AN AWARD-winning Wantage landlord who transformed a failing pub into the toast of the town is to leave.

Peter Fowler, who took on The Shoulder of Mutton in 2010, said he will leave on June 18 for “personal reasons” and to spend time with his family.

But he has already promised to return to Wantage within a year and carry on the brewery he started at the pub, making it bigger and better than ever.

Beer lovers paid tribute to Mr Fowler, who has won the pub numerous accolades and whose vegetarian cuisine is widely praised.

The 65-year-old, who is planning to move closer to his children in South Shields, said: “It is sad news. It’s the end of an era.

“I wanted to create a family-friendly pub where you could take the whole family and be welcomed and I think I’ve done pretty well.

“I didn’t want TVs or loud music or swearing, I just wanted a nice, gentle atmosphere like pubs used to be.”

In the past four-and-a-half years, Mr Fowler, who had never run a pub before the Mutton, earned it branch pub of the year and regional pub of the year titles from the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA).

In December it was crowned best pub in Wantage by the Wantage Chamber of Commerce.

White Horse CAMRA branch chairman Neil Crook said: “He turned a pub that was struggling into a thriving place – it’s all down to Peter.

“His beers are excellent – they tend to be higher gravity but that’s Peter.”

Mr Fowler took on the Admiral-owned pub in October 2010 and invested more than £250,000 in redecorating it.

It had previously been run for several years by Meeko Oates, who moved to a pub in Reading.

Before taking on the Mutton, Great Yarmouth-born Mr Fowler had been managing Bellinger’s garage in Grove and helped to start up the family’s own Pitstop Brewery.

After getting a taste for brewing, he went looking for a pub where he could indulge his passion and share it with the whole town.

He said: “I wanted to make and sell my own beer.

“At that time there were loads of pubs but very few I would have taken on because most of them were owned by Greene King.”

He said he even looked at buying the Market Place King Alfred’s Head from Punch Taverns, but another buyer snapped it up at the last minute.

The Shoulder became available, so he took it on and it was named White Horse Camra pub of the year in March 2012.

Later that year it was crowned the best pub in central and southern England by the society.

The Wallingford Street pub has hosted regular folk music nights, real ale festivals and parties.

Mr Fowler promised he would return to Wantage.

He said: “I’m going to come back.

“I might be out of it for six months or it might be a year, but I’ll come back.

“I’ve got a wide circle of friends in Wantage and I’ll have other ventures, other fish to fry.”