Independent Hospitality Week

Lincoln BIG is proud to support Independent Hospitality Week, an initiative led by NCASS (The Nationwide Caterers Association), which has been championing independent hospitality businesses across the UK for over 30 years. From street food traders and festival caterers to coffee shops, restaurants, pubs, bars, and hotels, NCASS represents the heartbeat of the UK’s hospitality scene. Running from 5th to 11th May, this national campaign celebrates the passion, resilience, and creativity of independent venues. Here in Lincoln, we’re delighted to shine a spotlight on the city’s incredible independent businesses and the vital role they play in our community and local economy.

In celebration of Independent Hospitality Week, we’re shining a spotlight on one of Lincoln’s most treasured destinations—The Castle Hotel, Lincoln – Where History Meets Luxury and Award Winning Dining

Located in the heart of Lincoln’s historic Cathedral Quarter, The Castle Hotel is one of the city centre’s most distinguished boutique hotels. Perfectly positioned between the iconic Lincoln Cathedral and the majestic Castle, the hotel is built on the site of the ancient Roman Forum—home to the remarkable 2nd-century Mint Wall, still visible at the rear of the property.

This unique heritage is matched by modern elegance. Each of the hotel’s 20 rooms are individually styled by award-winning designers, offering smart TVs, free Wi-Fi, spacious en-suites with drench showers, and, in some cases, luxury bathtubs.  There are also three Serviced Apartments available where guests can enjoy the privacy and room of self-catering with all of the advantages of staying in a Hotel. Many rooms boast stunning views of either the Castle walls or the Gothic Cathedral, adding a truly unforgettable backdrop to your stay.

The Castle Hotel is within walking distance of Lincoln’s major attractions, cobbled shopping streets, independent boutiques, and vibrant Bailgate markets. Whether you’re exploring the city’s rich history or visiting for business, our hotel provides both comfort and charm.

Culinary excellence is at the heart of The Castle Hotel experience. Our award-winning Reform Restaurant is renowned for fine dining in Lincoln. Head Chef and his experienced team are committed to delivering the highest standards of service and innovative cuisine, using only the freshest local and seasonal ingredients. Recognised in the Top 10% of Hotels & Restaurants Worldwide, Reform promises a dining experience that will exceed expectations.

Guests can also relax in the stylish Castle Bar, a cosy lounge space open to both residents and the public—perfect for a quiet lunch, glass of wine, or post-walk coffee after tackling Lincoln’s famous Steep Hill.

With luxury accommodation, exceptional dining, and a truly historic setting, The Castle Hotel is Lincoln’s premier destination for a memorable stay.

We also heard from BeerHeadz, who offer a unique drinking experience for those in Lincoln.

With it's idyllic up-hill setting and unmatched line-up of craft beer and real ale, BeerHeadZ is a beloved fixture and a hidden jewel in the city's pub and bar scene. By day, it offers a lovely retreat, perfectly nestled in the orbit of the Cathedral and just off-the-beaten-path enough to get away for that quiet pint. By night however, BeerHeadZ explodes into a vibrant and bustling social haven, bolstered by an eclectic array of events that range from their legendary open-mic nights and pub quizzes, to Blitz Chess, Dungeons & Dragons and vinyl DJ nights respectively.

BeerHeadZ prides itself on offering something for everybody. In addition to a ever-changing selection of exciting brews on draught and from the fridge, the bar also boasts a robust array of wines, spirits, soft drinks and snacks. It is also dog friendly, and has become a firm favourite of the pub-going pooches of the area.

Championing independence, proper beer, and with a dedicated contingent of loyal punters, BeerHeadZ is a true one-of-one, and a must-do for locals and visitors to Lincoln alike.

BeerHeadz have also launched a loyalty scheme,  "COMMUNITY", which via an electronic key-fob allows customers to earn back 10% on all visits to the bar!

Check them out here.

Gigi's owner Darren, shared a raw insight to their restaurant. 

