Posted: 10th November 2014
Martyn Cotton - Licensee of the Blue Anchor in Crowborough
Age: 40
Education: Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys, Canterbury
Career: Martyn grew up in Canterbury, and his family moved to Yorkshire when he was 12. He completed A levels and began a law degree, before leaving university and joining the Inland Revenue. He also worked part-time in a pub, before moving to work full-time in hospitality, going on to manage pubs for Tetleys and Bass. In his early 20s he joined the Pelican Group’s management trainee programme, and went on to work in a variety of restaurants, before joining Shepherd Neame in 2001 with wife Caroline as a trainee management couple. They managed the Grove Ferry Inn near Canterbury, then moved to the Blue Anchor in Crowborough in 2002. In 2005 they took on The Vine in Tenterden, before leaving Shepherd Neame in 2008 to manage the Black Robin at Kingston, where they achieved a Michelin Bib Gourmand award. They then left the pub to set up a hospitality recruitment company. In 2009 Martyn became licensee of the Blue Anchor in Crowborough, with brother Damian and wife Caroline as fellow directors.
Hobbies and interests: Eating out. We are less than an hour from London here, and I love trying new restaurants. Korean food is my big passion at the moment.
Favourite Shepherd Neame beer: Master Brew
Favourite non-Shepherd Neame beer: Burning Sky Saison
What does a typical working week involve? I’m in the kitchen 90% of the time and Damian looks after front of house, though I do work in the bar for an hour every day to give Damian a break. I normally work six days a week, and have Monday or Tuesday off. I typically start at 9.30am, and work through to finish, which is around 9.30pm.
How many are in the team? In the summer we have up to 17 full and part-time staff, but we have less during the winter.
What first attracted you to the industry? I was brought up in a house where everyone in the family loved food and could cook. My Dad worked for the Ministry of Agriculture, so he used to bring home loads of unusual produce for us to try. I realised academia wasn’t for me when I started my law degree, so I left and joined the civil service as it was a secure ‘job for life’, but I wasn’t comfortable in an office environment. I had taken a part-time pub job in the evenings, and was given the opportunity to manage the pub which I really enjoyed, so decided to pursue a career in hospitality. I started off front of house, but I loved cooking, so moved to focus on that. I never had any formal training in cooking, but I think 90% of it is confidence, and loving what you do.
Why did you decide to return to the Blue Anchor as a licensee? I had sold my share in the recruitment company, and wanted to go back to being a chef. My brother Damian, who ran pubs after university before moving into a corporate retail career, was also looking for a new challenge, and we decided to take on the pub together. Caroline and I had really enjoyed managing the Blue Anchor when we were working for Shepherd Neame, and when we saw it was available as a tenancy, it seemed a fantastic opportunity. One of the key attractions for me was the pub’s location, as we are lucky enough to be surrounded by some fantastic food producers. Our vegetables, meat, cheese and dairy are all from local farms, our bread comes from an organic bakery in Forest Row, and our fish comes from Newhaven. It is important thing for me to be able to say that I know exactly where every ingredient has come from. Also, Caroline is originally from Sussex and her parents live in Horsham, and mine have returned to Canterbury, so moving to Crowborough meant we were near both of them. Caroline has a full time job in the retail industry, but she is still very involved with the business, including looking after the long-term pub strategy. I run all my major decisions, from menu choices to budgets, past Damian and Caroline.
What do you consider your biggest success at the Blue Anchor so far? Winning the People’s Choice Award at the British Street Food Awards this year. We started a smokehouse in the pub three years ago, as we worked out it was much cheaper to make our own bacon and other smoked fish and meat. Due to high demand, we launched The Little Blue Smokehouse, which offers smoked meats, homemade slaws, sauces and pickles in a street food setting. We have a regular pitch every Friday at Street Diner, Brighton’s first street food market, and cater for outside events and other food festivals. We won the South of England heat in the British Street Food Awards in June, and were named the People’s Choice in the national finals in September. It has been a great year for the pub, as we also won Pub Food of the Year at the Shepherd Neame Pub Awards in July. It is great to be recognised for all the hard work.
What personal characteristics help you in your role? Being a tenant is different to any other hospitality role, because of the huge range of skills involved. You have to be able to keep a good cellar and enjoy interacting with customers, but you also need to be a decorator, gardener, DIY expert and cleaner on occasion. The key is not to be afraid of things. I think stamina is also important, as I work an average of between 80 and 100 hours a week.
What are the most rewarding parts of your job? I love the creative aspect of cooking, and there is no feeling in the world like completing a great service. I get such satisfaction from working in a really busy pub and knowing that people are enjoying themselves. I also really enjoy being my own boss.
What is tough about the job? When you get it right, it’s brilliant, but you can’t please everybody all the time. Everything rests on your shoulders, and you have to be very honest with yourself which can be tough, particularly when looking at budgets.