Landlady celebrates 16 years at the helm of country pub near Taunton

Laura Magee was just 25 years old when along with her family, purchased the Freehold of the Anchor Inn in Hillfarrance back in 2006.

They arrived full of dreams of running their 17th-century country inn.

Laura had come from a PR, branding, and marketing background and had big plans for developing events alongside a fantastic local food and drink offering.

Within the first few months of taking on the business, the UK smoking ban came into force which changed the shape of drinking pub trade dramatically, followed the year after the 2008 recession.

The Anchor Inn (Image: Submitted photo)

Laura said: “It certainly feels like we’ve climbed a few mountains in our time here but being faced with those challenges, especially in the early years, gave us a resilience and fighting spirit that formed the basis for our whole outlook here at the Anchor”.

The Anchor quickly established itself as a foodie destination pub, which Laura explained was actually supported by the change in trade after the smoking ban.

She puts the roots of their successful food offering firmly down to her mother, Linda who led the kitchen in the early years and is now mostly retired from the business.

Laura added: “She is a brilliant cook, everything is homemade, no wastage, fabulous with flavours. She taught me how important these three elements are when creating a menu and that is the foundation of every menu we’ve put out since.”

The Anchor is probably most famous for its Sunday roast and homemade pies, both of which were developed by Linda and who’s original pie recipes are still used today, passed to each new chef who joins the team.

It was their roast dinner that won the Anchor their first awards back in 2013 & 2014 consecutively for Somerset’s Best Sunday roast, followed quickly by other awards including Somerset’s Pub of the Year in 2018 and multiple Taste of the West Gold awards over the years for their dedication to using local suppliers for the food and drink.

Laura said: “We are not ones for standing still. We are constantly trying to improve what we do at the Anchor, from our food and drink offering, and our customer service, to the atmosphere we create.

The pub won an award back in 2014 (Image: Submitted photo)

“We set ourselves the absolute highest standards to make sure our customers enjoy their visit. So much so that we are sometimes asked if we’ve changed hands. I think because its rare to see a business, especially a pub, owned and run by the same family for so long, still full of passion to constantly try and be better but that’s what keeps it fun and exciting.

“I’m a strong believer in investing and developing in our team to grow stars from within the business, such as our apprentice chef Georgia who won South West apprentice of the year last year, which we’re all really proud of and our fabulous Supervisor, Sophie who started out as a KP when she was just 15.”

Of course the pandemic hit in 2020 and the hospitality industry was hit hard. “We did what every other business did, our survival instinct kicked in and we adapted and developed” explained Laura.

The Anchor offered takeaway evenings, catering buffet boxes, including Christmas Day ‘finish at home’ dinners and Mother’s Day High Tea boxes, plus outside dining when they were finally allowed.

“We kicked off outdoor dining with some fabulous boozy brunch and street food events. Everyone was so desperate to get out and socialise and our team couldn’t wait to get started.

“The events all sold out and it was so much fun to have the team and our customers back together again”.

The coming year looks to prove another challenging one for the hospitality industry as they are squeezed by hikes from food and drink suppliers, as well as customers’ having less money in their pockets for dining out.

“I’m so proud of the business we have created and the team we have shaped here at the Anchor.

“I know the next year won’t be an easy one, but with 16 years’ experience under my belt and my wonderful team I’m feeling confident as we enter our 17th year that we will continue to thrive.”