THESE are exciting times for the White Hart Inn.

The Halstead pub and restaurant is on the cusp of launching its very own brewery which will mean customers will be buying beer brewed right on the premises.

Father and son Charles and Hugo Townsend own the Grade II Listed building which has stood in the market town for centuries, having taken it on almost four years ago.

At the time it had been left derelict and was in need of major refurbishment and a lot of care.

Charles says he had been looking for some time for a suitable business to buy.

“I wanted something that could be built up and had real potential and I knew as soon as we saw this that it was the right one.

“A business that is trading at its height has only one way to go, down, but one that is in need of a bit of improving is a better option,” says Charles.

He lives in Harwich but Hugo, who has spent his entire working life in the hospitality industry having graduated from Colchester Institute, and Charles’ youngest son Ben both live at the White Hart.

The main building of the inn dates back to medieval times, possibly the 13th Century, and the original stables also remain across the car park.

Either side of the main hall, and at the back of the pub, there are additional aspects which range in date, along with a Victorian cottage which now forms part of the building.

What was probably the former coach house, also at the back of the car park, creates the new home for the brewery which is well on the way to being ready to create the first pints of Halstead Bitter.

The building has been renovated with a new roof and the relevant aspects needed for it to work as a brewery.

Charles says: “We hope the equipment will be installed within the next week and then we will start preparing for the first experimental brews.

“One brew is the equivalent of about eight casks and each cask is about 72 pints.

“We hope to do about one brew a week and if we are doing really, really well then it will be more than that.

“It will pay for itself even if we only end up doing one brew every three weeks,” he adds.

And he says brewing on the premises will help maintain the beer’s flavour.

“There is a common belief beer tastes better the less distance it has travelled. 

“We had the space and I am very interested in doing it so I really wanted to give it a go,” says Charles who has researched the process and carried out brews himself on a smaller scale.

“Once it is up and running the plan is for my youngest son Ben to run the brewery.”

The plan is to hold an open day when the first pints are ready and officially launch the White Hart Brewery.

Before that, the venue has also just launched its Christmas menu, which will be on offer from Dec 1 to 23, and will once again serve up a sumptuous lunch on Christmas Day for those lucky enough to book a table in time.

“We find those who have been before on Christmas Day book up early and come back again the next year.

“It really is a lovely lunch and people like the fact they don’t to do any of it themselves, nor do they have to do the washing up,” adds Charles.

Head chef Nina Benton explains the pre-Christmas menu includes a range of choices, over three courses, including spiced parsnip and cauliflower soup, ham hock and pea fritter, aubergine cannelloni and the traditional roast turkey.

She explains she and Hugo spend a long time choosing and refining the menus which, on a day to day basis, include hearty favourites as well as specials.

“Dishes such as ham egg and chip and fish and chips are always popular but we will often choose things that are seasonal that we have that day for the specials too.

“Pies are very popular at the moment too. The other day I could barely keep up with making them because they were selling so fast,” she explains.

Roast dinners are also a big draw for the High Street pub - with booking often advisable explains Charles.

In keeping with its tradition, the White Hart also has four rooms, which were refurbished along with the rest of the inn.

“We wanted to keep the atmosphere and feel of the age of the pub but also open it out a bit, which is why we put in fixed seating around the edge and also re-upholstered many of the original chairs.

“We also put down a real oak floor, getting rid of the carpets,” he adds.

  •  Contact the White Hart on 01787  475657 for more information or to book.