YOUR LOCAL IN RADFORD SEMELE

Peach is a collection of really great pubs, mainly in market towns in the heart of England. The White Lion is a smart, historic country pub in the village of Radford Semele. Drive out, and enjoy excellent quality gastropub classics, alongside interesting and seasonal daily specials. We only serve what we’re happy to eat ourselves, sourcing the best ingredients from suppliers with the same ethics as us, creating honest plates of food in relaxed, welcoming surroundings. Always with a kind word and a sense of fun. Today we have twenty two pubs in lovely towns and villages, and an undimmed devotion to Making Life Peachy. We have always been passionate about giving back and as we’ve developed and grown over the years, our ability and motivation to make the world a little better, a little peachier, has grown with us. The Bigger Peach shows our efforts to improve communities, equality in the workplace, and the future sustainability of our world. Our achievements were recognised in 2022, when we won Best Sustainable Pub Company at the Publican Awards, and we’re also three star accredited by the Sustainable Restaurant Association. 

Soak up the sun, atmosphere and beautiful village views whilst enjoying a bite to eat, a cocktail, or a glass of award-winning wine from our drinks list. We serve food all day and children are welcome to enjoy smaller portions of any of our dishes. We take huge pride in serving the best ingredients we can find, from ethical producers, freshly prepared by our chefs. We’re dog friendly in our bar and outdoor areas, bring your furry friend and stop by soon. On our bar you’ll find a great range of spirits, beers and softs, so whether you pop in for a drink, a business lunch or a special dinner, we promise you a friendly welcome.

We look forward to seeing you soon!

Robert & The White Lion team

Robert Bentley, General Manager

From West Bromwich, just outside of Birmingham, Rob started his hospitality career at 18 at Revolution Bars, whilst studying in Cheltenham. He quickly fell in love with the hospitality environment, particularly during very busy race days, and worked his way up to General Manager after stops in Cardiff, Bristol & Leicester.

Before joining us at Peach, Robert spent the winter of 2023 in northern Sweden, house sitting for friends for a few months, before volunteering at a luxury glamping accommodation, doing everything from lighting fires and cooking, to ferrying guests around on snowmobiles! During this time Robert became inspired by the hospitality of the owner of the camp, Jonas, who knew every single guest’s name and would often spend his evenings sat eating with guests, sharing stories of his life and keeping guests entertained for hours. Robert has also been lucky enough to visit Miami to see the Grand Prix, where he was amazed by the quality of the hospitality. 

These experiences inspired Robert to find a new challenge within hospitality, and after moving to Warwick, Peach became a place that he was desperate to be!

When not in the pub, you’ll find Robert out on his bicycle, one of his ambitions being to complete a bike packing trip somewhere – maybe the North Coast 500 in Scotland.

STEFAN ELLIOTT, HEAD CHEF

It hasn’t taken Stefan Elliott long to make an impact. He joined The Star & Garter in 2019, returning to the UK after many years working in Spain. Born and raised in Devon, Stefan went straight into catering from school. He’d always imagined himself as a Chef, and his opportunity came when he was working at a farmers market at just 16. “A Welsh Chef asked me to man his bread stall whilst he did a demo. To both our astonishment, I sold out of his bread by the time he came back. He was so impressed, he invited me to learn in his restaurant in the town of Llangollen, North Wales. I took it”.

He started his career at the young age of 14, working at  Mrs Kirkham’s Farm in the school holidays, he soon found his love for artisan ingredients, and enjoyed nothing more than tasting local food at the farmers market. Working alongside Michelin-starred Chef, Warrick Dodds of Northcote Manor, he then moved to Madrid working under the watchful eye of Sergi Arola. In Marbella, Stefan spent time in a restaurant whose owner was close friends of the late Paul Bocuse, working with quality local produce from wild fish to Caviar from the region, and home-grown vegetables. Having spent eight years in Spain, Stefan remains in love with the social eating culture, and using local produce.

Before Cheffing, Stefan considered becoming a pilot, or perhaps, like many youngsters, a rockstar. Although both ideas were quickly quashed when he admitted to himself he was scared of flying, and couldn’t sing. 

Stefan enjoys creating a specials board full of exceptional dishes every day, and is excited to be with a business with the same ethics as his own, using the best ingredients and always serving the good stuff.  When he’s not at home cooking for the family, you’ll find Stefan taking his two dogs out for a walk, or watching his team, Coventry, “play”. 

JAMIE MCGOWAN, POD DIRECTOR

Footballer turned foodie, Jamie started his career at 21 and has since worked across the spectrum of hospitality from bars, to pubs, and restaurants. Having been responsible for a Market Hall and events venue with 4 kitchens, a cafe, a bar, a barbers, and vintage clothing store, it’s safe to say Jamie has expert knowledge in providing a quality experience.

Plymouth born, Jamie spent a few years living abroad in Spain and South Africa with his family, before returning to England and eventually Nottingham. Of all the countries Jamie has visited, Naples in Italy is the foodie apple of Jamie’s eye at the moment. With his love of Italian food, Neapolitan style pizza, and the Italian way of letting the quality of the ingredients do the talking. Living in Nottingham means Jamie has been lucky enough to eat at Alex Bond’s Alchemilla restaurant, where he was inspired by both the superb experience and Alex Bond’s agility through lockdown, pivoting to home delivery and then opening Mollis fried chicken restaurant. (Imagine that…Michelin star fried chicken!).

If you see Jamie around the pub be sure to say hi, plus if you buy him a pint of ale he’ll even recount the time he scored a goal at the Nou Camp! Something he definitely, definitely has never mentioned…