Our story began with Jim & Sharon, so we'd best start there..
JIM: Co-founder. For many years the chef patron - now Jim is our resident handyman, errand-runner, breakfast chef and guru. He enjoys being a grandad, and walking in the mountains, skiing or watching Peterborough United. Jim has forty plus years experience in the kitchen, and twenty four in business.
SHARON: Co-founder. Sharon was new to hospitality when she started out with Jim. Since then she's been the face of the business, it's administrator, housekeeper and everything in between - nowadays her role is mostly in guest relations. Sharon enjoys a good novel and spending time with her granddaughter.
BEN: Head chef. Ben's been at the pass since we opened the door here in 2014. His favourite produce to work with is local game. Ben has a little boy, Ralph, whom he enjoys taking to watch Leicester City. He has twenty-one years experience in the kitchen.
PHIL: Sous chef. Twenty-seven years experience under his belt, and nine of those at the Six Bells. His favourite thing to cook is day-boat-caught fish. Phil has a daughter Lily and a son Finlay. When not in the kitchen he enjoys fishing, fishing & more fishing.
NATHAN: Junior sous chef. Nathan has been cooking professionally for nine years and has been a part of our squad since June 2019. The section he loves most is the pizza-kitchen. Nath has a daughter called Mayah, and in his downtime he enjoys watching Leeds United.
MONTSERRAT: Restaurant supervisor. Montse is our Catalan galactico. She has been a member of the team for an impressive seventeen years. Montse enjoys spinning class, and visiting friends and family in her hometown, Barcelona.
SOPHIE: Assistant Restaurant Manager. Sophie is our Maitr'd in the making. She has been a member of the team since February 2022 and is currently enrolled on a level-three apprenticeship in hospitality management. Sophie is into fashion, and enjoys shopping & socialising with friends and family.
RACHEL: Restaurant supervisor. Rachel has been a part of the Six Bells squad since 2019. Rachel enjoys the garden, as well as spending time with sons Joe & George. She can take most of the credit for the Six Bells always looking fresh - and in the summer months, Rach is our dead-header in chief.
LAURA: Restaurant supervisor. Laura joined the Bells team in July 2022 - bringing oodles of management experience, from her fourteen years in the hospitality industry. When not in Witham, or with children Loucie & Jaxson - Laura is a foodie who loves to dine out with friends.
LAUREN: Co-owner. Lauren was raised in the business and has twenty-one years experience in hospitality. Under her tenure, the Beehive quickly became a Peterborough institution and remained so for a decade. These days Lauren makes the place tick behind the scenes. She enjoys the theatre & spending time with daughter Bonnie.
JAMES: Co-owner. Like Lauren, I was raised in the business and have worked in it since I was a teenager. I spent five years in the American midwest, studying economics at St Ambrose University before working at Chicago's renowned Alinea group. I enjoy hiking, and going to the match with dad. I can be found on the restaurant floor or at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
We are an independent family business, a village pub with bedrooms, a south Lincolnshire institution and a restaurant serving locally sourced, seasonal dishes - seven days a week.
The Six Bells was built in 1908 and our story is a long and thrilling tale - if you'd like to hear it straight from the horses mouth, then you're in the right place.
It begins at the turn of the century, with Jim & Sharon, who embarked on a journey together as restaurateurs. The business was built upon simple foundations: honest food, that's prepared and cooked with care using quality ingredients - combined with warm and welcoming hospitality.
They set sail on Wednesday 22nd November 2000, when they got their hands on the keys to the Jackson Stops Inn at Stretton. Since then our voyage has stopped successfully at many ports along the way - Jim's Yard in Stamford, Jim's Bistro on Broadway, The Beehive on Albert Place and the Queens Head at Bulwick. We opened our door at the Six Bells on July 1st 2014.
In 2004 we were awarded the coveted Bib Gourmand from MICHELIN Guide. Recognition we received twelve years on the trot, through to 2015 - for good cooking and good value.
In 2021, Lauren and James returned from the Queens Head to work alongside Ben, Phil, Jim and Sharon - reducing the group to a single location, as it began.
Since then, the Bells' south-facing terrace has been weatherproofed with a timber and glass canopy and in March 2023 we rekindled our love affair with MICHELIN's Bib Gourmand. The Bells was one of twenty new recipients. In February 2024 we retained our Bib as one of 127 in the UK & Ireland this year.
