The former chef-patron of The Crown at Burchetts Green has taken on the Dew Drop Inn with his wife Deborah, where he will once again cook solo.
The Dew Drop Inn dates back to the 16th century and sits between Hurley and Burchetts Green, close to the towns of Marlow and Henley. The Brakspear-owned pub is described by Bonwick as having a ‘tiny bar’ and a ’20-odd cover’ dining room where Bonwick will continue to cook his classic French food.
The Pub will reopen later January with the pair’s familiar hospitality in place and will serve a seasonal menu of dishes that will be ‘instantly recognisable’ to all who follow the chef’s style of cooking.
“After one year off, we are ready, excited to go again in this increasingly challenging environment,” says Deborah.
“The pub industry remains alluring to us, it’s continually shown its innovative excellence through the pandemic, and has continued to display fortitude through Brexit, a war and now a recession. The rural pub can’t be lost.
“The Dew Drop Inn has been positively nagging away at the two of us for years, everything about it is beautiful. As the new guardians we will build on its location and local community in our particular way.”
The move sees the chef return to running a kitchen by himself, which he did so successfully at The Crown at Burchetts Green, with the restaurant winning a Michelin star and also being ranked among the top 100 restaurants in the UK in the Estrella Damm National Restaurant Awards.
The Bonwicks said goodbye to The Crown at Burchetts Green in May 2022 after having run it for 10 years, selling it to The Beehive Chef Dominic Chapman. Simon then went on to join the Noble Inns-run The Princess of Shoreditch in August the same year, taking over the kitchen from Ruth Hansom.
