LANDLORDS Jerry and Nathalie Edwards are celebrating after The Raven Inn at Poulshot, was named the Gazette’s Pub of the Month.

The couple describe The Raven as a proper English pub in a picturesque village.

The couple, who are expecting their first child in a few weeks, moved to The Raven, owned by Wadworth, four years ago from Cornwall, where Mr Edwards is from. But they were no strangers to Wiltshire, having run the Flemish Weaver in Corsham for four years.

Mr Edwards is the chef while his wife, originally from Guyana, runs the front of house. They have two dogs.

Mr Edwards uses produce from people he trusts, including beef from Poulshot Lodge Farm, pork from Dave Wilkinson in Melksham and fish from St Mawes in Cornwall.

The menu is a mix of traditional pub food and ethnic dishes. Mr Edwards enjoys travelling and he likes to try out recipes for dishes he has abroad, such as in Goa and Indonesia.

Mr and Mrs Edwards have built up a good following in Poulshot and the surrounding area. Being a mile away from the Caen Hill flight of locks on the Kennet and Avon Canal is an advantage for the pub in attracting visitors.

The pub is where the Wadworth shire horses start their two week summer holiday in August, an event that attracts hundreds of people.

This year the pub raised £600 for the Wiltshire Air Ambulance in a raffle.

Mr Edwards said: “I think we have done very well in the time we have been here. We can still improve and get better. We are definitely accepted as part of the village and are a hub for village life.

“We involve the local community and hold events to raise money for charity and we make sure the standard of food is high. We are a village pub, a very traditional English pub. We don’t have fruit machines, pool tables or juke boxes here because they would not suit our pub.

“It’s much nicer to have people chatting, laughing and having a good time.”