Woburn Pub Manager Recognised as a Rising Star!

Dafydd Bretherton, general manager at The Black Horse in Woburn, has won an Acorn Award, a sought-after accolade given only to those in hospitality regarded as outstanding and who are tipped for the top. Dafydd, who heads up a team of twenty at the thriving pub, recently received the Award at a ceremony weekend event in Chester, with many big names from the food and cheffing world in attendance.

Aged just 25, Dafydd was among 30 young achievers who have been singled out for their exceptional commitment and ability in food and hospitality, who go that extra mile, and who have shown qualities that are sure to make an impact in the future. Many past Acorn winners have become house-hold names such as Gary Rhodes, Michael Caines and Marco Pierre White. In winning the award, Dafydd not only joins this exclusive group but also becomes a lifelong Acorn, widely seen as a great helping hand up the hospitality industry ladder.

When Dafydd joined The Black Horse, in 2009, his top priority was to not only put the pub on the map locally as a great place for good things to eat and drink, but he wanted to go a step further to ensure that the thriving establishment was really part of the social fabric of Woburn, and its neighbouring villages and towns. This Acorn Award recognised Dafydd’s efforts to put The Black Horse at the heart of its community including projects at Woburn Lower School to promote healthy eating and help the children to cultivate their very own vegetables and flowers, a series of fun masterclass cookery schools, partnering with Woburn’s Bedford Street Gallery to help in hosting last year’s urban art festival, and supporting Bedford College by taking several students on work placement schemes.

Prior to joining The Black Horse, Dafydd was deputy manager at sister pub The Swan down the road in Salford. He caught the hospitality bug early however, starting his career back in 2001 at Claverton Lodge in Stony Stratford. After helping run this independent 15 bedroom hotel, he then went to college to follow in his dad’s footsteps and trained as a chef, before deciding to study further, getting a 2:1 in Hospitality & Licensed Retail Management with Business Development at Manchester Metropolitan University. Dafydd’s first job after graduating was food & beverage supervisor at Malmaison in Manchester, before being rapidly promoted to assistant bar & brasserie manager.

“Dafydd’s unstinted commitment, passion and drive have earned him this well deserved Acorn Award,” comments Andrew Coath, owner The Black Horse, Woburn. ”We are all delighted for him. He has a good eye for detail, impeccable business management skills and a constant focus on the customer experience, but it doesn’t stop there! For Dafydd going the extra mile is the norm, whether it’s offering to run someone home at the end of the evening, washing their jeans and lending them a clean pair if they spill red wine, surprising someone on their birthday, or even replacing a tyre when a customer had a flat in the car park recently and couldn’t get home – it’s all in a day’s work for Dafydd and his team.”

This is the third year running that a young talented member of the Peach pubs team has won an Acorn Award. Awards like these are a reflection of the outstanding training Peach gives its people to help them grow and develop; Peach won Caterer & Hotelkeeper’s coveted ‘Best Places to Work in Hospitality’ Award for restaurants and bars in 2008 and again in 2009.

The Black Horse in Woburn is open every day from 10am until midnight, and serves hot food from its great seasonal menu all through the day. It can be found at 1 Bedford Street, Woburn, MK17 8QB or for more information about forthcoming events and news you can go to www.blackhorsewoburn.co.uk