Uralla’s Bolt Inn has taken out two honours at the NSW Restaurant and Catering Awards, winning Best Restaurant in a Pub/Club – Regional NSW and Best Family Dining in a Pub – Regional NSW.
The double win recognises the dining at the heritage pub on Bridge Street. It gives owners Pete and Sally Strelitz and their team something to celebrate with the New England community that supports them.
Mr Strelitz said the awards belong to the whole team.
“First and foremost we want to say that we are nothing without our staff which includes our kitchen, front of house, bar and cleaning staff. They are what makes The Bolt Inn the welcoming place that it is,” said Mr Strelitz.
The Bolt Inn was established in 1909. The Strelitzes renovated and reopened it in 2024, and it now brings together dining, drinks and live music.
Mr Strelitz said the aim has not changed since the doors reopened.
“We wanted to give everyone a special local and destination place that they could all enjoy from the food to the bar and the whole environment,” said Mr Strelitz.
He said Head Chef Rob Taylor deserved particular recognition for his leadership in the kitchen and the care he and his team bring to every service. Mr Strelitz said Mr Taylor has many years of experience and learned from some of the best mentors in top-end Sydney restaurants.
The kitchen’s focus is on doing the small things well.
“The Bolt Inn kitchen focuses on the little things which all add up to make the fabulous food that we serve. Our meals are made with particular care and from scratch, such as the meat for the burgers is minced in-house, the sauces are made from scratch for the steaks, and even the honeycomb in the chocolate mousse is made in-house,” said Pete Strelitz.
The kitchen uses as much local produce as it can. That includes award-winning Milly Hill Meat, a food service business also owned by Pete and Sally Strelitz.
For Mr Taylor, the night carried extra meaning, with many of his peers in the room.
“It was an honour for Chef and The Bolt Inn to win these awards, especially as many of his peers were there that either mentored him or he mentored over the years,” said Mr Strelitz.
The family dining award reflects an approach that starts in the kitchen. Children’s meals at The Bolt Inn are mini versions of the adult dishes, and kids eat free on Sunday nights, with one free kids meal for each paying adult.
“All our kids meals are mini versions of our adult meals, so are freshly made from scratch, such as fresh chicken breast crumbed in-house for the chicken schnitzel,” said Mr Strelitz.
“Our staff are always very friendly and welcoming to families,” said Mr Strelitz.
The pub has plenty on the calendar. There are new menu items and daily specials, and live music and DJs play every Friday and Saturday night. The beer garden is also being developed.
The Bolt Inn is busy prepping for the Melbourne Cup in November with set menus, sweepstakes and a best-dressed competition. It recently celebrated Oktoberfest, and Mr Strelitz said the pub tries to match food and drinks to events whenever it can.
The pub will also join the Uralla Thunderbolt Festival, always a well-attended night in town. And to round out October, it will celebrate Halloween for kids and adults too, starting with DJ Spice for the kids.
Mr Strelitz said he hopes the wins help put Uralla on the map.
“We love the vibrant town of Uralla and we hope that winning awards such as these brings more awareness of Uralla and more people to town for the whole community and businesses to benefit from,” said Mr Strelitz.
“We want people to feel comfortable bringing their family and friends in, sitting down together and enjoying a great meal. That’s a big part of what a local pub should be,” said Mr Strelitz.
Advertising with New England Times is a cost effective and reliable way to reach New England locals who are interested and engaged. Find out more here.