Like all of us, David Nolan and Justina Jonikaite spent lockdown watching too much television.
And it was a binge on Channel 4 TV series Escape to the Chateau – which follows families who buy and renovate 19th-century French castles – that partly inspired their next move.
“But neither of us speaks French, and we couldn’t afford to move to France, so we bought ourselves a Scottish s***hole instead,” jokes David.
The Boar’s Head in Auchtermuchty, which the London couple bought for £180,000 at auction in July 2020, was in a “dilapidated” state and had a “bad reputation” among local people.
Not anymore.
Value of Auchtermuchty gastropub triples after renovation
Since then, the couple have pumped £400,000 into the property – transforming it into a multi-award-winning gastropub known for its unpretentious and tasty food.
Recently valued at £615,000, it has become something of a destination – a popular dinner spot for people from across Fife and beyond.
Indeed, the posh new spot is unrecognisable to those who once knew it as the rather run-down Forest Hills Hotel.
So, how did the self-proclaimed “townies” from down south transform the 300-year-old coaching building? And what’s next on their agenda?
I catch up with David and Justina over the phone while they are in Glasgow to attend the Scottish Licensed Trade News (SLTN) Awards, where they have been nominated for Gastropub of the year.
The couple, who have been together for eight years, met while living and working in London.
David, 43, was a project manager in the construction industry, while Justina, 38, worked in hospitality.
After growing “weary” of life in the big smoke, David says, they quit their jobs and travelled through Southeast Asia, before wondering “what we wanted to do in life”.
That’s when, what was then known as the Forest Hills Hotel, went up for sale.
What attracted couple to the ‘run-down’ Fife business?
“It was dilapidated,” David says. “It hadn’t really had investment for about 40 years put into it, and obviously it was showing wear and tear.
“It had big fire safety problems. It needed full ground-up renovation.”
Despite the scale of the project, the couple could see that it had “enormous potential”.
They bought the pub.
The first phase of the project – transforming the pub – took nine months in total.
Moving in in December 2020, things were “brutal” to begin with.
David says: “It was cold, it was wet.
“We just had buckets everywhere, you know, collecting the rain.
“The wind just blew straight through the building.
“I don’t think we had a central heating off a minute in that first December.”
They started with the basics, including sealing windows and patching up holes.
Then it was time to rip the old bar out, strip the walls, replaster and paint.
David says: “We didn’t know any tradesmen, so we’d pull family members up – have a little bit of a busman’s holiday – they’d come up and they’d get stuck in.”
When it came to furniture, the couple saved money by scouring local furniture auctions and upholstered pieces themselves.
Why did the couple rename the pub?
Justina was in charge of the design choices, which she describes as “earthy and natural”.
Many of the textiles feature animals, inspired by the woodland creatures living in the area as well as the range of wild meat on the gastropub’s menu.
With the pub complete, David and Justina opened for business in August 2021.
In an effort to “shake off” the venue’s previously “bad reputation” – it was known for being a little rough around the edges – they decided to rename it.
After learning it was once known as The Boars Head in the 1970s – a time when it was a “famous pub” and visited by people from all over – their decision was made.
The name has historic connections to the area, with “Auchtermuchty” a corruption of the Gaelic words, Achad na Muic, which means upland slope of the wild pig. The flag of Auchtermuchty also has a boar on it.
“Once we started joining the dots, it all started to fall together,” David says.
Since then, it has been a roaring success.
‘Luxury’ boutique-style ensuites to open in December
But they’ve remained busy in the background, working on the next phase of the project: transforming the first four of eight bedrooms.
The boutique-style ensuites, which are nearing completion, will open in December.
Justina says: “They will be very luxurious.
“They feature oversized headboards. We’re using designers on the fabric such as Mulberry and Sanderson.
“They will be traditional with a modern twist – like the pub.”
And the work won’t end there.
Phase three is to transform the function suite at the back of the building into a fine dining restaurant which will also serve as a venue for small weddings and functions.
The fourth stage, which will be the “biggest and most expensive”, is to transform the final four bedrooms and the exterior of the building.
They are hoping to reach completion by around 2027.
Despite the fact the project has turned out to be “10 times bigger than we ever gave it credit for initially”, the couple remain committed.
And they’re doing something right.
The day after our interview, I learn they were named Gastropub of the year at the SLTN Awards.
It joins their long list of accolades, including winning restaurant of the year at The Courier Menu Awards and ‘Highly Commended’ at the Scottish Excellence Awards.
Customers are ‘most rewarding’ aspect of running Fife pub
It’s not a bad year, especially considering the transformation is only 50% complete.
Their customers, it seems, are a key motivator.
“We’ve got some great customers – repeat customers – and that’s actually what makes our business,” David says.
“Without that repeat custom we would never have survived.
“That’s the most rewarding thing out of all of this.”
Have you renovated your property? Get in touch poppy.watson@dcthomson.co.uk
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