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Teesside restaurateur toasts tasty investment, one year on

The new owners of a village pub near Darlington, which underwent a major facelift having fallen into disrepair, are celebrating their first successful year in business, bucking the trend in the pub sector and doubling the workforce.

Ross Serino, from Yarm, opened The Tuns at Sadberge- formerly the Three Tuns- last year, investing over a quarter of a million pounds in the venture with his mother, Barbara Serino, and his partner, Rebecca Osbaldeston.

Since re-opening, The Tuns has proved to be a popular pub and restaurant, quickly gaining a reputation for its high-quality, home-cooked food and informal bar offering local ales. The Tuns initially created five new jobs for people living in the village and this has doubled to 10 in the last year, thanks to the pub’s popularity.

In addition, Ross is working with a number of local suppliers and producers including Country Valley and Hodgson’s of Hartlepool and serves local ales such as Theakston’s from Masham. The Tuns at Sadberge is bucking the overall trend in the UK with pub closures at a record high.

Housed in a grade II-listed building, The Tuns had previously been closed for several months with local people voicing concerns that it might not re-open. Ross and his family spent 2013 completing a major renovation at the pub, carefully restoring it to its former glory, as it is thought to date back to the 15thth century when it was a court house. Ross, whose family have run the popular Santoro’s in Yarm since the 1970s, has many years’ experience working in catering and hospitality having worked with his father in Yarm from a young age.

Ross said: “I can’t believe we’ve had The Tuns for a year. It’s been a real whirlwind for everyone involved but we’re really pleased with the response we have had from our customers.

“As well as the incredible support from local people living in Sadberge, it’s really encouraging that we get so many people travelling from all over Teesside and the Darlington area to visit us.

“The pub and restaurant trade is tough and we opened during a real downturn. However, we are bucking the trend by giving people what they want- great, uncomplicated food and a range of drinks at reasonable prices in a traditional village pub atmosphere.” The Tuns serves food daily including dishes such as home-made fish and chips, pie of the day, fresh fish and meat dishes and Sunday lunches.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Anna Addison Associates .