Our address,for those who wish to send postcards from foreign climes or any monetary gifts for the Dewar retirement fund is as follows:
The Stan Laurel Inn, 31 The Ellers, Ulverston, Cumbria. LA12 0AB
Our telephonic comunication number is 01229 582814
Trudi and I took over The Stan Laurel Inn on the 1st April 2007 and set about rebuilding the reputation of the pub. We shut the doors for a couple of weeks while we re-decorated all the rooms downstairs and re-built the bar more or less from scratch. We fitted new lamps throughout and and added some personal touches (well Trudi did)
Below is the Pool Room which as you can see also has a TV (not SKY), dartboard and various games available to enjoy
Below are a couple of views of the main bar area.
We then set about cleaning the kitchen and refitting it so that we could provide food and breakfast for the letting rooms which we also had to re-decorate and furnish. None of this could of been achieved without the hard work and support of our families and friends. In April 2008 we (when I say we I use the term loosely, father in law did most of the work over a 3 month period while I provided refreshments-Thank You) finished re-furbing the kitchen, new floor and wall tiles and all new equipment before expanding the menu to its current form and introducing the special board. Finally we eventually added a small wine list to the mix offering a dozen wines from around the world for cutomers to choose from as well as our house wine.
Above is our small outside area for sun seekers. A bizarre snippet of trivia for you. First opened the bar-Friday 13th April. Opened the new kitchen Saturday 13th April a year later.
Trudi and I have been together for a number of years and were married in June 2003. We spent several years running a large family/community pub in Kendal before deciding to go it alone, as it were. Previous to that I have spent all my working life in and around the hospitality industry while Trudi comes from a customer service background
A piccy of Trudi & Paul, I myself admit that perhaps I have aged in the few years that have passered since this photo was taken, where as Trudi looks as young as ever. Just in case any of you are not sure I am the ugly bugger on the right!
Below are some articles that have been printed in the north west evening mail
Ulverston head chef and pub owner adds extra flavour to dishes Last updated at 16:30, Friday, 24 April 2009
WHEN it comes to creating good food, for chef Paul Dewar it is not just the recipes he has learnt over the years he has spent in the kitchen, but the little tips he has picked up along the way, that add extra flavour to dishes.
Although no name dropper, the owner of the Stan Laurel Inn in Ulverston once saw a programme with possibly Britain’s most famous chef Gordon Ramsay.
In it Gordon recommended adding a little curry powder to batter – Paul tried it, liked it and has done it ever since.
But he is no blind follower – and one of his first pieces of advice to budding cooks at home is to experiment and try different ingredients and food combinations out – cook what you like, but if you feel something doesn’t work move on and experiment with other flavours.
The 43-year-old fell into cheffing by accident after training in hotel management, but it is something he loves despite the long hours and hard work it takes to run a successful pub.
When it comes to his food Paul says: “I make dishes in the way I have made them for years, so I know if I have five kilos of minced beef, I know how much oregano is going to go with it or any other ingredients.
“I don’t actually measure it all out – it is based on judgment of 20-odd years of experience.
“I fell into being a chef after getting a bid muddled doing my A levels and didn’t want to continue with them so went to college to do hotel management.”
One day the hotel manager suggested he come along and help out in a steak house his company owned – and that was it, Paul ended up staying in the kitchen.
“Catering, you have to like it to do it because there are too many long hours – if you didn’t like it you couldn’t do it.”
Paul likes cooking things like the pepper pots and cajun chicken and loves cooking to order rather than pre-cooking everything.
He really enjoys teaching young chefs in his kitchen and watching the things they get out of cooking in a professional kitchen.
When it comes to cooking at home or at work, Paul says: “Use the flavours you like to be honest, I like cajun things so that is what I cook.”
With summer here and knowing that barbecuing is something many people start to think about, he adds: “If you are marinating meat for grilling then make sure you do it the day before not just an hour or so – that way the flavours are really allowed to get into the meat.
“Also use good olive oil not cheap vegetable stuff – even just a standard olive oil is better than other things.
“It is not that expensive – I just go for Italian.
“There are a lot of oils on the market now but just bog standard olive oil is good enough.
“It is also what you put into it.
“I like using limes and lemons to flavour the oils.
“Cracked black pepper and either lemons or limes works.
“I like cajun flavours because I like hot foods, curries and chillis are all things I like.”
And Paul revealed another secret ingredient he adds to his curry sauces.
