The Pelican Inn in Froxfield is putting last week’s news to good use by turning it into wrapping paper for chips.

Chef and manager Terry Quinn, who took over the pub nine weeks ago, is hoping to show diners another side of eating fish and chips by serving them in old copies of the Gazette.

He said: “We already stock the Gazette, so now as well as enjoying reading it with their pint, punters can enjoy it with their fish and chips.”

Reviving an old classic went down a treat when 38-year-old Mr Quinn tried it out at his previous pub, the Lister’s Arms in Malham, Yorkshire.

He said: “I came up with the idea when I was working in Jersey because I remember getting fish and chips in newspaper when I was a little boy, so I tried it out in the first pub I ran when I got back to England about five years ago. It went down really well and people thought it was a fun idea.

“Since then a lot of places use generic newspaper sheets to wrap up their fish and chips. I’m not saying I started the idea, but it’s been well received and I think everyone here will like it too.

“I mentioned it to some of the locals a few weeks ago and they keep asking me when it’s going to happen.”

Mr Quinn started off his career training with former MasterChef judge John Benson Smith in Manchester and he has worked in kitchens all around Europe.

He said: “Part of the reason I came to Wiltshire was because of the quality of the local produce. There are a lot of good local cheeses and the potatoes that are used for the chips are really good quality and grown just down the road by a local farmer.

“The Pelican hasn’t served food on a Sunday before, but now we’ll be offering a fish and chip supper and our ingredients will be sourced locally.”

There will be a modern twist on the old tradition with the pub’s copies of the Gazette being specially printed on greaseproof paper to meet hygiene standards.

To mark National Chip Week, punters can get their Gazette wrapped supper as of this Sunday.