
”It has been a challenge putting what we have learned in our management career into practice as our own bosses at the Scotts, but we are really enjoying it and look forward to welcoming customers for many years to come”, concludes Ted.
For more information on the Scotts Arms visit: www.scottsarms.com