Beer and pigs bring Harborough district businesses together
An unusual tie-up between two hospitality businesses is giving customers at three popular pubs in the Harborough district the chance to enjoy food and drink with a uniquely local flavour.
The Three Goats group, which runs The Nevill Arms at Medbourne, the Sun Inn at Great Easton and The Red Lion at Great Bowden, already sells popular tipples from the Langton Brewery – but now it’s feeding the pigs it raises on its farm the grain generated as by-product of the brewing process.
This means customers at the venues will be able to tuck into pork dishes and enjoy a host of beers, knowing they’ve all been produced within a few miles in a ‘closed supply loop’.
The move is the latest in the hospitality group’s drive to forge links with other local businesses, improving sustainability and championing ingredients produced in The Welland Valley.
“Local isn’t just a word for us – it’s one of core guiding principles,” says Ellie Uppal of the Three Goats. ‘We live and work in this area and we want to partner with other businesses that share our values and are equally passionate about this region.”
Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, Langton Brewery produces about 7,000 pints a week most of which is sold in casks and bottles within a 25-mile radius of the brewery based on a farm near Market Harborough.
“Being a part of this community is lovely,” says Sion Roberts who has run the business since 2018 with his wife Rachana.
"Everywhere I go, people know our beer. A lot of people simply refer to me as ‘Brewery Roberts’.”
“We own our own farm where we keep Oxford Sandy & Black pigs,” explains Ellie, “so customers love the fact that the meat on their plates has been reared so close to where it is served.
As well as in the pubs, anyone wishing to try Langton Brewery’s products can do so at the two-day ‘Langtoberfest 2024’ – a two-day festival, inspired by the world-famous Oktoberfest in Germany, which is expected to bring almost 1,000 people through the gate at Thorpe Langton on September 20 and September 21.
“It’ll be a festival packed with live music, steins of lager, mouthwatering bratwurst, pretzels and more,” says Sion.