7 August 2026 • The Cricketers Inn
Meet Dan Curtis, Head Chef at The Cricketers Inn
Dan Curtis has been with WH Pubs since 2012 and heads up the kitchen at The Cricketers Inn. We sat down with him to talk signature dishes, foraging for wild garlic and what really makes a pub worth visiting.
Dan Curtis has been part of the WH Pubs family since 2012 and now heads up the kitchen at The Cricketers Inn. In the latest of our manager interviews, he talks us through the dish he is proudest of, the ingredient he cannot cook without, and why a building is only ever half the story.
Describe your role within the team, and how long have you been with WH Pubs?
Head Chef at The Cricketers Inn, and I have been with the company since 2012.
What is the most enjoyable element of your role?
Heading up the brigade of chefs and designing my own menus with the help of the team.
Which is your current favourite dish on your menu, and why?
It has to be the signature dish: pan roasted free range English chicken breast with garlic and thyme, served with tenderstem broccoli, sauteed potatoes and chestnut mushrooms cooked in white wine and herbs, finished with a wild garlic sauce.
The why: I can get my mother in law trailing through the waterways of England, in season, picking the wild garlic for us to use.
If you could only recommend one wine currently in your cellar, which would it be and why?
I am not a wine drinker, but a pint of Sapporo lager with the dish would be amazing. A well rounded beer.
What is your must have ingredient this season?
It has to be garlic. When it is roasted, it has to be the most amazing sweet flavour.
What is unique about your pub?
A building is just a building. It is the food and hospitality that really counts.
What is the secret to running a successful pub?
We have a standard formula: solid food and solid friendly service.
Anything else you would like to include?
I just love the freedom to create my own menus.