Chef Wesley Robertson will begin serving his own menu at The Cricketers pub, on London Road, from Saturday.
He had originally stepped in to save the day when the The Cricketers’ previous chef parted ways with the pub just days before Christmas – throwing dozens of pre-booked dinners into doubt.
New face – Wesley Robertson will soon begin serving his menu at The Cricketer’s pub (Image: Wesley Robertson)
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Wesley said: “Christmas turned out really well and our food was very well received by the customers.
“We had around 30 people who had pre-booked and nearly lost their Christmas dinners, so it was nice to be able to help them out.”
The 43-year-old Basildon resident said that he made the decision to continue running the kitchen after discussing the pros and cons with partner, Jackie.
Team – Wesley assembled an emergency team to help-out over Christmas (Image: Wesley Robertson)
“We sat down and thought about whether we could help repair the damage to the pub’s reputation that happened when the previous chefs pulled out, and decided that we could,” he said.
“I have spent the last week in the pub getting the menu ready and experimenting with all of the new dishes.”
Hero – Wesley stepped in at the last minute to help save Christmas at The Cricketers (Image: Wesley Robertson)
Wesley says that his approach to the pub’s new menu is all about serving good yet affordable food, arguing “you shouldn’t be locked out of enjoying decent food just because you’re on a budget”.
He says he plans to execute his affordable menu by using the tips and tricks picked up throughout his career.
The pub is already advertising main carvery meals for £10.95 and carvery starters for £3.95.
“We live in a chicken nuggets and sausage culture, and that’s not because people don’t know what food is good, but because they literally can’t afford the alternative,” said Wesley.
While The Cricketers’ new menu will not come into effect until Saturday, Wesley has spent the last week trying out his dishes on the pub’s staff.
“For me personally, if you can look at a dish and say I’d pay for that, you know you’re doing well,” he said.