Landlord of The Bees Knees, Laneham, re-opens newly-renovated The Crown Inn, Normanton on Trent

A pub landlord has taken over a new location — bringing with him a reputation for friendly service, great food, and a potential ‘horse park’.

The Crown Inn, Normanton on Trent, has recently re-opened under new management following a full refurbishment.

Heading up the village pub is now David Anderson, who is also responsible for The Bees Knees at Laneham — which has a swathe of five-star reviews on TripAdvisor.

The Crown has already received a positive response from residents, with the opening night seeing some beers run out they proved so popular.

The landlord said: “It’s really humbling the support we’ve got.

“We had the smaller bar, but wanted a pub. I heard The Crown was coming up for grabs and thought ‘yeah, I want it’.

“12 or so years ago I used to come in for Sunday lunch, and there’s no reason if a pub has been great once that it can’t be great again.

“The people of Normanton on Trent are really nice folks, the launch couldn’t have gone any better really.”

David hopes to bring the good reputation for food, drink, and community, that he has built up at the Laneham venue to his new venture, where he’s already appointed well-regarded chef John Gregory.

“We didn’t want to open here without a chef, and now we have the chef we wanted with a good reputation,” David said.

“He’s got a really good background.”

Food service will begin later this month, promising a seasonal menu of quality food — with as much as possible sourced from local producers and suppliers.

David also belies there should be no compromise on quality for children’s meals, with no frozen nuggets on the menu.

There is already a selection of six cask ales on the bar, eight popular draught beer brands, wine, and spirits including David’s own handcrafted Dilly Spirits brand.

The pub is also dog friendly, and aims to be equestrian-friendly too with plans to create a ‘horse park’ in the outdoor area to allow people to visit on their mount and tether them in a safe space.

The Crown Inn, which has been owned by the same family for more than three decades, has a long history as a pub.

David explained that in the past it used to be shop and a post office at the front, and then customers would head around the back for a 7p pint.

This kind of community hub is what he hopes to keep the venue as, with live music, plans for a quiz, and also for children’s entertainment which doesn’t include screens — such as themed colouring pages.