A FAMILIAR face around the Cotswolds has become executive chef at a busy country pub.

Sonya Kidney has taken over at the helm of the Ebrington Arms, in Ebrington, where she will oversee an exciting and varied menu.

She will also oversee the kitchen at a sister pub, The Killingworth Castle, in Wootton, near Woodstock.

Mrs Kidney ran the Churchill Arms in Paxford in its heyday and before that, the Marsh Goose restaurant in Moreton. When she sold her pub she ran a deli in Chipping Norton for a few years and started a bed and breakfast with her husband. She also wrote a food column in The Guardian newspaper but throughout all she missed the live buzz of being in the kitchen.

“I love the modern kitchen at the pubs. In this day and age you have to have a modern approach to hospitality because things have changed. People still like to eat rubbish but you’ve got to have a healthier approach these days with it sounding interesting and giving people a great choice,” she said.

“For me cooking is all about being inspired when you go out. I’m all about raising the level of cooking. I don’t want the menu staying the same, we change the dishes regularly and it’s energetic. It’s our job to keep the interest in the food alive.”

The pubs' owners, Jim and Claire Alexander said they were thrilled to welcome the new addition to their kitchens.

Mrs Alexander said: “Sonya’s working with both of our head chefs so we make sure we have menus that cover key local favourite dishes alongside her really imaginative dishes. We’re thrilled to have her on board.

"What’s fantastic about Sonya’s cooking is her imagination. She goes the extra mile to get the right ingredients most chefs wouldn’t, including a special trip to Daylesford this week just to get fresh tumeric for a dish. I’m told the roots bring a perfume and fragrance to the dish you never get from the dry alternative."

As well as everyone else in the Vale, Mrs Kidney is also a big asparagus fan and says it will be on the menu until the season runs out.

The Ebrington Arms has been owned by the Alexanders for 10 years. In that time it has been North Cotswolds Pub of the Year three times and four times runner up. The pub is Michelin recommended and has retained two AA rosettes for food for the past five consecutive years. The couple also brew three of their own beers: Yubby, Goldie and Yawnie.

In 2012 they bought the Killingworth Castle.

One of Mrs Kidney's first events to organise is an ‘Asparagus Feast’ on Thursday June 9 at both the Alexander's pubs.