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The Holcombe Inn, in Bath, has been purchased by Caroline Gardiner and Alan Lucas of LucasGardiner Ltd, a London based creative catering, consultancy and event company.
The five-star hotel is situated in the village of Holcombe, and features 11 bedrooms as well as an award winning restaurant.
Its previous owners will relocate to France, but said: “I wish the new owners Alan and Caroline all the best and I am very confident they will do extremely well in taking the Holcombe Inn to greater heights and felt they were the perfect match.”
Caroline previously trained at L’Ecole de Cuisine Francaise in Sussex, whilst Alan has over 20 years’ experience in fine dining, having worked in restaurants and hotels, including the Mandarin Oriental.
They founded the catering company LucasGardiner in 2014.
Caroline will run operations and logistics for the site, whilst Alan will focus on food production.
The menu will feature seasonal British food, as well as “culinary classics reinvented for a modern audience”.
The couple said: “The plan was always to move away from the hustle and bustle of London and create something unique and food-led in the countryside and we were very lucky to find The Holcombe Inn that is already a very established food-led business, with a great team and ethos.
“We are looking forward to working closely with our chefs and local suppliers to produce modern, contemporary, seasonal food using ingredients from our own gardens.”
They added: “We are also delighted to inherit a fabulous team of staff who seem to always get great reviews and we are delighted to be working alongside them.”
Nicholas Calfe, director at Christie and Co, said: “This sale demonstrates the continuing demand for quality freehouses and the importance of having a mixed income stream, which the Holcombe Inn has.
“The three income streams ensure you attract your local drinkers and diners, destination food trade with the quality letting rooms drawing people from across the country, particularly weekenders from London.”
He added: “We worked closely with the vendor to guide them on what they needed to prepare and make available to ensure the sales process went quickly and smoothly. My clients were proactive and organised in this regard, we were able to achieve completion within three months of the offer being accepted.”
Gary Boyce, director at Christie Finance, arranged finance for the buyers.
He said: “Recognising Caroline and Alan’s significant experience in the sector and given their success at forming and growing Lucas Gardiner Ltd, we were able to build a compelling business case to present to banks on their behalf.
“The Holcombe Inn enables them to use their expertise and contacts to expand the already profitable and popular business. The addition of a quality event catering offering alongside the core business will further diversify income and awareness and I expect this to be a great success.”
