Bread and Cheese in Benfleet to re open on Friday following major £500,000 revamp

The Bread & Cheese in Benfleet reopens on Friday 3^rd May in time for the bank holiday weekend after an 11-week closure and a major £500,000 upgrade by Essex based multiple pub operator Steve Haslam and Heineken owned Star Pubs.  15 new jobs have been created on the back of the investment.

Popular with dog walkers and walkers visiting the park and nearby woods, The Bread & Cheese will now be open for cooked breakfasts and morning coffees and cakes with fresh coffee made by in-house baristas.  New booths with computer charging points also make it a great spot for meetings and people wanting to work while enjoying a coffee.

As well as a new smarter exterior, the outside investment has created what Steve believes to be the best garden in the area with seating for 200.  There’s an outdoor cinema with a 5m screen on raised decking with seating for 120 on bench seats and comfy seating on cushion covered rattan chairs.  There are also two covered pergolas with banquette seating and their own TVs and one with its own shuttle board table, perfect for parties and family get togethers.  Jumbrellas will provide shade on hot, sunny days and new planting, wall lights and festoon lighting create a warm and welcoming atmosphere.

Inside The Bread & Cheese has been completely stripped out to open up the interior with more windows installed making it brighter.  Distinct areas – a local community bar and a restaurant with carvery - are divided by a relaxed open space lounge and greet station.  Disabled access has been improved as the restaurant and bar is on one level and there is ramp accessibility to the garden.  A new luxury disabled toilet has also been fitted.

The bar has seating for 50 on a mixture of banquette, freestanding, low- and high-level seating and a new dedicated entrance into the garden as well as access to the carvery, giving customers a choice of eating from the bar menu or carvery. 

Banquette seating for 12 has been fitted in the central lounge area and in the restaurant a purpose-built bespoke carvery has been installed.  Seating for 100 is provided on banquettes and loose chairs and there’s a dedicated bar area to ensure speedy restaurant drinks service.

The blue and green décor together with new doors and windows create an indoor / outdoor fresh and uplifting look and feel.

A brand new £100,000 kitchen has been created to enable The Bread & Cheese to offer a wider menu and cater for more customers.  The revised menu includes a larger carvery offer, more extensive grill, world dishes and pub classics done to a high standard and in the summer a smoked bbq section on the menu with meats from the pub’s new smoker.  There is also a bar and garden menu with lighter bites, sharing platters and pub favourites, All areas have access to the carvery. 

Not to be forgotten, dogs are catered for as well with their own Sir Woofchester menu of pre-made dry mix doggy roast, chicken and sausage dishes.

Drinks include a wide choice of gins, a dedicated cocktail menu with cocktails made from fresh and premium beers such as Birra Moretti, Cruzcampo, Amstel and Neck Oil as well as a great selection of wines, spirits and soft drinks. 

Steve’s plans for The Bread & Cheese are to continue to offer the full programme of events such as the boogie nights, quizzes, and Elvis nights that people loved prior to the pub closing for the refurbishment.           

Steve says: “The Bread & Cheese is one of the most well-known pubs in Essex. I hadn’t intended to take it on, but when a friend told me it was closing in 2020, I felt I had to do something rather than see it boarded up.  I feel an emotional connection to the pub as I first visited it aged 14 when my father was the cleaner.  Having run The Bread & Cheese on a temporary basis for the last three years I realised that it was a sleeping giant and had real potential.  So I have now taken on its lease and given customers certainty.

“I am delighted with the result of our joint investment and the improvement in the back of house.  Everything has been upgraded from beer lines to electrics.  The smarter, fresher look and feel is now more in keeping with the level of service we provide and the standard of the food and drink we serve. Top quality ingredients are really important to us as we understand when people go out they want it to be special.  We only use first class suppliers for our meat and vegetables.  Our intention is to create the best carvery and best menu in the area offering fantastic value for money.  I am looking forward to opening the doors and welcoming new customers and regulars.”

Steve Charlton, Star Pubs Business Development Manager says: “Steve has done a fantastic job with The Bread & Cheese.  First turning the business around and creating a well-liked local including introducing a popular carvery in September and then building on that success with this stunning refurbishment.  It takes The Bread & Cheese to the next level and is in perfect time for residents of the new development across the road. I wish him and his team further success, which they will undoubtedly have.”