Nottinghamshire gastropub, The Old Vol, was recently involved in a bizarre festive prank when an individual, believed to be an ex-employee, sent them 13 pumpkins funded by their supplier account.
Perfect decorations, you might think, for the upcoming Halloween season. But, instead of using their knife skills to carve faces in the festive fruits, The Old Vol’s chefs used ‘pumpkin-gate’ as a chance to do what they do best: cooking excellent food and giving back to their local community.
The team proceeded to turn the unexpected delivery into 140 portions of fresh spiced pumpkin soup, which were accompanied by homemade focaccia and delivered to the elderly residents of four care homes in the NG14 area.
The resulting meals were well received at The Byars, Hazelford Residential Home, Rivendell View Care Home and Westwold Care Home, prompting the care homes to send letters of thanks to the pub.
Jack Pearce, Head Chef at The Old Vol, said:
“Admittedly, receiving a load of unannounced pumpkins was a career first, but we’re always looking for new ways to engage with the local community and give back where we can at The Old Vol. It makes me really proud to lead a team that doesn’t just use their talents to do their day jobs, but comes up with creative ideas to make a difference away from the pub too.”
Sean Reddington, Owner of The Old Vol & CEO at THRIVE, added:
“Giving back to the community is a huge driver for me personally, and something that we make a big deal of at both The Old Vol and THRIVE, despite them being very different businesses! Having a bulk load of pumpkins land on our doorstep was a great opportunity for us to turn a prank into a good deed, and it’s been really heart-warming to see the team pull together and deliver on such a great initiative.”
Since it was taken over and revamped in December 2021, the gastropub has become a firm favourite among locals and food critics alike. In March 2022, the team donated £45k takings and tips to Red Cross Ukraine to help refugees fleeing the country, and its food has been awarded 2 AA Rosettes.
Find out more about the Old Vol here:
Website: https://www.oldvolpub.co.uk/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theoldvol/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theoldvol
Please contact Sean Reddington, Owner at The Old Vol, for any press and media requests: 07788311401