December winner - CHESHIRE LICENSEE Mike Ford

Mike Ford runs the Farmers Arms, a Punch Tavern in Kelsall, near Tarporley in Cheshire

I entered CaskForce to get one of my staff trained up, because cask ales are a very important part of my business.

What does cask ale mean to your

business and your customers?

I have some real connoisseurs at my pub, so I need to know that we're always keeping and serving our beers as well as we can.

What is the future for cask ale, in

your opinion?

I think people appreciate cask ales more now than they used to. It's something of a mature taste - once you've tasted all the lagers, you want something different, don't you? And there's such a great choice of tastes and strengths available in cask ales that even younger customers are trying it.

Do your staff know and understand about beer quality? If so, how?

I've made a real effort to try to make all my staff aware of the importance of looking after the beers properly, pulling them correctly and making sure they're served right. I make sure they do that with everything, really.

What has being a monthly CaskForce winner meant to you?

Winning CaskForce in December has given me the opportunity to add some new guest ales to my bar. I wouldn't have done it otherwise. They've been so successful I'm going to add another couple in the next few weeks.

What would being the overall

winner mean to you? And how would you invest the year's rent?

I would be delighted to become the overall winner of CaskForce. I'd put the money straight back into the pub.

I've already turned it into probably the only proper local they have round here, and I get a great deal of pleasure from the way people have responded to that. So I'd make sure I kept it going the way my customers want me to - as a real community pub.