Quaint Devon pub is back as new face issues plea to locals

The newest manager of a pub in a quaint Devon village is urging people to support their local. He says he wants to remind people that they can still go out and enjoy themselves even though times are tough.

Peter White says he jumped at the chance to become the manager of The Redwing Inn in Lympstone after it was taken over by new owners. It was reopened in November 2023, less than three months after the departure of the previous owner.

Little has been changed at the pub, apart from a tweaked menu, with Peter saying "the Redwing is still the Redwing that everybody knew". He says the reception from locals has been good and, with the village situated on the picturesque Exe Estuary, it is also popular with Devon tourists.

Peter said: "The opportunity was a yes, looking at the area with Lympstone being a lovely village, I was absolutely happy to do it.

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"The menu has changed slightly. In terms of food, it's not fine dining, it's not pub food, it's somewhere in the middle. Apart from that, the Redwing is still the Redwing that everybody knew.

"At the moment, it's more local trade but we do get people coming from Exeter, Exmouth, I had someone come in from Torquay the other day, people down from London. The response has been good so far, we've settled in with the local community and everything is going really well."

As the cost of living crisis continues to put a strain on people's budgets, The Redwing is offering weekly deals to help people support their local pub. On Wednesdays they offer a "hearty" two course 'Winter Warmer' meal and a drink for £15 and Thursdays are curry and pint night, also £15.

Peter said: "We want to show that people can still come out, have a nice meal and enjoy themselves at a reasonable price.

"On a Wednesday, we do Winter Warmer and we get a lot of older people coming in for that one. Being £15, they can have a drink and some hearty, homely food. Then on a Thursday we do a curry and pint night so if people fancy something a little bit different, they can come out and enjoy something under the £20 which these days, is quite hard to achieve.

"With it being a lot of local people, everyone kind of knows each other already and they all mingle with each other. But they still have the chance to sit down and relax as well. With the bar area, people will have a drink first, get chatting with everybody and then go into the restaurant."

Like many other pubs up and down the country, Peter has urged people to support their local or risk losing it. One of the village's other pubs The Globe Inn has been closed for six months, with its future remaining uncertain.

Peter said: "If we don't use pubs, they're going to go. You see that everyday with pubs shutting left, right and centre. In Lympstone, The Globe has shut and might not open again.

"The hospitality sector is tough with prices being what they are so it's just a case of trying to find that reasonable place in the market, hence why we're doing those deals on Wednesdays and Thursdays to show that it is still possible."