The new couple in charge at a popular Costessey pub plan to make it a successful food-led watering hole – but also aim to turn it into a community pub with a pool table and traditional atmosphere.

Ann Silverthorne and partner Andrew Elsey bought the Harte of Costessey – formerly The White Hart – for an undisclosed price from pub company Admiral Taverns.

And after nearly two months refurbishing it, they opened the bar part of the pub on Saturday, with the food part to open later in the year after the kitchen has been refurbished.

Miss Silverthorne said: 'We are refurbishing the kitchen at the moment and it should be finished by the end of February. We will be bringing in a new chef.

'But we have opened the bar first. The pub was shut for a few weeks and we have been refurbishing it for six to seven weeks.'

She said that running a pub was a departure for both of them, after previously being involved in the hotel trade.

She said: 'We bought the pub because we think it's a lovely building, it has lots of potential, is in a nice area, and there's lots of scope.

'We hope that it will be a successful food-led pub but also a community pub.

'There will be a pool table which I understand there was before.'

The current building dates from 1931, but there was a pub on the site in 1916, but it burned down.

The Evening News has been urging punters to return to pubs in our Love your Local campaign.

To see more stories from the campaign visit www.eveningnews24.co.uk/loveyourlocal

Is your local about to reopen or close? Contact Peter Walsh on 01603 772436 or email peter.walsh@archant.co.uk