Stephen Terry to sell The Hardwick

After closing The Hardwick in autumn last year, chef Stephen Terry has now put his Abergavenny gastropub on the market.

The sudden closure of The Hardwick, Terry’s acclaimed South Wales gastropub which he operated for 18 years, was announced on 1 October 2023. The previous year, it reached number 20 on the list of Estrella Damm Top 50 Gastropubs.

While at the time of its closure it was speculated that The Hardwick was another victim of the dire financial circumstances many hospitality businesses have faced in recent years, it has since been reported that the actual reason was that Terry left his wife and business partner, Joanna, for wine expert Jo Browning.

Stephen and Joanna Terry took over the Horse & Jockey pub in 2005 and turned it into The Hardwick.

“I regret the pain it’s caused my family and I will for the rest of my life. But you’ve only got one life. I’m supporting my wife the best I can. I don’t want this to be messy,” said Terry.

Now the property is up for sale through property agents Sidney Phillips, at a freehold asking price of £825,000.

“The Hardwick features four interconnecting bar and restaurant areas, three-bedroom owners accommodation and eight ensuite letting bedrooms. The letting accommodation lies in a separate, purpose-built hotel block,” the listing explains.

It also reveals that its pre-pandemic annual gross takings were £1.2 million (including those from the restaurant, bar and hotel rooms).

However, the listing does not share that those takings were severely dented by two former employees. A year ago, The Hardwick was at the centre of a court case concerning how Nicola and Simon Nightingale had defrauded the restaurant out of £150,000. When the couple concerned managed to avoid a spell in jail, Terry said that he was “gobsmacked” and called the sentence “an absolute joke”.