The Bear is run by the team behind Five Little Pigs, the restaurant and bar in nearby Wallingford. The team is Rob McGregor, Sam Smith and Aimee Hunt. Rob and Sam also run The Keep, a second bar in Wallingford, and it was here that the trio first met. Chef and restaurateur, Aimee, used to sit at the bar writing menus, and the boys told her of their dream of opening a restaurant. Fast forward to May 2021 and Five Little Pigs, its name taken from an Agatha Christie novel, opened its doors for the first time. A terrific review by Jay Rayner put the restaurant on the map, and it is now open seven days a week serving ever-changing menus of modern British food.

The Bear of North Moreton, Pigs’ rural cousin, feels like something of a homecoming. It is here that Rob and Sam first met nearly 10 years ago, and Sam’s first job in the industry was behind the bar here. The boys are excited to be welcoming Aimee into the village community and to showcase their joint creativity and talents in a traditional pub setting.