MyNewPub

The Pear Tree

Hildersham

Cambridgeshire

Agent: GA-Select

John and Gillian Harris have just taken on the Pear Tree, a village pub in an affluent area of rural Cambridgeshire. The couple have plenty of experience running pubs, restaurants, hotels and guest houses. Most recently they ran a pub called the Blue Bell in the East Riding of Yorkshire.

"We were attracted to the pub because it's quite unusual," said John, who's been behind the bar for less than three weeks. "It's just one big trading area supported by a bar and catering kitchen - no music, TV or jukeboxes. It's food-led, so we should make a living. I don't think that would be the case if we were just selling beer."

The pub's attractive setting draws a mixture of locals, people from Cambridge and tourists. The couple want to keep the look of the pub, but are planning a spruce-up and are seeking planning permission for letting bedrooms. "We want to tap into the demographics of the area," said John. "The 200-odd locals are supportive, but to sustain business we need to attract people from further afield by changing the offer slightly and marketing to local businesses."

A simple menu of homemade fare is in development,

offering dishes such as home-cooked ham with hand-cut chips, as well as homemade pies, which John hopes will

become a signature note for the Pear Tree.

He said: "We're going to do four starters, four mains and four desserts, and change things around occasionally. A pub as small as this offering more than 12 dishes can end up

microwaving things and that's not what we're about."

The pub, which is in the Camra Good Beer Guide and the AA Good Pub Guide, is tied to Greene King and currently offers the company's IPA and Abbot beers. John plans to introduce two guest ales in time for the warmer months.