Leo Johnson discusses his vision for the newly revamped Rickety Press 

For those of you haven’t already heard we closed our doors on August 10, for a long-awaited refurbishment, reopening a few weeks later.

After nearly five years of trading, seven days a week, things had started to look a little worn. So a lick of paint and some smart new furniture has put us in good stead for the next few years.

To be fair we planned to change a little more than just the paint. In fact we have upended the entire philosophy of the pub.

Still the same old Rickety, just more relaxed and easy going; a sort of neighbourhood space for the whole community.

We think now (more than ever) that the stuffy Gastro pub of the last decade has had its day!

Over at our sister pub, The Rusty Bicycle in East Oxford, we have been running the same community centred neighbourhood pub for the last six years – somewhere you can walk in on impulse, grab a seat, a drink and order food from the bar, while ensuring that everything is consistently great.

Whether its artisan coffee with laptops in the morning, leisurely brunch at the weekends, a quick cheap lunch during the week, beers and cocktails after work, or just a place to kick back with friends in the evening, the Rickety will now be that place.

Don’t panic! We are not turning our back on great food, just the formalities of table service and the traditional gastro menu.

In its place, we have introduced our more relaxed and sociable casual dining concept which has proved so popular at the Rusty in recent years.

The menu is set to change as well, bringing it more in line with what our customers want.

Voting with their mouths over the last year, we on average have sold 40 per cent more burgers than anything else on our menu.

So in turn we have set about developing an awesome burgers and buns section that won’t disappoint.

Alongside the burgers and buns we’ll also have proper salads and moreish snacks on the menu as well as homemade ice creams, cakes on the bar and our usual spread of irresistible desserts.

And if that isn’t already enough there is a new brunch menu being served up on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays between 10am-3pm.

Anyway, having skirted around the subject enough, its now time to reveal the new menu’s trump card – Neapolitan, wood-fired pizza straight from our brand new oven .

Firing at 500C, our wood guzzler will cook a pizza in 90secs.

With the combination of slowly risen dough and blast-cooking each pizza, the natural aroma and moisture from the dough will be locked in giving a soft and digestible crust.

Alongside all these wonderful new offerings, will be a more engaging spread of community centred entertainment.

Starting with a pub quiz, regular live music nights where bands will perform on our new removable stage and a number of other cool things that we’ll be keeping under our belt for a little longer; there’s a lot going on, so watch this space.

Here’s to the future.

The Rickety Press can be found at 67 Cranham Street, Jericho.

To book a table, call 01865 424581 or visit thericketypress.com for more information.