New Queen Of The Bees Is Unveiled

Cirencester pub The Bee’s Knees has been taken over by Michalea McCarthy, an expublicans’ daughter.

The Arkell’s Brewery pub, in the town’s Watermoor area, has recently been vacated by smokehouse and pit food business – The Cheeky Swine. Michaela, 42, originally from Wolverhampton was brought up in The Fieldhouse pub and The Folly Inn, where her stepfather was the chef.

Since then, she has worked for Cotswold caterers, Sam and Jak as well as The Five Alls, in Filkins, near Burford.

Michaela is determined to give youth a chance at the new look pub, bringing on board 28-year-old Kira White as manager, already known to Arkell’s as she worked at The Golden Cross Inn, on Cirencester’s Black Jack Street and the award-winning Swan at Swinbrook in Oxfordshire.

The kitchen team will be headed up by 29-year-old Ryan Keating who has just returned to the area from Devon, where he was working for a well-known hotelier and restaurateur. He has also previously worked with Sam and Jak as well as The Kings Head Hotel and The Relish Group.

Welcome to The Bee’s Knees: George Arkell alongside new landlady Michaela McCarthy with manager Kira White (top left) & chef Ryan Keating

George Arkell, Managing Director of the brewery said:
“It is fantastic to have a family back in The Bee’s Knees. Michaela really is a breath of fresh air and we can’t wait for Cirencester and people from the surrounding area to meet her properly and see what she is doing here.”

Michaela and the team have given the 19th Century pub a lick of paint, revamped some of the facilities and are promising big changes to the venue and its offering. “There is so much you can do with a great community pub like this,” she said. “We will continue to support the sports teams, offer great food and drink, Ryan has developed an exciting new menu, as well as look to host regular live music and are looking into comedy as well as other events that we can put on to utilise the space. If any clubs or anyone has any ideas, please get in touch.”