"As much as you change the menu people will always love the classics"

This week's pub serves a village what it calls "pub food on another level".

The Coach in Edenfield has been run by the duo, Marc Beeston and Daniel Wilcock, who have become "local celebrities" since taking over in 2018.

The pub has also been recognised in the Good Food Awards 2024.

We caught up with Marc to discuss the pub.

Introduce yourself

My name is Marc Beeston and I part-own The Coach on Market Street in Edenfield.

Do you enjoy running the pub?

It's been really good. We've obviously had our challenges like with Covid-19 and such, but everyone experiences ups and downs. We've had some tough times, but we're still here so all's well that ends well.

Do you work well as a team?

Yes absolutely, we met at university 20 years ago. I'm from Shrewsbury and Dan is from Norwich, but hopefully, we're well-liked in Edenfield! Everybody knows our names.

(Image: The Coach) What's the best thing about the pub?

I'd say it's the personality. We've got a warm cosy environment that's open seven days a week, you can be greeted by our staff and relax by the fireplace. We have a really good team of young staff, most of which have been here for a couple of years, and you don't often see that in pubs nowadays.

What dish is most popular?

The three big ones really are the steak and ale pie, the cheese and onion pie, and the mushroom stroganoff.  People just love the classics!

As much as you change the menu people will always love the classics, but we're proud of our food, it's gourmet, and pub food done to the next level with homemade, locally-sourced dishes.

(Image: The Coach) What's the draught line-up?

  • Peroni

  • Asahi

  • Carlsberg

  • Wainwright guest rotation

  • Guinness

  • Somersby cider

  • Estrella Damm

What about prices?

We're about the market rate, £6.35 for a Peroni is how much it costs nowadays, no such thing as cheap beer around here, unfortunately.

How challenging have supply costs been to manage?

It's been difficult and for sure it's been a challenge. You've got to strike that balance between what people can afford, and what you need to charge to cover extra costs, which is really tricky.