The Riverside at The Coventry Arms is Pub of the Week

The Riverside at The Coventry Arms is a 15th century pub found in Corfe Mullen, and on the banks of the River Stour.

It was once known as The Risaro at The Coventry Arms, but re-opened on Friday, October 7, following a refurbishment and complete rebrand by new owner, James Mills.

James described the first few weeks of service as “incredible”. He said: “People that have come in and said ‘this is what we’ve needed for the last 30 years- someone to invest in the building.’”

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The refurbishment, which was carried out by Solution Group, took 12 weeks to complete, and saw changes made to both the pub’s interior and exterior, but kept many of the building’s traditional features.

The new dining area (Image: NQ)

Holly Emptage, who designed the interior, said: “It’s like an infusion of old and new, which creates a much more of vibrant environment but keeps the character, which was really important to us.”

An expansion was added to the back of the premises- creating a spacious dining area lit by natural light from skylights and glass bifold doors.

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The extension opens up to a huge outdoor space, stretching back to the river, and featuring additional dining and an outdoor bar and kitchen. Whilst the outdoor area is not yet complete, it is expected to be ready for spring next year.

But it is not just visual changes that have been introduced to The Coventry Arms; James has worked hard to change the whole atmosphere and attitude of the pub, creating a more “upmarket” dining experience.

New seating areas (Image: NQ)

James said: “We just want to provide a good environment and incredible service. We want our customers to feel looked after.”

James strives to accompany the incredible service with incredible food, and has introduced a new menu, and a strong team of chefs.

He said: “The head chef has 25 years experience, our sous-chef has 15 years experience, and we have a pastry chef with 15 years experience, which not many places have.

“Everything here is freshly cooked. They make everything themselves.”

And of course, every Sunday, the chefs at the pub cook up a huge selection of high quality roast dinners.

To see a full menu, or find out more about The Riverside at The Coventry Arms, visit their website at https://riversidecoventryarms.uk/ or their Facebook page here.