WORCESTER publican Dan Auty used to run a large restaurant and bar in the Jewellery Quarter of Birmingham.

But in a change of direction he is now focused on reviving the fortunes of a city pub by combining a ‘local’ for drinkers and a small intimate dining area for people who want to try something a bit different.

Dan has teamed up with chef James Williams to give the Coach and Horses in the Tything, a new lease of life.

The aim is to provide a friendly locals’ pub where customers can get light lunches and a few pub classics in the day time, while making the bar area exclusively for drinkers in the evenings and offering those with an appetite a three-course dinner menu for £25.

In addition Dan has negotiated with the pub owner Marston’s to be able to offer a unique wine list for customers rather than the wines normally offered by the brewery in its pubs. The wines aim to complement the food.

Dan explained: “I live in Worcester and I have been working in Birmingham for the past six years running a large restaurant and bar in the Jewellery Quarter.”

The tenant, who was running the Coach and Horses, left after nearly 10 years and Dan started looking into the possibility of running it. “I had been looking at it for quite a while and nobody took it immediately after the publican left. I had a look and I thought it could work for me.”

The pub had not offered food on a regular basis and Dan wanted to combine a drinking pub for regulars and food for both regulars and visitors.

“I just thought the room at the back would suit a little dining room,” said Dan. He was already working with chef James who he described as a “rare talent”. “We get on well and we had a chat about what we wanted to do. I think it is unique. For lunch we have some pub classics but it is the dinner menu that is quite different.

“So many places have a generic menu you can get anywhere. In the evening we have a three courses and it is for a slow whole evening meal. We are not about big portions. It is very deliberately interesting food.”

There are three choices for each course and the aim is to offer high quality interesting food. The menu does change but some of the dishes so far have included ham hock press, apple, brioche and black pudding for starter; lamb loin, dauphinoise, pea, olive and aubergine for main; and iced banana mess, pineapple, praline, toffee and blueberry for dessert.

The pub is run by a small team and has been given a lick of paint to create a brighter ambience. Dan installed a new kitchen and other improvements will be added, such as overspill drinking area when the bar is busy, in the coming months.