A pizzaiolo - a chef who specialies in making pizzas and has been trained to make real, Italian-style pizzas - has taken on his first pub in the UK through Greene King Pub Partners.
Claude Camilleri – whose pizzas have been ranked in Worldwide Pizza guide La Enciclopedia Della Pizza – has taken on The Old Mill in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire following a £300k joint investment with Greene King.
The Old Mill is the first pub Claude has opened and his first hospitality business in the UK, having operated - two well-known pizzerias – called Margos – in Malta for over 17 years.
The joint investment between Greene King sPartners and Claude has been used to bring state-of-the-art equipment into the pub.
The investment has also been used to transform some of the site into a deli and bakery for pub goers and local residents to use as a food shop.
The pub will serve the same authentic Neapolitan pizza as that of Claude’s pizzeria business in Malta, but with an English twist – using organic buffalo mozzarella from Hampshire and charcuterie including hams and sausages all prepared at the pub using British pork and beef.
It will also serve an impressive range of beers and other drinks. It will serve Italian lager Birra Moretti, as well as Icebreaker Pale Ale, Amstel, Orchard Thieves cider, Guinness and cask ales.
The pub will also have an impressive wine offer to complement its great food, with all but one of its wines coming from European vineyards. Plus it will serve a range of spirits including limoncello as well as non-alcoholic and soft drink options.
Claude said, “When I visited Berkhamsted before, I fell in love with The Old Mill pub. As soon as the opportunity came to take it on, I just knew I had to pounce on it!
“Our joint investment with Greene King Pub Partners has enabled us to bring in the state-of-the-art kitchen equipment we need to serve our pizza. It has also enabled us to repurpose some of the pub’s space into a deli and bakery, so we can maximise alternative revenue streams for the pub business.”
Wayne Shurvinton, Managing Director for Greene King Pub Partners, said, “Partnering with the best operators and helping them to create a great pub business is what we are all about. Claude’s record and success speaks for itself and its great to be working with him.
“It is great to see entrepreneurs from outside the UK like Claude choosing the British pub – and Greene King Pub Partners – to expand their hospitality businesses abroad.”
