Helen Pugh of The Trout at Tadpole Bridge, near Bampton, Oxfordshire, welcomed 36 students from Philadephia’s Walnut Hill College into her pub to learn what makes the British pub the envy of the world.
David Morrow, dean of Hospitality Studies at the college said: “Our aim in bringing over the students on our Hospitality Tour of England is to expose them to the realities of work and customer care in leading establishments.
“As part of the trip, students also visit Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir au Quat’Saisons and Restaurant Gordon Ramsay but our only pub visit, to The Trout, is a highlight because of the owner - I describe Helen to the students as ‘the most hospitable woman in England.’”
The college offers four hospitality degree programmes for students looking for a career in the hospitality industry. Students are trained in their choice of Culinary Arts, Pastry Arts, Restaurant Management, or Hotel Management.
During the Cotswolds visit students enjoyed a tour of the premises (and cellar) to learn about pulling a pint and to take part in a comparative local sausage tasting.