The Wheatsheaf’s doors are open again.

After closing in June, the pub in West Street, Farnhamhas returned under new management and with a clear sense of direction.

Shepherd Neame has installed JP Stubbings, already known locally for steadying The Fox in Lower Bourne, and the difference is obvious as soon as you walk in.

The Wheatsheaf pub and restaurant in West Street, Farnham.
The Wheatsheaf pub and restaurant in West Street, Farnham. (Tindle)

The redesign and refurbishment have lifted the place without removing its character, and the atmosphere is already buzzing even on a midweek evening.

The pub has gone back to basics: a solid line-up of real ales, a pool table, sports on the TV, and an overall feel that suggests the Wheatsheaf now expects to be busy again.

The courtyard is due for upgrades, and the open kitchen, closed under the previous operator, is being brought back into use.

Italian-themed food at The Wheatsheaf pub in Farnham.
Italian-themed food at The Wheatsheaf pub in Farnham. (Mary Luzelle Boado)

One of the biggest changes is in that kitchen, where Italian chef Pep has taken charge.

Pep is impossible to miss, a larger-than-life presence with a CV that ranges from working under Marco Forgione to a stint cooking aboard the QE2. He brings a lively Italian warmth to the room and an even livelier Italian influence to the food.

His menu runs in two directions: familiar pub dishes done well – burgers, ham, egg and chips, fish and chips, the staples people actually order – alongside a confident Italian a la carte.

We visited in the evening mid-week and found the cooking exemplary. The pub classics are solid, but the Italian plates are where Pep’s confidence really shows.

The cannoli dessert at The Wheatsheaf in Farnham.
The cannoli dessert at The Wheatsheaf in Farnham. (Tindle)

His cannoli – light, crisp shells filled with a sharp and sweet lemony ricotta – were presented with the certainty of a man who’s made more than a few of the classic Italian dessert, and were worth the visit alone.

Mr Stubbings described the food as “traditional home-cooked menu done well – I’m effectively going towards a gastropub.” He said he wanted it “a bit more pubby – a nice pub… It feels like a village pub when you stand inside it.”

On the evidence so far, that is exactly where the Wheatsheaf is heading. It finally feels like a pub with its identity back – the sort of place you can drop into for a pint and fish and chips at lunch, or settle in for a proper evening meal.