Welcome to the Hollybush at Seighford
Covid-19
Updated 20th July 2021
The Hollybush remains closed on a Monday & Tuesday, but will serve food and drinks on Wednesday to Sunday.
There will be a new menu, which can either be eaten outside under the awning, or inside or as a takeaway.
Telephone orders for takeaways will also be accepted.
New Covid Policy dated 19th July 2021.
THE HOLLYBUSH INN
17TH CENTURY INDEPENDENT TRADITIONAL INN
Main Road, Seighford, Staffordshire ST18 9PQ
Tel. 01785 281644
Welcome to the Hollybush Inn. It’s great to see you all, and thank you to all those who have supported the pub through this devastating pandemic.
And so here we all are again, with the new virus variant raging throughout our country, and with all legal restrictions pertaining to face masks, social distancing, and signing in due to be replaced by individual choice and responsibility after July 19th.
On the face of it, this sounds absolutely marvellous, and the most positive signal that we are getting on top of this dangerous virus.
But the daily statistics reveal a somewhat different story. And, in theory, what is about to happen will make this pub far more vulnerable to closure than at any other time during the pandemic because all the legal protections and barriers to the virus will have been removed at a time when the number of Covid cases is rising exponentially; and I fear that some may take this relaxation of restrictions to mean they have licence to behave as though Coronavirus no longer exists.
What would this mean for the pub? In a nutshell, if one Covid infected individual comes into the Hollybush over the next few weeks, and this is not beyond the bounds of possibility given the rate at which the new variant is spreading, the pub will haveto shut for a minimum of 10 days. This is because current legislation demands that all the staff self-isolate whether or not they have been double jabbed. I hope you will agree that we have already been closed too many times over the last 15 months!
One way or another, then, we have to minimise the risks to all involved. So: how do we protect the staff, the customers, and the pub itself? and how do we ensure that customers and staff alike remain confident that the Hollybush remains a safe and covid-free environment?
Clearly, the simplest solution is to maintain pre-19th July restrictions until perhaps the 16th August, at which point the obligation to self-isolate will no longer exist. So this is what we intend to do, but we will review this weekly. As a reminder:
Social distancing will continue to be critical at all times. So please, unless you are from the same household, maintain a distance of at least 1 metre from others.
Government advice is that after the 19th July, everyone should wear a face mask in enclosed or busy areas, and that table service should continue in pubs and restaurants: so
the same will apply to the Hollybush. To ensure the safety of all inside the pub, customers are advised to wear a face covering on entry, to be removed when seated.
The rule of 6 will continue inside the pub.
As far as the layout of the pub is concerned, all tables and benches inside and outside of the pub are all spaced apart by at least 1 metre, and the pathways to all of them are about 1.5 to 2 metres wide.
Please remember that common sense is not only a useful tool at times like these, but also a great form of self-defence.
I am afraid that this still means no standing, drinking or ordering at the bar; and we will continue to offer only table service for both food and drink. This also means that booking is now essential, as even drinkers will require tables. And we’ve got far less tables now because of social distancing!
Hygiene, of course, continues to be crucial: and you will be pleased to note that there have been no instances of Coronavirus in this pub before, during and so far, after lockdown. And to make sure that continues:
you will find sanitising stations at both entrances to the pub
- all staff will wear face masks at all times
- food hygiene has always had the highest official rating here, and will continue to be maintained to the highest standards.
- empty glasses will be collected by staff, and washed in a glasswasher that cleans and sterilises them.
- there will be no cutlery, crockery, or condiments on any of the tables. These will be brought out with your food order, and the condiments will be, for the most part, in single serve sachets. Please note that cutlery and crockery are also washed in a machine that cleans and sterilises.
- the toilets will be inspected regularly, and operate on a one in, one out system
perhaps most importantly, we will not allow the pubto become crowded or oversubscribed. We will be keeping an eye on numbers at all times, and will, if necessary, turn people away. To this end, all customers who wish to eat at The Hollybush must book in advance.
Ultimately, please remember that everything we have put in place is to keep you and the staff here safe from the virus: to this end, be assured that we will ask those who knowingly put others at risk to leave the premises.
And until this is all over, myself and all the Hollybush team wish you all the very best during these uncertain and challenging times. Let’s all stay healthy!
Quiz Night £1.00 per person
Unfortunately, due to social distancing the quiz is closed until further notice.
Sunday Evening is Quiz Night @ The Hollybush 20:30 - 22:00
Resident Quiz Master Peter Jones, Prizes for each round, weekly snowball and a raffle!
The Seighford Pub Company is pleased to inform you that during the enforced closure of the Hollybush the inside of the pub has been re decorated and the toilet block has been totally re designed.
Access to the Hollybush
The Hollybush is a 17th century building and as such access for less able people is a little restricted. However we have now purchased a purpose made wheelchair ramp which we hope will fully improve the freedom of movement both into and when inside the the pub.
Please park at the front of the building where we have two dedicated parking spaces.
The Community Pub
Main Road,
Seighford
ST18 9PQ
01785 281644
The Seighford Pub Company
Community Pub Project
Inside access to the restaurant and the toilets
Outside access to the Hollybush
For more information on how this village pub was rescued and restored visit the "The Project"