Christmas is saved as Peterborough restaurant moves to Tier 2

John McGinn’s riverside Dog in a Doublet pub - home to his Smoke and Embers restaurant - sits on the North Bank road between Peterborough and Whittlesey.

Unfortunately, it is just yards the wong side of the Cambridgeshire boundary and subject to Peterborough’s Tier 4 restrictions, which means restaurants can only operate takeaway services..

John had to cancel hundreds of bookings - but now Christmas Day and Boxing Day has been saved thanks to the Ivy Leaf Social Club not too far away in Whittlesey, which falls under Tier 2 restrictions, allowing restaurants to open.

John operates a street food kiosk in the car park, which is where they idea came from. He checked with police and licensing, he says and they were ok with it.

Taking to facebook, he said: “With the help of some amazing friends we will be serving a restaurant Christmas Day lunch and a very special Boxing Day service.

“Our complete Smoke and Embers restaurant will relocate to an incredible building and kitchen which is in a Tier 2 area (not far from Dog in a Doublet), so we will be open and giving our local community some real Christmas Cheer.”

Having cancelled his original bookings, John added: “I have gone through them and said this is what is going to happen.  A  lot of them are in Tier 4 so I am not even going to get their business. This is purely for Tier 2 people, so if you live in Tier 2 and your christmas has been ruined, maybe you got guests coming from Tier 4 or you were going to them . Whatever it might be if you want a bit of normality, an amazing dinner cooked by amazing chefs, you know we are the best in the area, come down to the Ivy leaf.”

Booking can be made at www.doginadoublet.co.uk or call 01733-202256.