Turning their village pub into something special

Foodies visiting The Wheatsheaf at Thurcaston can enjoy a unique offering thanks to the ingenuity of business owners Lucy and Grant Haines.

The couple, who took over the 400 year-old village pub in March 2023, are giving diners the chance to indulge in meals featuring their home-reared pork. Sausages, pork and apple burgers and bacon are among the menu items made using ‘Haines Hogs’ – which the duo hope will put the pub on the food destination map.

The group of Saddleback and Tamworth pigs live in a field which Lucy and Grant purchased around a year ago, located a stone’s throw from the pub. Grant tends to the animals every day, feeding them and keeping them cool with water from the brook running through the field.

“They have a very good life whilst they’re with us,” says Lucy, adding that customers have been praising the flavour and freshness of the meat, which can go from field to fork in as little as two days. The pub’s menu concentrates on offering a selection of “good quality pub grub”- including a popular Sunday roast – all of which is prepared by Lucy and her kitchen team.

For Lucy, who has worked in the hospitality industry since leaving school, taking on her own pub was something of a dream come true. Grant, meanwhile, is enjoying learning a new trade, having spent the previous 17 years running a pet shop in nearby Birstall.

“That’s how we met – Lucy came in for some rabbit food, and the rest is history” he says with a smile. “A lot of people used to say the pet shop was like the hub of the village - all it was missing was some pumps. That got us thinking about running a pub.”

“I remember us talking about it and saying ‘if The Wheatsheaf came up, that would be great.’ There’s something about this place. It’s a warm, old-fashioned pub with a family-friendly feel to it,” he continues.

Having contacted Everards to say they’d be interested in taking on The Wheatsheaf if the opportunity ever arose, the couple were surprised to soon be told that the previous business owners, who’d run the pub for 33 years, were retiring. “It was a sign that this was what we were meant to do,” says Grant.