A husband and wife team got off to a flying start when they took over The Rose & Crown in Upper Farringdon.

Ryan and Sarah Rainier travelled down from Worcester at Easter to run their own pub for the first time - and barely had time to draw breath.

Ryan, 33, said: “We came down on the Monday, opened on the Monday night and the whole village came in. We were pulling pints, not unpacking!”

Sarah, 31, credited her husband for pulling in the customers while she got the pub ready.

She said: “Ryan went door-knocking on the first day, and felt the neighbours were really taken by that. One neighbour said in all the years he’d lived here nobody had knocked on the door to introduce themselves. They were loving it.”

Head chef Ryan and general manager Sarah, who had previously worked in hotels in South Africa and Dubai, had decided it was time to run their own venture in England - and a search which began in Cornwall more than a year ago ended at The Rose & Crown.

Ryan said: “It’s community-focused, with a warm, relaxed atmosphere, and food-led. It ticks all the boxes and everybody has given us a really warm welcome. The team are incredible and we feel like we’ve struck gold at this place.”

Sarah added: “It’s so well-established already. We just want to make a few small refinements, but keeping the pub exactly as it is. It’s just putting our own personality on it.”

Ryan uses local produce in the kitchen and Sarah explained that the menu complements the setting.

She said: “It’s elevated British classics - beef and Guinness pie, fish and chips, sausage and mash. Everything’s made in here from scratch - sauces, desserts, starters. Ryan takes real pride in it.”

Ryan said: “It’s the kind of food I’ve always wanted to cook.”