About Us

Let us introduce ourselves. We are Jan and Lynne Zielinski and we have owned the Fox and Hounds at Riseley since early February, 1989. After completing a commission at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst I went into distribution management. Meanwhile, my wife Lynne had worked in farming before becoming an administrator. But, by the late 1980s we both felt it was time for a change. New opportunities and different challenges. It was a risk but, we were both passionate over making the Fox and Hounds work. And work well.

On our first Saturday after opening it was just the two of us on duty, front-of-house, with a barmaid and a chef to serve. And to be honest we weren't very busy. Things had to change! So, we introduced our 'Grill Theatre' experience backed up by our strong belief that great food and service will always find a warm reception from people who enjoy eating well and enjoying their surroundings. And it worked! Today, we employ over 35 experienced staff ensuring that every visitor receives the highest quality in both cuisine and hospitality.

Through the twenty one years since we started Lynne and I have grown the business beyond belief, continuously striving to improve on the great dining experience we give to all our customers. And, judging from the feedback we receive we have succeeded. But, we haven't stopped trying to think of new ways to improve our client's satisfaction and provide a better standard of service, quality and variety.

At the Fox and Hounds we love our unique approach to cooking meals to our customer's specific requirements. We believe the, 'what you see is what you get' recipe for a memorable meal is what brings our customers back to us, time and again. Our 'Grill Theatre' gastronomy has no peers. It's the original 'see'; 'choose'; 'watch' and 'eat' approach to memorable meals.

To give you a clear understanding of our business ethos we strongly believe that our team should enjoy serving you, our customers. It's clearly a philosophy which works well as we have very few staff changes. In fact one of our chefs was with us for 17 years while a number of the staff have been with us for over ten years and in two cases, nearly 20 years. Almost as long as we have! Also, we believe it's very important that all our customer's comments are fed back to the team. It's nice to see a familiar face at the Fox and Hounds who in turn builds relationships with our team. Incidentally, we have four children; three daughters and a son, all of whom have worked with us here in the pub at some stage in their careers. Support indeed.

On a personal note our family passion is sailing. Our aim is to one day retire to the Mediterranean and buy a boat to live a'board. But, all that's in the future.

We hope to welcome you to the Fox and Hounds Restaurant for a meal or to try our award winning beers very soon. With over 20 years experience here we think we know a little about what our clients want. We look forward to showing you very soon.