We went in search of a couple of freshly-baked pizzas and a bottle of good wine to celebrate… well, to celebrate it being a Friday’n’all. But The Richmond – the gorgeous little Georgian-era pub-with-rooms tucked away on a leafy residential street in one of the most beautiful neighbourhoods in Bath – went way over and above ticking off our wish list boxes; there’s a whole lotta all kinds of everything going on under this petite pub’s historic roof.
“Are you looking for a venue to hire for the day, perhaps with a pasta making or art class thrown in? Maybe you’re looking for a space for a private event? Or perhaps simply a gathering with friends and colleagues, to disconnect and unwind with some freshly prepared food and drinks from breakfast to lunch and/or dinner? Whatever, just ask us and we’ll do our best to make it happen…”
That’s what it says on The Richmond website, and all that and more is exactly what you’ll find in this glorious little haven of hospitality nestled in the leafy Lansdown hills. Ah, I think I know what you’re thinking, right now – but if I’m right, you’re wrong. The Richmond is most definitely not one of those vast, over-selling-itself ‘venues’ that try to offer all things to all people and end up offering so much that most people get lost along the way; to the contrary, it’s a compact and thoroughly bijou, properly characterful, proudly idiosyncratic affair, with an authentic independent heart at the core of its multifaceted appeal.
On the evening we visited The Richmond, the sun (remember that?) had come out to play too. So we took to a table in the neat little walled garden to the front of the pub for a pre-pizza G&T, the scent of Bougainvillea and Honeysuckle wafting in on the soft, warm air, the jangle and gossip from the various Friday evening get-togethers going on around us in full flow. It all felt exactly how a Friday evening in a neighbourhood pub should feel: chilled out and welcoming, with a strong “all’s right with the world” vibe.
Had the sun continued to roll with that vibe, we’d have chosen to have our pizzas right there in the garden. But inside turned out to be equally cheerfully seductive: a tiny little bar, a handful of chunky wooden tables – and, towards the rear of the pub, a beautiful kitchen/dining room flooded with natural light that bounced off a long, pale wooden bench/table set up for a forthcoming pasta making class: we’d segued into Pasta Laboratory HQ, where Richmond founder, co-owner and pasta-making expert Federico hosts workshops for up to 30 people in a room (with, by the way, its own little private alfresco courtyard) that also doubles-up as party/private hire central and a pop-up oasis for all manner of guest chefs including a forthcoming Brunch Club hosted by MasterChef Professionals finalist Kasae Fraser and her partner Vincent on Sunday 15 September.
On Thursdays and Saturdays, fully-laden charcuterie platters do the rounds at The Richmond with occasional pasta specials thrown in for good measure. Sundays, meanwhile, bring very civilised coffee, cannoli and pastries to the menu from 10.30am-5pm. But Friday is Pizza Night – and there’s Federico at the counter in front of his fired-up oven, ready to top our pizzas with our choice of Mediterranean vegetables and top-notch meaty stuff. Once again, here comes that chilled out, welcoming “all’s right with the world” vibe; it feels like a home-from-home, if only my home was this sparkling and beautifully-decorated and I too had a proper Italian chef on hand to cater to my every pizza-topping whim.
Our pizzas were perfect: one laden with roasted peppers and all that veggie jazz, the other topped with Italian charcuterie. Loads of oozy, melty cheese and fresh basil on both. Crisp bases, frangible crusts… and a wonderful bottle of Pinot Noir from a small but perfectly formed, accessibly priced wine list.
We were after a couple of freshly-baked pizzas and a bottle of good wine to celebrate it being a Friday; we ended up discovering one of the most joyful little sanctuaries of good cheer in Bath.
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