Here we are, finally open, having launched at the weekend, running around making sure all the last paint work was finished, the interior design was how we imagined it, and the kitchen was set up for a smooth and easy service with all the new employees in place.

But as always Tom Noest, my new business partner, still has a massive grin on his face because we have opened our own place for the very first time.

If someone told me a year ago we would be launching our very own modern country pub in the Cotswolds serving our favourite food and beverage I wouldn’t have believed it!

And it was hard to find a place which did tick all the boxes. In the past year we viewed several different pubs in the area which were both tied and freehold and none of them fitted the mould of what we were looking for.

So we feel very lucky to have come across The Bell in Langford with its amazing traditional features, eight hotel rooms and outside space, all in time for 2018.

With a lot of research and planning we have managed to achieve it, with a massive thanks to our family and friends who have been resident painters and sandwich makers.

I have been setting up restaurants and hotels for the past 11 years with The Lucky Onion group, where I worked on operating all the sites and managing all the buying of the beverages, for the past five years.

From my experience, I have developed a passion for natural wines; these are made by hand with minimal chemical intervention and one of my favourite importers are ‘Les Caves de Pyrene who I have been sourcing from for years.

It means our wine menu has a nice balance of our favourite wines with a few natural options to match our wood-fired food.

Over the past six months Tom and I have been gaining work experience at a variety of our favourite bars and restaurants to gain more industry knowledge.

We have learnt a lot about ordering, processing and delivery.

Our most exciting challenge has to be managing our pizza dough and making sure we have enough storage for our two-day proving process.

The menu has been tried and tested and we will be serving a variety of modern style dishes from our wood -fired oven, such as, Cotswold IPA rarebit with pickles and soldiers £7, rabbit, bacon and prune pie for 2 to share £30 or treat yourself to some delicious freshly prepared artisan pizza £10.

Tomhas also planted his herb tray outside The Bell where we both hope to introduce many different types of produce in the coming months.

As typical men, Tom and I do enjoy our meat and two veg with a large glass of our favourite red, but we have designed the menu with a variety of light meals or alternatively you can indulge in a 3-course dinner. My favourite dish is sea bass with cannellini beans and swiss chard for £15 with a glass of Macon Prisse.

Whilst we jump into the world of entrepreneurship we hope to receive positive responses from our new relationships.

Oh, and watch out for Poppy, aka Mrs Bean (the pub dog) on your visit, she is normally overheating by the fire place or underneath a pile of newspapers in the corner.

More information from thebelllangford.com