Alison McGrath with Joel Solon

A CAMDEN Town pub says you never get bored of a good portion of chips after switching up its menu, writes Caitlin Maskell.

Alison McGrath, who runs the The Old Eagle pub in Royal College Street, said she had brought in one of the bar’s regulars to run the food.

“The Thai food we’ve had was very successful and delicious but in these inflationary times, with other bills creeping up all the time, it was very labour intensive,” she said.

“I wanted to keep the pub vibe. The food was excellent but I’ve seen plenty of pubs with restaurants and we knew it wasn’t working and we want to keep it as a pub for as long as possible.”

The switch has seen Joel Solon launch Stonehenge Chips in the pub – servings of thick-cut, triple-cooked potatoes.

“It’s a brilliant pub, it’s got all walks of life in it, everybody from youngsters to old cronies,” he said.

“It’s a proper pub and you get few of those nowadays. It took a couple of months to develop the perfect chip. I came up with my own methods and found the right potatoes. I go to a man that I call Sid the Chip in the East End. He is a genius and is the perfect middleman between farmers and chip-makers.”

A sample of Stonehenge Chips

For Mr Solon, the project has been a personal and culinary success as he hopes to expand the business to other pubs in the area.

“I still smile when I create a great portion of chips,” said Mr Solon, adding: “I’m amazed that I haven’t got bored of it now. You’d think I’d be sick and tired of a chip but I’m not.”