A POPULAR bar in Worcester is being given a major makeover to give it a contemporary new look and has linked up with a well-known local burger chef to provide a new menu.

The Conservatory in Friar Street, owned by Cropthorne Inns, will be closed until Friday July 14 while workers rip out some of the old fittings and replace them with a new bar, décor and other features like open brickwork and wood cladding. While keeping the name, the Conservatory will also be rebranded with a different logo, new signage and colour scheme.

The venue is predominantly a bar but the management decided to join forces with celebrated burger chef Carl Sampson, whose burger van on the side of the A38 near Droitwich was named as the best by The Times in 2015.

Marketing co-ordinator for Cotswold Inns, Cropthorne Inns’ sister company, Lydia Taylor said: “The Conservatory is predominantly a bar with a food offering. It is a popular bar and it was just that it was getting tired. The whole feel of the place is being brought up to date. It was just in need of a refresh.”

She said the cocktail list will offer more choice and there will be a selection of craft beers and ciders but the food menu would be completely different.

“Previously it was serving typical pub grub at lunch, evenings and weekends. But now, rather than running our own kitchen, we are teaming up with Carl Sampson who will run the kitchen. He will offer his burgers and other things in keeping with his style like chicken wings and stir fries,” said Lydia.

She said the Conservatory’s manager Andy Portlock and Cotswold Inns managing director Paul Davis decided to offer Carl the opportunity of using the kitchen. “Carl had been on Andy’s radar and it just happened that Carl had been looking for a kitchen so he could do home deliveries. He needed a kitchen and will be offering deliveries.

“It will give Carl’s customers more opportunities to eat in and eat out.”

Carl’s food will be served on Monday and Tuesday from 5pm to 10pm; on Wednesday to Saturday from 12 noon to 10pm; and on Sunday from 12noon to 4pm.

• Carl Sampson shot to culinary fame after appearing on Channel 4’s Burger Bar to Gourmet Star – a challenge that saw him fast-tracked into the gastronomy big time, working at Michelin-starred restaurants and learning from the world’s top chefs.

• Following that he ordered a bespoke van with double the capacity, achieved the highest possible food hygiene rating and diversified into performing cooking demonstrations at food festivals and shows.

• His mentor on the Channel 4 programme Daniel Clifford, the chef at double Michelin-starred Midsummer House in Cambridge, has described Carl’s burgers a “world class”.