William Cecil’s Mildred’s bistro forced to change name to Milly’s after legal action by London-based restaurant chain

A hotel restaurant has been forced to change its historical name after legal action from another business.

Mildred’s bistro opened at the William Cecil in Stamford in May as part of a plan to give the hotel a new identity.

The name of the bistro was a nod to Stamford’s history and was inspired by Mildred Cooke, the wife of William Cecil, creator of Burghley House.

The pair, who had five children, are said to have had a long and happy marriage, and spent much time in Stamford.

Within a month of opening, a London-based chain with a similar name, Mildreds Restaurants, took legal action to force the Stamford bistro to change its name.

Keen to keep the history alive, instead of ditching the name completely the bistro has been rebranded to Milly’s.

Sophie Taylor, head of marketing at Hillbrooke Hotels, which runs the William Cecil, said: “We are looking at it as a positive thing.

“It allows us to give a nickname which we think would reflect her personality.”

Other than having to change the signs and branding, which was done this week, the legal action hasn’t affected the business.

When it became clear the name would have to change, it didn’t take long before staff settled on the nickname Milly’s.

They steered away from spelling it ‘Millie’s’ due to the association with the cookie chain and because it had an extra letter.

Sophie said: “The biggest thing, especially with the name of the hotel, was that Mildred was still linked which is why we went down the road of giving a nickname.

“If we lose that connection with the name it may change the direction of the brand and personality we are creating.

“We were delighted when we successfully registered the trademark for Milly’s Bistro.”