He says: “It is not just Madras or whatever curry powder but I have fresh coriander, chopped chillis to get a bit more flavour – so you don’t just have the heat.
“I also add a bit of whisky to it.
“I don’t know why, I just heard it somewhere and really liked it.
“Again lemon juice along with the whisky and I like coriander so I love the flavour and even the smell of it.
“It is also good to use coriander with things like salmon.
“It is that same thing again – cook what you like and hopefully if you like it you will cook well with it.”
Going back to meat, Paul doesn’t so much have a favourite but he does like fillet of beef just because it is so nice and you don’t have to just have it as a steak.
He adds: “You can cut it into strips, add strips of peppers and red onion, saute with cracked black pepper.
“Add a touch of brandy, cream and demi glace.
“It is quick and easy and you can serve it with whatever the customer wants.”
But many people like it with rice or noodles.
Jacket potatoes are proving popular with customers despite the warmer weather.
And if you are a fan of coleslaw, he says: “Horseradish is the secret to a good coleslaw,” he reveals.
“Combine mayonnaise, horseradish, a bit of white wine vinegar – only use enough horseradish so that it has an underlying presence.
“You work with different people and you pick up things over the years.”
Paul feels he was lucky to work with a master chef when he was much younger and he taught him a lot.
“One day I heard Gordon Ramsay say add curry powder to your fish batter and I tried it, it meant it tasted it a bit different and so I have done it ever since.
“Even watching the television you pick up things.
“Try it out and if you don’t like it go back to your old ways.”
Another dish that goes well with the inn’s customers is slices of black pudding covered in batter and fried.
Paul goes on: “For a sauce to serve with them fry a bit of bacon in a pan, add some English mustard and cream – and we get good comments.
“I use the specials board as a testing ground and if it proves popular enough I add it on to the menu.
“We took Thai fish cakes off because they were not selling much.”
But if it takes his fancy, he will add fish cakes to his specials board occasionally.
And he stresses always taste your dishes as you go along – don’t serve something you haven’t tried.
Also be careful to add a little of an ingredient at a time – remember you can add extra in but you can’t take it out so be careful when seasoning with salt and pepper.
For his chicken pepper pot Paul says cook strips of skinless chicken in a pan of hot oil to seal the meat.
Season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
Add a generous splash of brandy and flame it off.
Put strips of different coloured peppers – red, green and orange into the pan and cook along with finely sliced red onion.
Add demi glace (or gravy) and then thick fresh whipping cream.
Allow to simmer for a few minutes until you have the consistency you want.
You can serve it with rice or big fat chunky chips.
Paul finds that freshly made chips never go out of fashion and people insist on his extra fat chunky chips.
PAUL and Trudi Dewar, who own and run The Stan Laurel in Ulverston, are this week celebrating their third year in the now famous pub and eating house.
They first opened on Friday April 13, three years ago, and have never looked back.
Just in time for the anniversary, the couple have put together a wine list to complement the home cooking.
Paul is now one of Ulverston’s favourite chefs, serving steaks, chicken dishes, home-made soups and piping hot pies. His favourite dishes are all a la carte – made to order plates of chicken forestiere or the well-known pepperpot.
Trudi looks after diners’ drinks, taking care of the wine and keeping the beer at the bar flowing smoothly. The pub is known for its real ales, serving no less than six regularly-changing brews, with always at least one from the local Ulverston brewery.
The Stan Laurel serves food six days a week, and on four they run hugely popular offers. Busiest nights are Tuesdays and Wednesdays, when diners get to choose two meals for the price of one from any of the menus.
Paul said: “The two-for-one nights advertise themselves. We get a lot of people in, so people should make sure they book ahead, at least a day before. If they ring on the night, they won’t get a place.”
The eating house runs a steak and wine offer on Thursdays – two 8oz steaks and a bottle of house wine for £25 – while on Friday it’s fish for a fiver – a good plateful of fish, chips and peas for a knock-you-down £5.
There are always specials on the blackboards, but the written menu offers a fairly comprehensive list of dishes. It includes starters like home-made soup for £3.50 or seafood pancakes for £4.95; main meals like lasagne or steak pie for £8.25 and cajun chicken for £9.50.
Main meals all come with fresh vegetables and any variety of cooked potato. The Stan Laurel is in The Ellers, just off the central A590 roundabout in Ulverston.
A piccy of Trudi & Paul, I myself admit that perhaps I have aged in the few years that have passered since this photo was taken, where as Trudi looks as young as ever. Just in case any of you are not sure I am the ugly bugger on the right!