A POPULAR Chippenham pub is undergoing £250,000 of renovations after which it will reopen as a carvery.

The Wadworth-owned Pheasant, on the A4 Bath Road, hopes to relaunch in time for Christmas, offering seating for 180 diners.

Richard Jennings and his partner Lesley Johnson moved with their two-year-old daughter Georgia from Birmingham in August to manage the pub.

Mr Jennings said: “It is a huge investment for Wadworth, and they keep saying ‘no pressure’, but it is clearly a big deal.

“I have absolute faith in the renovations. I think it’s a fantastic idea.

“I believe in it so much that our lives have moved here from Birmingham, and I left another company to do it.

“The Pheasant has real potential and I think this is going to be something Chippenham has been missing.”

Mr Jennings said the carvery is set to break new ground rather than follow in the footsteps of similar restaurants.

“This isn’t going to be your bog-standard carvery,” he said.

“The emphasis is absolutely on quality at a competitive price.

“We’re not going to have any frozen vegetables, everything is fresh. The aim is at the least to buy British, and as locally as possible. For much of the meat, we’re going to be using Walter Rose butchers in Devizes.

“We will also have a full salad bar, so people can have their carvery meat but have it served with a salad instead.”

The family hope to have the new carvery open by December 6, although they say this could change depending on how long the building work takes.

“We’re undergoing a lot of changes, including doubling the size of the restaurant,” said Mr Jennings.

“The entire place will be open, with the bar and the restaurant alongside each other. This is a fantastic place but it wasn’t being used to its full potential, and we want to change that.

“There is a big car park, it’s close to some big out-of-town shops, and we have very high hopes that the footfall here will be huge.”

Paul Sullivan, marketing and sales director for Wadworth, said the pub would set a benchmark for quality food.

“We are delighted to be investing in the Pheasant,” he said.

“Our aim is the pub will provide quality food to suit all palates at affordable prices in a fresh and inviting setting.”