TV gardener Daisy Payne opens Crudwell's Pettifers hotel

Published by

Peter Davison

Crudwell’s Pettifers finally celebrated its one-year anniversary with an opening party it was denied by the Covid pandemic.

ITV’s This Morning gardening presenter, Daisy Payne, did the honour of cutting the ribbon in front of regulars, villagers and suppliers to the independent hotel.

Frank Segrave-Daly and his wife Lynne have owned the hotel since 2007 but took back the reins and the running of the venue in May last year, renaming it Pettifers, it was previously the Best Western Mayfield House Hotel.

Since 1668 the building was owned by Royal veterinary apothecaries, Pettifers & Sons, who produced many trademarked potions including the sheep medicine – Santovin and Pettifers Green Oils still used in the Royal stables to this day.

The hotel has been given a modern classic facelift with an open plan entrance, bar and bistro restaurant servicing 22 individual rooms and a large function room. All new menu created by returning head chef James Gilbert and hotel manager, Lottie Harris.

“We finally had the chance to officially open,” Frank said. “It was great to meet Daisy and show her around the hotel and its magnificent garden,” Lynne added.

Guests were treated to a glass of fizz and menu sample notes by head chef James. There was also an afternoon tea for people to try some of the delicious cakes and sweet treats the kitchen team had prepared.

Daisy said: “It was a real pleasure to be asked to cut the ribbon and meet so many lovely people.”

Peter Davison

Peter Davison is deputy editor of The Business Magazine. He has spent his life in journalism – doing work experience in newsrooms in and around Bristol while still at school, and landing his first job on a local newspaper aged 19. By 28 he was the youngest newspaper editor in the country. An early advocate of online news, he spent the first years of the 2000s telling his bosses that the internet posed both the biggest opportunity and greatest threat to the newspaper industry and the art of journalism. He was right on both counts. Since 2006 he has enjoyed a career as a freelance journalist. He lives in rural Wiltshire with one wife, two children, and three cats.