A COMMUNITY is at the heart of any pub and for award-winning publicans Alex Venables and Alison Ward-Baptiste, this is at the forefront of their work as they reopened the George Inn at Bradford on Avon earlier this month.

The couple, who spent 13 years developing the popular Tollgate Inn at Holt, believe that the involvement of locals is what makes a pub special, so much so, that they are even using the fresh fruit and vegetables from the allotments behind the pub in Woolley.

Mr Venables, who won a coveted Michelin star when he was in charge of the kitchens at nearby Lucknam Park, is heading up the chef’s pantry and hopes to entice locals with his culinary skills.

“We are using the produce from the allotment up the road which is bringing people to the pub to show us their fruits and vegetables in season and we utilise our dishes to what we get in,” Mr Venables said.

“I think a lot of people are likening to our food is people we are different and we have changed what was here before.”

As part of the new menu, the pub will have a daily changing specials board although firm favourites with locals include a summer fish hotpot and beef wellington.

He added: “The inspiration for the dishes are from when I used to cook them in other restaurants predominantly the Savoy Hotel and these were the ones that were favourite with people.

“What I am looking to do is good quality food and doing it well and one of the reasons for the George is to keep it in the community. What our specials are and how our menu is crafted is adaptable to what we get in from our local butcher or fishmonger and so we utilise what we have for the dish.”

Mr Venables will soon be introducing cookery classes and demonstrations to keen foodies come the autumn time in their upstairs area of the pub.

Heading up the front of house is Miss Ward-Baptiste who has created a specially crafted wine list to accompany each and every dish on the menu – something which she believes diners appreciate.

She has also maximised the space of the Georgian building by having a ‘Bin Corner’ – an area of the pub where they sell left over bottles of wine from wine merchants in Chippenham.

“They are really good value for money and if the bottle were on a wine list in a restaurant, they would be double the price,” she added.

The pair are also offering well-wishers a whole range of fresh pastries to accompany a morning coffee and have said that as seasons change, they will increase their menu to suit the food.

The couple are also offering a free glass of Villernau Cava bubbles to anyone coming to The George next Wednesday or Thursday, who bring in this Friday’s edition of The Wiltshire Times.