Where people can gather, slow down, and enjoy each other’s company.

The idea was never just to open another pub. What we’ve always wanted to create is a feeling — the kind you remember long after you’ve gone home. That feeling is what identifies a Redefined Hospitality pub.  

Growing up, my house was full of dinner parties. I’d sit halfway up the stairs, listening to laughter drift from the kitchen, wishing I were old enough to join in. Even then, I felt it, that warmth that comes when people gather around food, wine, and conversation. It’s the same gentle buzz I feel now when a bar is full, and glasses are clinking late into the evening.

Without realising it, those nights taught me what hospitality truly means; creating spaces where people feel both looked after and completely at ease. Somewhere between home and somewhere special.

I’m half Danish, and the idea of hygge has always been part of how I see hospitality. Hygge doesn’t translate neatly into English - it’s about comfort, warmth, and the quiet happiness of feeling cosy and cared for. That’s why our fires are always lit, candles glow on every table, and there are cosy corners to sink into after a long walk. Sofas you never quite want to leave. Blankets within reach. And someone always nearby to top up your glass…just one more time.

When the opportunity arose to take on The Candlelight Inn, we knew one thing for certain: it would be “silly to create competition with ourselves” by producing a mirror image of what we’d already built considering our short geographical distance.

So, the Candlelight, isn’t a carbon copy of The Cotley and that is very much intentional. Afterall, each place deserves its own identity. The Candlelight is its own story, guided by the same belief that guests should feel less like customers and more like friends we’re genuinely happy to welcome. Think of it as a sibling rather than a twin: connected by values, but free to express its own character.

There is also a very special reason why acquiring the Candlelight was particularly poignant for Ben and me, but I’ll save that for the next blog…

We’re simply trying to create places where people can gather, slow down, and enjoy each other’s company, the way I once hoped to, listening from the stairs.

And we’re so glad you’re part of the story with us.