Wolverhampton Desi Pub Celebrates Acclaim from Food Critic Jay Rayner

The proprietor of a Desi pub located in Wolverhampton expressed both surprise and pride upon receiving a highly positive review from the esteemed food critic, Jay Rayner. In his critique published in The Guardian, Rayner characterized The Desi Yew Tree, situated in Graiseley, as possessing “real star potential” and representing “part of the brilliance of Desi pub culture,” a concept where Indian cuisine is primarily offered alongside alcoholic beverages. Rayner, a judge on Masterchef, stated that he was prompted to visit such an establishment after conducting an interview for BBC Radio 4 with the director of a documentary focusing on this particular cultural phenomenon. Pete Banga, a co-owner who has been associated with the pub for two decades, remarked that the recognition demonstrated that “all our hard work had paid off.” He commented, “I don’t really watch Masterchef a lot, so yeah we were really surprised.” “I think [the staff] were a bit shocked,” he added. He further elaborated, “You know I think they were thinking that he usually goes to high-end restaurants so for him to come to ours, they were like ‘wow, what’s he doing here’?” “But we said ‘just carry on normally, just do what we do’ and yes, he was really, really happy with the food,” Banga concluded. Desi pubs have gained significant recognition across the West Midlands in recent years and have also become established in various other urban areas. Traditionally, Desi proprietors have acquired struggling public houses and transformed them into thriving establishments offering food and beverages. “I think the Desi pub is really popular in the Midlands at the moment,” Mr. Banga stated. He explained, “Instead of going out to the pub to have a few pints, now you come out with the whole family… the family can all sit down together, you can watch the football, have a couple of drinks, have some food and go home instead of going out to restaurants where you’ve got to be a bit more reserved.” “You’re in a bit of a homely place and you can just chill out more,” he added. Mr. Banga, who operates the establishment alongside Ranny Gill, described receiving the commendation of being “part of the brilliance” of the culture as “amazing.” He remarked, “For someone like Jay Rayner to come down and give us that glowing review it’s amazing for us.” He further mentioned that they had already cultivated a strong, devoted customer base that had provided support since the pub’s inception. Follow BBC Wolverhampton & Black Country on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.