There is a new family at the helm at The Cochrane Inn in Gatehead, near Kilmarnock – they are Ian and Julie Mackie and Julie’s son Conor Moncrieff. The trio reopened the bar and restaurant in February and they say it has being going better than they could have dreamed of.
The trio have struck a deal with Bill Costley and hope to buy the premises from him next year. Ian is a chef to trade, and in fact used to work for Bill Costley at Lochgreen when Bill was cheffing, and indeed Julie worked for Bill at Highgrove when she was only 18. Says Ian, “We all go back a long way.”
Julie looks after front of house and the back of house business, while Conor, who has worked in hospitality all his working life, runs the bar and looks after the drinks offering and of course Ian is in the kitchen. Says Ian, “It is the perfect setup.”
But this is the first business the trio have ever run. Says Ian. “I have worked as a chef since I was 16 and have worked in some great places but I have never had my own business. Julie and I used drive past The Cochrane Inn when it was closed and I eventually said to Julie I am going to phone Bill and find out what is happening with it because I would love to run it.
“I had always got on very well with him and so I made the call and we met at The Cochrane. Because I know Bill I can understand why he took so long to find someone suitable to rent or buy it. He is very particular and he wanted to put someone in that he could trust to run it as well as he did. He wanted to be able to drive past and know it was in good hands.
“Because we knew each other from old, and I’ve worked with him in the kitchen, he knew what I was like and before long we did a deal, and we were up and running by February. Not only that but he has continued to give me support and he has been very helpful.
He explains, “Although we have all been in hospitality a long time we have never run our own business. Thankfully I can just ring Bill and he is happy to help or a pop in for a coffee and give me advice. But we have all, very much, been learning on the job. ”
“We did take risk because The Cochrane had been shut for four years, but when I had eaten in it when it was open and I knew quality of the food. I don’t think think there are many places in Ayrshire I would take apart from this one.”
Ian’s career includes 13 years at the House for an Art Lover, he was Executive Chef at The Buttery when it won the DRAM Restaurant of the Year award, and has also worked with the likes of Gordon Yuill and latterly at Rowallan.
While Conor, his stepson, is a also a hospitality veteran. Conor smiles, “My first job in hospitality was at The Piersland in Troon – where I worked in the kitchen, but I didn’t like the hours, so after two years I left and went to The Jefferson in Kilmarnock. Before heading to Glasgow and joining The Kelvingrove Cafe. I loved working there.
“It always has had an amazing team of bartenders who mix great drinks. From there I went to Cail Bruich and I loved working there too. When I was joined it was still quite laidback, just like the owners Chris and Paul, although they were always aiming for a Michelin star.
“I did the bar programme there and liased with the kitchen every day. We only did six drinks to pair with the food, but it was hyper seasonal. it is a bit more fine dining now. And latterly I worked for Cafe Gandolphi with Seaumus Macinnes. He is amazing.
“I don’t think I have ever met someone with better social skills – people just flock to him and I loved seeing the way he was with people. He was very inspirational. But when this opportunity came up I didn’t think twice about working with my mum and Ian.”
While Ian rules the roost in the kitchen Conor has taken on the full responsibility for the bar. He tells me, “Although everything was in pretty good condition when we took over, it had been closed for four years, so some of the equipment hadn’t been used. From getting the keys to opening was only three weeks so it was pretty full on.
“The bar already had a Heineken SmartDispense System in and originally we were going to strip it out, because Heineken was one brewer I hadn’t worked with, but then after talking to Bill and his team, who were very complimentary about it, and having looked at their portfolio of beers and cider we decided to keep it, and it certainly was the right decision – Heineken have been great. The Heineken SmartDispense is a great system. I have worked with other beer line systems in the past and the fact that I don’t have to clean the lines, they do, and we use don’t waste so much beer.
“I think we save around 10/15 pints of wastage and we use a lot less gas. We sell a lot of beer and we get a lot of compliments about the quality of it. That says a lot about the Heineken SmartDispense System is is the best I have used.
“Birra Moretti is doing very well here and the glassware is great but my thing at the moment is Inch’s Cider – I love the wee half pint glasses.
“I have also tried to introduce some new wines however having worked in Glasgow for nine years I am having to readjust to working locally and I have now put Chardonnay on the menu – it was one of the least popular wines in the venues that I had worked in previously but in Ayrshire is is well loved.”
Mum Julie wasn’t working on the day that I came to interview the family but she gave up her job in retail to join the business, but has worked in hospitality in the past – and her customer service skills mean that she is front of house. Says Ian, “ Julie is good with customers and knows how to speak to people.”
While daughter Olivia also helps out at the weekends – she is training to be a primary school teacher.
Ian says, “Bill told me we had a great business model because I am in the kitchen and we don’t have to depend on employing a chef and I think he’s right. The kitchen may be the foundation of the business But I think it also works because we are a great team. It’s funny but it feels like we have been in business a lot longer than we have. But it hasn’t been easy and for the first three months I didn’t have a day off.”
Certainly their customers are delighted that The Cochrane has reopened. Business has exceeded all expectations.
Says Conor, “We did buy into somewhere with a good name and we have got the backing of Bill Costley, in my view the most influential person in the industry in this part of the world, and his help has been invaluable. It has been a dream start. We could not have imagined it would be so good after our first quarter which means we are way ahead of schedule. All we now need to do is maintain the business.”
I don’t think that is in any doubt!
