Meet the team at the Blue Cap
Our pub is beautiful, but what makes us really special is our team. From our chefs to our bartenders and our waiters to our cleaners and everyone else in between, from the moment you step into the Blue Cap, you'll be welcomed by approachable, down-to-earth people who'll make you feel like the guest of honour. We sat down with our General Manager, Kayte and Head Chef, Dom, to find out more about why they love the Blue Cap.
Meet our General Manager, Kayte
'One guy...we call him Tony Two Sheds'
My name is Kayte and I have been at the Blue Cap for just over a year. No, just under a year! I've been with Chef & Brewer for 15 years, in Cheshire, Nottingham, Leicester... I even did a quick four weeks in Luton, quite a few years ago. There are lots of things that are my favourite things about being a general manager here, but the best is that nobody walks through the door for a bad time, so I enjoy going to work.
If a customer is visiting us for the first time, they'll be greeted in a friendly manner by the team, we look after them. We always make sure that everyone gets fed or watered and we'll give them as good of a time as we can by anticipating their needs. Some people might come in for a quick bite to eat, for a Dungeons and Dragons meet in our function room, or to meet up with a walking group before heading out on their ramble. With our customers, everyone has different needs and we're quite lucky that we get to know them and what's going on in their lives. Like one guy that comes in, we call him Tony Two Sheds, because he's got two sheds.
My favourite drink is a nice, large glass of Malbec, but my favourite item on the menu is the duck burger, which is currently on our specials menu. When the chefs put it on they asked me to try it, just to check they've got it right, and I was like 'Wow. We've not just got it right, it's delicious'.
I'm really lucky that my team is full of really good people. Everyone cares, everyone gets 'it'. The team is a real family and we extend that to our customers. We've got a real mixture of team members here; we've got mums, families, we've even got a fabulous cleaner who probably cares too much and our chefs are great, they're really passionate. We all work with each other because we're not just running a pub and that means we get to wear many different caps. Even Blue Caps!
'Coming to the pub is a way of connecting'
The Blue Cap is a real hub for everyone — we even had a robin in the pub the other day, that was a bit strange. You can't get much more countryside than that! At Christmastime, we have wreath making and I was a bit gutted that I didn't book on and do that myself because it looked really good.
In the afternoon, I get the old boys coming in to have a chat with each other and the team every day and that's lovely because they might not see anyone else in the week, so, for them, coming to the pub is a way of connecting. And they might be talking about nothing in particular, or probably the football. We've got some staunch football supporters because here, we're in the middle of Liverpool and Manchester.
Somebody's told me there's a ghost too. I've not seen it yet, but I'm sure we do have a ghost because most pubs have ghosts. My dad always said to me, 'Don't worry, but if you can put it in a box, we'll make millions', so I don't worry about that too much but I'm sure at some point we'll have a supernatural visit. Maybe the ghost of Blue Cap will pop up!
Obviously, we're named after a dog so the whole pub is dog-friendly. We get lots of dogs in here, sometimes it's like Crufts in our bar area, which is great. We've got treats, blankets, water, everything they need so that our guests don't have to bring anything. And there's always a member of staff around to give them a cuddle too.
We really do welcome everyone, there's a group of local business people who get together every Tuesday morning to support each other in helping the growth of their businesses, and the local beekeepers who meet every month to meet, have a chat and bring their delicious honey for everyone to try. Even the local Rotary Club meets in the function room!
Meet our Head Chef Dom
'I even had a lady once try to marry me!'So, my name's Dom and I'm the Head Chef at the Blue Cap. I've been here just about two years, and I've been with Chef & Brewer for around nine years.
My favourite thing about being a chef here, at the Blue Cap? Using the local, British produce on our menu. The whole menu is British-themed, using British-sourced products. I think the main product that stands out is the cheese that we use, it's Barber's cheese. It's a proper local product that's won quite a few awards and it's just stunning. It really elevates the dishes that we do, like our Barber's Cheddar & Bacon Burger and our Barber's Smothered Chicken.
The 28-Day Aged Prime Sirloin Steak is my favourite dish to make, though, and I think it's because you can always cook it to a different temperature for the guest. We let it rest, put a nice salad on the plate, some nice fresh chips, a tomato and you finish with the butter. It turns out really good. In the winter, I like a lot of the game products. It makes for a really warming dish.
What I love about cooking is the guest's reaction. When they eat it, and then they see you and say 'Oh, did you cook my dish?' and I say yes and they get all excited and say how this is the best dish they've ever had. I even had a lady once try to marry me and I had to say, I'm really sorry, but I can't.
Sunday roasts are where we really shine. Our roasts are cooked using fresh ingredients... from the British beef that we use to the freshly cooked pork with crackling, the Yorkshires we make in-house and our gravy and vegetables. It all combines to create a really, really good dish. As a team, in the kitchen, we put our hearts into the dishes and try to make sure that we use the best skills that we've got to produce the dishes. We're proud of what we put on the plate and our guests are happy with what we do.