Award-winning Kettering village pub owners set to open two more locals

The owners of Cranford's award-winning The Red Lion pub are just weeks away from opening two more locals.

Villagers in nearby Grafton Underwood and Lowick will soon have a watering hole to visit once more when Richard Gordon and Sonya Harvey, co-owners of the Greedy Gordons Group, open the doors on their latest projects.

And the firm's expansion, which also includes two retail businesses, is creating a total of 60 jobs for the community.

Grafton Underwood's The Pig & Waffle, in the villages old Sage & Brooke restaurant, is opening in early June with hopes it will become a village hub offering food and drink including brunch, lunch, afternoon tea and tapas.

It will also have a garden kiosk called The Pig Pen, opening in their garden in mid-July, offering a pit stop for walkers, cyclists and tourists with coffee and cake, ice cream, beer and wine.

And Lowick's The Snooty Fox will finally open its doors in early July, more than a year after it was due to open before Covid-19 restrictions prevented it from doing so.

The Grade II listed pub will have a 'beer wall' and restaurant with a focus on steaks and seafood.

Richard said: “It has been an incredibly tough year for the pub industry and we, like so many others, have faced many challenges.

"But we are really excited about the future and can’t wait to open the doors finally to The Pig & Waffle and The Snooty Fox where a warm welcome and wonderful food and drink experience awaits.”

Both pubs have undergone extensive refurbishments and the new openings, along with the firm's grocery business and cigar shop, are creating 60 new jobs for local people.

Richard, who has worked in the hospitality industry for 35 years, said: “We are really thrilled to be able to create new jobs for local people during these challenging times, with lots of exciting opportunities available within our growing company.”

Both new pubs will be open seven days a week, offering outside spaces too for people who want to drink or dine al fresco.

The Red Lion at Cranford, whose accolades include Pub of the Year 2019/20 in the Northamptonshire Food & Drink Awards, has also re-opened.

The pub openings come after the Greedy Gordons Group launched two online retail businesses - The Cigar Shop, offering a range of cigars, and GG Express, which delivers local produce and household essentials to homes across the county.

GG Express was born out of the pandemic and started last April with Richard, Sonya and volunteers from The Red Lion at Cranford initially delivering a few basic essentials to residents in several Northamptonshire villages, as well as to elderly residents in the pub’s village.

The team’s tireless efforts were recognised at the Northamptonshire Food & Drink Awards 2020/21 with a Covid-19 Local Hero of the Year Award.

GG Express, whose deliveries are as plastic-free as possible, also help support Kettering Food Bank, with a donation for every order. The Red Lion at Cranford is also a collection point for this food bank, with hundreds of essentials donated through its customers every month.

Richard said: “GG Express has already raised a significant amount for the food bank since we started making the donations last April. The demand for support from food banks has never been higher, so it is great that our customers are not only feeding themselves with their orders but are helping to support others too.”