Popular Sherwood pub launches new garden cafe bar

The venue at No.1 Winchester Street now offers a ground floor garden cafe bar for breakfast and lunches, to complement its indoor and roof terrace areas.

The garden cafe will be open on weekdays between 10am and 4pm.

Claire Hill, who only joined The Winchester in April, taking over as catering manager, said: “I am absolutely delighted to have been given the opportunity to join the Winchester Team and bring my menu to Sherwood.

“The Garden Cafe Bar, incorporating the unique VIPod, offers an outdoor-indoor space to eat in this diverse neighbourhood, as well as a fabulous space for evening parties and I’ve got lots of exciting plans for the summer”.

It is the latest expansion of a business that has grown organically over time since owner Mike Douglas took over a disused building on the corner of Winchester Street and Mansfield Road, back in 2021.

A major renovation project saw the derelict space transformed into a multi-room venue for daytime and evening use, designed to attract work and leisure customers.

Since then the business has been expanded to include inside conference and events spaces available for hire, as well as serviced offices within the adjoining Sherwood Business Centre.

For most of its time Winchester has offered limited opening hours, but this has gradually expanded as the business has grown. The opening of the garden cafe at weekends marks a more regular daytime food offering.

The venue also hosts regular one-off evening events, including music gigs, and shows live sports.

One of the cafe bar’s unique features is a shipping container in the garden area, which has been used for a variety of purposes including as a karaoke booth.