Like Great Britain has shown to the rest of the world, it is not the heaviest of rainfalls that makes the plants grow, more that, even the smallest of ripples can cross the largest of lakes.  Lincoln City resonates with the same chimes.  It is not the biggest city, nor is it the richest, but Lincoln’s charm, effect and invisible demeanour holds a beacon to not only those of us lucky to have been born here but to all of those that visit.

To sum up the pride we hold in being lucky enough to live and work here is something I will probably never find the words worthy enough.  To step out of Steep Hill and hear gasps of awe from the visitors as they ascend those glistening cobblestones and experience that view for the first time carries the same pride as someone praising the good manners of your children.  

With vehicles seldom seen and an array of pedestrians, young, old and in-between, the sights easily capture the zeitgeist of a period 1000 years or more prior.  Standing alone, Lincoln City thrives.  A place that time forgot.  A place that continues to carve its own pattern in the snow.

Whenever Lian and I have visited other cities before, we are reminded easily of a world that has gotten itself in an unnecessary hurry and now lost on an irreversible tangent, with small family businesses, windows boarded by wood, strong-armed by the unforeseeable eCommerce giants and squeezed beneath the mud crevices in a miniature turf war, won only by the large and the merciless.  Lincoln hasn’t suffered this same fate, mascotted by the legendary Imp and leaving a footprint on the hearts of all.  Do yourself a favour: leave your phone in your pocket, make a start around Castle Square and let your eyes lead your legs.

I remember a clairvoyant telling me in my early 20s that I would one day open my own business. I was in the midst of a stagnant accounting role at the time so this impromptu, arbitrary premonition was received with grateful optimism and often helpfully chirped up in times of negativity amidst the frequent worries about failure, my future and never reaching my potential, as a little reminder that the path to success will never be without constant curveballs and delicate tests of my dedication.  Little did I know it would be over 20 years before these words would morph into tangible truth... 

Meanwhile Lian, my partner, soul mate, and my absolute go-to was trying to etch her own career in the myriad of life's many meandering paths. 

We met by pure chance, not to sound clichéd, but one of those "stars aligning" moments.  We often remind ourselves of this with equal corners of gratefulness, nostalgia, fondness and wonder. 

Lian had always had an admirable creativity and flair for all things food. Where my skills stretched to a fried-egg sandwich, Lian was excited by food, reading menus wherever we went, without fail, transfixed like a child watching a cartoon, eyes glued to the screen without a single blink. Lian's love of food stemmed and flourished from a seed planted decades prior, by her beloved Grandma during one of their many cooking and baking sessions. Considering 'Great Grandma' to be too old a title when Lian became a mother, the title, "Gigi" was adopted and continues to be used by Gigi's many friends and family to this day. 90 years young, Gigi enjoys a mini-celebrity status, proud at never knowing anyone else to have a restaurant named after them. 

Lian had had many different successes in previous employments: designing menus; experimenting with different foods, increasing 1 star eateries to 5 stars, providing bespoke, tasty food whether it be for two people or parties of 50+.  One of my frustrations was that, although Lian would thrive in every workplace since we’d met. I knew she was capable of much more and the only way to see how much more would be if the stifling, preventative reins of employment were removed and Lian redirected her experience, knowledge and skills into somewhere else, somewhere new, somewhere we would own, make our own decisions (and possibly mistakes from).  Up until this point, I had enjoyed multiple successes in several different employments.  Where Lian was the ying, thriving on the food-side, my skills were more on the yang, the sales, business development, paperwork, spreadsheets, figures and reports side.  I often joked that if Lian is the John Lennon of the company, smiling, presentable, talented and passionate extrovert, that would make me the Ringo Starr, still an integral part but happier in the safety of the background, away from the limelight and attention.

Where Google Ads, rules, regulations, laws and compliability were Lian’s worst nightmare,preparing & cooking food is mine.  

