The Fleece, Witney

About Peach:

The Peach Pub Company is a small group of independent gastro-pubs based in the Midlands. Sourcing, integrity, supporting local enterprise, and enjoying ourselves is key to what we do and the people we do it with. We don’t want to be the biggest company; we are aiming for greatness on a small scale in each pub every day. They are locals for locals, all with their own character and not part of a fake chain.

Aimee Moore, General Manager Aimee became our general manager last September. She started out after qualifying in hospitality management. Her first job was at le Petit Blanc in Cheltenham, where she soon rose from waiting tables to being second in command. Then she took off for a year on her travels around the world. Luckily for us, Aimee came back and got the post of deputy manager at The Elm, where she was able to indulge her passion for great food, great wine and great times. Now, we're delighted she's our first in command here at The Fleece.

Alistair Barlow, Head Chef When he was at Northampton college, Alistair was Best Student of the Year on more than one occasion. He’s been in the industry for nine years now, the first soaking up some Mediterranean influences (and a few rays) on the tiny Greek island of Paxos. What went on the menu was just what was grown locally – a discipline which helped him establish an imaginative style of cooking. Three years later, fresh from a stint in Devon, he arrived in Witney; his intuitive approach and willingness to mix the traditional with the avant-garde have gone down a storm ever since.

For every Caesar salad we sell, we will be making a 25p contribution to healthy eating activities in a local primary school.

Why Caesar salad? Well, it’s not the lowest calorie dish, but we think you’ll love it, so it met our fundraising criteria for a best-seller that will be on the menu all year round.

We will be changing our menus with the seasons and we’re hard line on animal welfare. All our chicken, eggs and pork are free-range. We do not use foie gras. Our Aberdeenshire beef is Scotch Beef Club accredited and our chefs regularly visit the farmers. We buy British wherever we can to keep food miles down, and, where we need to import ingredients, we minimise air-freight. Provenance is key to serving trustworthy food. Our coffee is ethically sourced from Guatemala (by Union Coffee Roasters, recently voted No. 1 ethical coffee company) and the bespoke furniture we commission is made from European oak and iroko timber from sustainable forests. We have also worked with the Carbon Trust to ensure that The Old Mill operates as energy efficiently as possible.

[a] 11 Church Green, Witney, Oxon, OX28 4AZ [t] 01993 892270