One of the most iconic pubs in the Woodford Green and Chigwell area, Crown and Crooked Billet, has temporarily closed for a £200,000 refurbishment and will re-open next week, creating twenty new jobs.

Crown and Crooked Billet, is enjoying a top to toe refurbishment and is set to re-launch after a ten day makeover on Friday 28th March. The listed building, situated on Cross Road overlooking the village green, will be sympathetically refurbished, both internally and externally, to update the building, yet it will retain all its existing period features.

The huge pub garden, a big attraction for customers in the summer months, is being be spruced up with new decking and seating, whilst inside décor and furniture will transform its look into a cosy stylish country pub. A separate conservatory dining area overlooking the garden, offers the ideal private hire space for parties, private dinners or functions.

General Manager Natalie Kensington and her team will be hosting a champagne and canapé reception for invited guests and local businesses to take a sneaky first look at the pub from 5pm on Friday 28th March before doors open to the public at 7pm. Entertaining customers during the evening will be motown and jazz songstress Josie Florence. Celebrations will continue at the pub throughout the weekend with a special mothers’ day treat. Caricature artist, Steve Hearn, will be on hand from 1pm until 4pm to offer complimentary family caricatures to guests with lunch bookings. To reserve a table for Sunday lunch please email crownandcrookedbillet.woodford@stonegatepubs.com

“The Crown and Crooked Billet is a local landmark and so the refurbishment has created quite an air of excitement”, said Crown and Crooked Billet’s general manager Natalie Kensington, adding, “We know it won’t disappoint and we can’t wait to show off the pub’s new stylish look to our customers. We’re introducing a new menu with an emphasis on freshly prepared, great quality food, that gives our customer real choice whether they are popping in for lunch, dinner, Sunday roast or simply after work wind-down drinks and nibbles.”

Food is to become a big focus at the pub with the brand new menu featuring mouth-watering dishes such as Open Chicken Pie, Twice-Cooked Lamb Ribs, or sharing platters like a new Fisherman’s Board. Other new additions include a choice of dishes under 500 calories, that certainly make up in flavour for what they lack in calorie content and ten tempting desserts, served two for the price of one, all day ,Monday to Friday. The pub will also be offering a new Sunday roast menu too – a choice of three meats, a 35-day-aged British rib-eye beef served with freshly made Yorkshire pudding, British free-range pork loin or Norfolk reared turkey, accompanied by crispy roast potatoes and roasted parsnips, seasonal vegetables and a selection of sauces.

In addition to the new menu, the pub will be increasing it cask ale hand pumps to five and regularly rotating the selection of national and locally brewed ales. The pub will open with cask ales from local brewer Brentwood Brewing Company.