Bury St Edmunds pub The White Horse Inn opens new lounge bar

Graham Taylor and Aaron Gibson, 41, are co-owners of the The White Horse Inn in Badwell Ash near Bury St Edmunds.

The White Horse Inn, Badwell Ash has opened a new refurbished lounge bar. (Image: The White Horse Inn)

Mr Gibson and his partner Adele Hewitson purchased the premises four years ago and approached Mr Taylor who had previously worked with Michelin Star chefs and five-star hotels.

Together, they initially opened one side of the bar and from here on out, their journey started with the refurbishment of their dog-friendly pub and restaurant.

The White Horse Inn is situated in Badwell Ash, Bury St Edmunds. (Image: The White Horse Inn)

They started with a basic Sunday lunch and, before they opened, thought they might be lucky to have 20 people through their doors.

Within a couple of weeks, they were welcoming close to 100 and started to expand their team as the business took off.

After the Covid-19 pandemic, they reopened and launched their Saturday night menu which, in Mr Taylor's words "went through the roof".

The White Horse Inn, Badwell Ash. (Image: The White Horse Inn)

With their continued success they expanded to serving food from Tuesday to Sunday and introduced their popular seasonal menu, which changes every six weeks for a fresh and exciting offering.

Their newest venture has seen the conversion of their high-end lounge bar from which patrons will have the chance to try bespoke cocktails and enjoy their premium food products, with all fruit, meat and vegetables sourced within 20 miles.

The White Horse Inn, Badwell Ash. (Image: The White Horse Inn)

Though it's hard to choose a favourite, Mr Taylor said that he loves the 14-hour slow cooked roast beef brisket, which he says is on a "different level," alongside their cocktails and barista coffees.

Though it's hard to choose a favourite, Mr Taylor said that he loves the 14-hour slow cooked roast beef. (Image: The White Horse Inn)

He added that both he and Mr Gibson wanted to create something "mind-blowing" and hopes that those who enter the White Horse will know that they're offering local people the "best of the best" for a reasonable price.

The business partners added that they couldn't have made it this far without the help of their operations manager Paul Lucas and Ms Hewitson who has been looking after the venture behind-the-scenes since day one, alongside the help of their "amazing" growing team.

The White Horse Inn, Badwell Ash. (Image: The White Horse Inn)

"We hope that people will come back again and again," said Mr Taylor.

"We'd like it to be a comfortable environment as well as a place for celebration as we truly believe the heart of a village is the pub."