Fountain Inn - Gloucester

Joy and Peter Rust's stroll down a Gloucester street bought an unexpected opportunity that will please regulars from the old Fountain Inn.

When the couple spotted the Westgate Street pub had been closed they were spurred into action . . . and bought the lease.

Regulars were shocked when the inn was shut and put on the market in January.

With a price tag of £150,000 for the leasehold, leased from Enterprise Inns, and rent of £60,000 a year, it stayed shut until Joy and Peter took it on.

Joy has spent years in the pub trade including opening Gloucester's Cafe Rene, off Southgate Street, and a stint working at the Fountain Inn five years ago.

"We walked past it recently and saw it was shut. I said what a shame it was and wouldn't it be great to run it. Before I knew it we were signing on the dotted line," she says.

"The reaction we have had from people has been great and we're delighted to be here."

The couple have big plans for the Fountain, which has history dating back to the 14th century when records show a John Taverner ran a hostelry from the site.

Joy says: "What we want to try and do is make it a British traditional pub. We will have cask ales and food which we will try to source locally.

"We shall have to take on staff as well, as it is a little too big to run on our own."

Chris Morgan, of Gloucester Civic Trust, is delighted to hear the pub will be back in business soon.

"The pub is stacked full of history and something we want preserved. It is one of the places we like to point out on the Civic Trust walks.

"During the summer when we have lots of people visiting the city they want a really good place to go.

"It is one of the nicest places in the city, one of the oldest and has a long connection with brewing."

The Fountain is due to reopen on Friday.

OLD friends Damien Dupuis and Laurent Guillery are now working together to create the dishes for which the Inn at Fossebridge, has become renowned since being taken over three years ago.

Head chef Laurent has appointed old friend Damien as his deputy. Both are working with general manager Elizabeth Jenkins, a graduate of the famed Prue Leith cookery school and daughter of owner Robert Jenkins.

Frenchmen Laurent and Damien met when both worked for different hotels in nearby Bibury; then Laurent moved to the Inn at Fossebridge, near Cirencester, and Damien joined the kitchen team at Calcot Manor, near Tetbury.

Laurent started as commis chef at Bibury and 11 years later is the inn's sous chef.

Besides working in Bibury and Tetbury, Damien was with the renowned Fishbox restaurant group where he developed a love of cooking fish from around the world.

Outside work he enjoys rugby, skiing and watching TV.

"It's great to be working with Laurent," he said. "We have such a happy, hardworking team."

The Inn at Fossebridge between Cirencester and Northleach is a 300-year-old former coaching inn, extensively refurbished, with eight bedrooms named after Cotswold towns and villages and a cottage to sleep 10.

For more information, visit the website at www.fossebridgeinn.co.uk