The new managers of a pub near Oxford have welcomed the support they have received from drinkers and diners since they were appointed.
It's a decade since families from Marsh Baldon and surrounding villages formed the Baldons and Nuneham Community Society (BNCS), enabling them to buy shares in the 350-year-old Seven Stars and own it themselves.
New manager Namit Julka said he was delighted to be appointed, together with Sunit Bamsode.
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Mr Bamsode said: "After our successful launch event on June 30 where we had more than 150 people turn up and all had a great time with live music.
"We have been busy serving lunch and dinner - our last Sunday roast was sold out with 130 plus covers done.
"There has been positive feedback for our chefs special cheeseburger and beer-battered haddock.
"By popular demand we will soon be starting gluten-free beer-battered haddock and chips.
"Other than the classics the other fast-sellng dishes are stone bass served with new potatoes, tenderstem broccoli and white wine sauce and our peas and asparagus risotto cooked to perfection.
"For Sunday roast we have been doing slow-roasted Oxfordshire Sirloin and both the Sundays we have been open we have sold out and got great feedback on the way the meat has been cooked."
After the pub was taken over by the BNCS committee, its barn was converted into a spacious restaurant.
And the hard work of the community group was rewarded in 2016 when the Seven Stars won CAMRA pub of the year.
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The landlord and the committee did their best to ensure it was a genuine community pub – offering coffee, cake and a place to meet in the mornings and a focal point for village events.
The Barn continues to be a popular feature - it can accommodate up to 36 seated guests, or 60 standing, with a bar area, main restaurant and patio stretch tent available too.
The pub will initially open six days a week, closing on Monday, but is looking to return to a seven-day opening after a few weeks.
There are pubs across Oxfordshire owned by community interest groups.
Communities can step in to try to save a pub threatened with closure.
A bid has been launched to save The Red Lion in Yarnton.
The pub, which is owned by Admiral Taverns, shut in August after the number of customers fell by half.
The Red Lion has been put up for sale for £425,000 and villagers have decided to try to buy it themselves.
They are being led by Leanne Charlett, whose parents once ran the pub for almost a decade.
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About the author
Andy is the Trade and Tourism reporter for the Oxford Mail and you can sign up to his newsletters for free here.
He joined the team more than 20 years ago and he covers community news across Oxfordshire.
His Trade and Tourism newsletter is released every Saturday morning.
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