Our aims were unanimous though: Creativity first.  An artist has nothing to gain from selling art quickly for financial reasons, but a loss of authenticity and identity.

I’d push Lian, just like a personal trainer would, pushing the boundaries and enjoying all of those rewards that often lie out of one’s comfort zone.  There are no successes or failures here, simply to experiment, evolve and grow.  Some dishes would flourish, others wouldn’t.  We would try to understand the mechanics behind the demand (or lack of) and adjust accordingly.  We have learnt that meals we expect to thrive can sometimes fall at the first hurdle, whereas others flourish.  We have learnt that to predict trends is near impossible.  All we can do is identify as early as possible and adjust accordingly.  Time and experience have taught us that this is not a failure of the chef, or in fact the business, just that sometimes, things don’t work out how you plan.  We never let these moments get us down and we never take them personally.  We simply learn and we move on.  

Not so much in the first half of my life, but definitely later in life, I learned that mistakes are good, but only if you learn from them.  They say an expert in a particular field is someone who has made every mistake possible.  We always encourage our Gigi’s family* and customers to let us know their thoughts and feedback and give us any ideas whenever they arise  (*we don’t think of them as staff)

Life has taught me, later than I had hoped, to not make money my goal.  I had seen many times in my 20+ year sales career that morals and integrity are often seconded to financial gains and artificial kudos.  I had seen people lie, avoid calls, ignore emails etc all because they had already received their commission and there was nothing further to be gained.  One of the best lessons I have learned in Sales is to look after your customers and the business will take care of itself.  Establish your customer requirements, offer solutions and deliver to the highest standard possible.  Taking regular periods to re-evaluate (what’s working well, where can improvements be made) are important as well.  Customer needs change and it is important not to plateau and stagnate in the complacent grounds of, “that’s good enough”.

For anyone thinking of setting up their own business, I say, ‘go for it.’ The pain of regret far outweighs the pain of failure and I often make decisions based on the question: Is this something I’ll regret at the age of 70 if I don’t do it?  

Don’t plan too much: Sometimes you can over-plan and talk yourself out of a good idea for fear of failure.  Do your due diligence and accept there’ll be curveballs thrown at you at random times that no amount of pre-planning would have prepared you for.

Why are you doing this?  What’s the goal?  How do you want your business to be known & remembered?  If the answer is money, I would ask what do you want money for?  If it’s a nice car or a bigger house, I would ask, ‘and then what?’  Do not make money your goal because you will never have enough.  Lian and I have never entertained money as a measure of success.  Art’s authenticity and appeal is often lost when financial goals are at the forefront and no one wants to be the richest person in the graveyard.  Our main goal is simply to make a difference, whether it be big or small.  

We have always been charitable people, helping where we can, however we can.  We know we can never solve all of the world’s issues, but we are committed to always doing what we can with what we have.  This is something that has resonated beautifully with our customers.  We have a Pay it Forward board by our reception desk, where anyone can contribute any amount for any unknown future person in need, whether it be a coffee, cake or meal.  The Pay it Forward board is an easy way to make a massive difference, without ever actually knowing who you’ve helped.  We have often said, ‘…it’s planting seeds for trees, under the shade of which, you will never sit…’

We would rather sit down with that person that comes in alone for a cup of tea and ask them how they are with genuine interest and empathy.  We consider, we may be the first (and only) person to ask them this question that day and we genuinely care.  Life can sometimes be hard and even harder to comprehend.  We don’t have the answers, and sometimes answers are not what is needed.  More, a safe and comfortable environment, anice cup of English Breakfast Tea and an ear.

Gigi’s future is bright.  We will aim to serve dishes in Lian's own style. I will constantly challenge her to be the best version she can be, taking the road less travelled as I sit back and bask, while a Picasso creates their enviable masterpiece like the original sculptress of the pendulum.

My reward in this? I have a front row seat. And you can too, book a table here. 

Find out more about NCASS here.