THE BULL INn’S STORY

The Bull Inn is an organic, ethical pub with nine contemporary, eclectically designed and stylish bedrooms. Situated in the South Hams, Devon, we make the most of being surrounded by some of the best organic food producers in the UK. After a year of eco logically-driven renovations we opened our doors in December 2019 - with nine beautiful rooms, a self catered, four-bed apartment across the road and a truly supplier led, organic restaurant. 

We run the business following the planet, people, profit ethos, which we have distilled into a set of ‘No-Bull Rules.’ These govern what we buy, how we trade, and how we work as a team to deliver a deeply radical, ethical and values driven business. We are engaged and committed to a Philosophy of Doing Business Better, scrutinising our habits and our ways of being and buying.

Our Thinking

THE CONSCIOUS COMPROMISE //

This is when we consider all the facts we have to hand and make the best choices we can in terms of the ecological & social impact. It’s about trying your hardest to do the right thing by being an engaged citizen and making conscious decisions.

By engaging with and committing to a Philosophy of Doing Business Better it drives us to really examine the best ways to do things; to scrutinise our habits and our ways of being and buying. We love collaborating with other businesses. We are 100% committed to keeping our environmental footprint to a minimum to help us put “the Conscious Compromise” and No-Bull Rules into action.

For our bar,  this means organic beer on draught and a short and stunning organic wine list. Our kitchen serves organic, seasonal, simple food in sensible portions. Our veg-first meals are complimented by mindful meat, using whole animals and thought-through fish dishes, including legal by-catch.

For the building, our ecological approach means lime-plaster walls, antique, vintage and second-hand furniture, lighting by local artisan makers, organic bathroom products, organic bed linen with mattresses made using organic fibres and Dartmoor wool. Our walls and doors are decorated in eco paint and we’ve used locally made tiles in the bathrooms and ecologically-minded flooring through-out. 

The ground floor is heated via a heat recapture system, harnessing the heat from the kitchen and recycling it, with solar panels heating the hot water for the bedrooms. We compost, use wooden chopping boards and eco sponges and don’t use cling film in the kitchen – basically, if we can find a greener way, we do it. Our waste is managed by zero-to-landfill, our electric is supplied by Ecotricity, phone lines by the the phone co-op, insurance by a NatureSave, demonstrating our commitment to better business practices. 

We were awarded The Times and Sunday Times Best Eco Hotel of the Year 2020 in our first year of trade.

Geetie moved to Devon in 2012, having fallen for a local farmer. Always having an eye out for gorgeous pubs in need of reviving, the Bull was in her sights. In 2014 she started pestering Enterprise Inns and when it came on the market in 2018 the timing was perfect. She teamed up with Phillipa Hughes to develop the Bull’s business model and Philosophies and Head Chef Johnny Tillbrook to create truly excellent organic pub food.

Geetie was awarded, amongst others, Asian Entrepreneur of the Year, Business Woman of the Year, Publican of the Year and an MBE for Services to the Organic Pub Trade in 2009. Her four London pubs won a plethora of awards with in the hospitality industry, including Time Out, Evening Standard, Observer, The Times. The Bull Inn is her 4th organic pub. 

Our company name is Tpot Ltd – it stands for ‘The Principles of Trade’ and this approach underpins everything we do.