Northampton village pub to be taken over as new owner aims for 'best of both worlds' venue

A Northampton village pub is set for new ownership as a well-known chef and businessman aims to create the “best of both worlds”.

The Four Pears in Little Houghton will be taken over by James Peck, who runs award-winning wood-smoked restaurant, Ember, located in Wellingborough.

The owner says the pub will be a special location because of its upstairs private dining space and emphasis on family-friendly Sunday roasts.

James said: “We’re taking over the pub from the first week of May and we want to hit the ground running.

“We’ve got a beautiful upstairs dining room, which is really special. Once we’ve got settled in it will become an intimate, premium restaurant space with tasting menus.

“We really want to put this beautiful part of Northamptonshire on the map and let the community drive it forward with us.”

The menu will take a different approach to its sister restaurant but it will have “Ember DNA” - including its famous miso sticky toffee pudding.

Clare Deer, the former owner of wine bar Ruby & Claret, in Earls Barton, is also joining the team to provide expert wine pairing.

“We’re not looking to replicate another Ember, as it won’t have the same feel, but there will 100 percent be signs of a restaurant that’s passionate about wood-fired cooking,” James added.

“We will be integrating the Japanese BBQ grills into the menu and during summer we will have our outdoor cooking space - and lots of guest chefs.

“If you want to pop in for a bar snack and a drink at lunchtime or if you fancy a fine dining experience with wine pairing - we are going to be serving the very best of both worlds.

“We want the pub to feel like a pillar of the community, like you’re walking into your home and for it to replicate the open family feeling Ember has done so well to create in Wellingborough.”

The pub is dog-friendly and has a beer garden open to customers for the summer months.

James is set to open The Four Pears from Wednesdays to Sundays initially with aspirations to trade seven days as soon as possible. Grand plans are also in the pipeline for a relaunch event.