Formerly operated by pub company Brunning & Price, the pub is on the edge of Windsor Great Park in Englefield Green within striking distance of tourist hotspots Virginia Water and Savill Gardens.
Bagdai is currently co-owner of the Brindisa Restaurant Group and is a well-known figure in the industry having previously co-run Restaurants Etc. with Mark Hix. He is also the boss of restaurant accountancy firm RNB.
He says the pub - which is expected to re-open in early January - would have been a steal post Covid-19 and is a “very good proposition” for a post Covid-19 trading environment because of its affluent catchment area and ample outside space.
An ‘At Home’ service is also in pipeline, providing extra revenue and a safety net in case of further Government restrictions.
“What can I say? It’s been a tough year for the industry but life goes on,” he told BigHospitality. “Since I left Hix in 2017 I’ve been missing that close relationship with a chef patron and also British food. Having met Steven last year, we both found ourselves having the same vision of creating a top British pub and I also like the area, so I thought why not?”
Bagdai and Ellis' newly-created Dining Etc. holding company has taken a new 20-year free-of-tie lease with a rent of £80,000 which includes the adjacent Cheeseman’s Cottage, which will eventually be turned into guest accommodation.
Ellis and his pastry chef wife Amy both did long stints at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in Chelsea prior to launching The Oxford Blue in Berkshire in 2016.
The game-focused pub was well-received, picking both Best Newcomer and One To Watch at the Estrella Damm Top 50 Gastropubs awards in 2018 and placing on the list itself in 2019 and 2020.
The pub was put on the market in September having struggled to re-open after the March lockdown.
Ellis has created a menu that is billed as more accessible with a wider range of classic pub dishes, while staying true to his roots with a number of dishes made with game sourced from Windsor Great Park.
“The area is busy all day so we’re keen to create an offer that fills the place up for breakfast, lunch and dinner,” says Bagdai. “It won’t just be a boozer, rather a restaurant within a pub serving great food, although there will be a strong bar element too.”
“Steve and Ami are well settled in the area. They’re serious and capable cooks that can run a tight ship so we’ll be looking to acquire more pubs in the Windsor area.”