Jodie Kidd shutters Half Moon pub after abusive incidents with customers

Jodie Kidd has temporarily closed The Half Moon, a 15th-century village pub in Kirdford, West Sussex, after a series of incidents involving customers and staff. The decision, announced by the pub on Instagram, comes as staff reported verbal and physical abuse in recent weeks. "While we know we won't be to everyone's taste, it saddens us that in recent weeks we as a team have faced abuse - both verbal and physical. We'd like to remind everyone that behind The Half Moon is a team of people who care deeply about what we do. We are human."

Two incidents described by patrons and locals include a female member of staff being grabbed by the arm by a diner seeking her attention, leaving her shaken, and, in a separate incident, a male diner who erupted over what he described as too much salt on his dish. The pub posted that the team has faced abuse and stressed that the owners and staff care deeply about what they do and are human.

Locals have long debated the dynamic surrounding The Half Moon. The 15th-century Grade II listed inn has been owned by Kidd for eight years, with co-owner and chef Gavin Roy heading the kitchen. In recent years it has drawn nationwide attention as a celebrity-owned venue praised by critics and promoted as a proper pub rather than a high-end restaurant. Some residents say visitors travel long distances hoping for Michelin-star-level dining and are disappointed by a more traditional, comfort-food-focused menu. A regular noted that while the food and drink are excellent, the venue is a cosy village pub, not a fat-netted haute-cuisine experience, and that the disparity between expectation and reality can heighten tensions on busy weekends. Another resident said the draw of Kidd’s profile can lead to crowds that are not always well-matched to the small village setting.

The Half Moon’s menu reflects a traditional approach, with a rotating, locally sourced lineup described by the kitchen as a balance between seasonal availability and crowd-pleasing dishes. Sample items include Seared trout, rillette, pickled chorizo, sage carbonara sauce (£28); Tandoori cauliflower, raita, fennel & onion (£20); John Murray house-aged sirloin, pommes Anna, broccoli, blue cheese, beignets (£34); Pan-roast cod with Roebuck Estate herb tartar, scarps, dressed peas & mint, chips (£24); Lamb shepherd’s pie with beetroot, lovage & spring greens (£29); and a homemade lamb burger with house potato bun, Gruyere cheese, caramelised onion, lettuce, fries (£22). The menu emphasizes accessible pub fare rather than pretension, a point some locals say helps keep The Half Moon grounded amid its celebrity profile.

The Half Moon, purchased by Kidd in 2017, is operated with chef Gavin Roy as joint owner and head chef. Roy has stressed that the kitchen relies on locally sourced ingredients where possible, a feature highlighted in the pub’s commitment to community and seasonality. The broader cultural spotlight on Kidd and the venue has led to a stronger weekend draw, with some outsiders arriving specifically to sample the pub’s reputation rather than the rambling countryside setting.

Operationally, the pub is closed Monday to Wednesday, opening for drinks in the evenings, and serving food from Thursday through Sunday. In the Instagram update announcing the closure, the owners said they would reopen on Thursday, September 25, at 12 Noon, after a period of rest and preparation behind the scenes. The Daily Mail has reached out to a representative for Jodie Kidd for comment.

The incident at The Half Moon sits at the intersection of celebrity culture and rural hospitality. Critics and residents alike have noted that the attention Kidd’s pub receives can set high expectations for visitors, sometimes leading to disappointment when the experience skew is closer to a traditional village pub than a Michelin-starred venue. The episode underscores the challenge of balancing a welcoming, family-friendly environment with the demands of a broader, often global audience that follows celebrity-owned restaurants. Tom Parker-Bowles, the Daily Mail’s restaurant critic, has previously highlighted Kidd’s pub as one of the best celebrity-owned pubs in the UK, which amplifies the public’s expectations while also amplifying scrutiny on how staff safety and customer conduct are managed.

As The Half Moon prepares to reopen, owners emphasize safety and hospitality as priorities. The incident serves as a reminder of the pressures facing small rural venues that attract national attention, where staff safety must remain the top priority even as the business navigates a delicate balance between authenticity, accessibility, and celebrity-driven curiosity. With the doors set to reopen on September 25, Kidd and her team appear focused on re-energizing the space as a home for locals and visitors alike, reinforcing the pub’s identity as a community hub rather than a stage for notoriety.