A VILLAGE pub near Ellesmere Port has reopened after almost ten months following a complete refurbishment.

Greene King announced that the Bunbury Arms, Stoak was looking for new operators in March after lying closed since October last year.

The country pub now has new tenants, Elektra and Mike, previously of the Traveler’s Rest in Frodsham, and despite a challenging job to overhaul the inside of the building, Elektra says she had felt for some time that ‘The Bunbury’ could once again be a great venue.

Elektra said: “Being sat [outside the Bunbury] in May, when I first moved to Backford a few years ago, I just looked at the place and thought, this is a really special pub.

(Image: MD)

“It’s tucked out of the way; it’s a really nice location and it has a lot of history to it as well, having been built for the farmers by the Bunbury family.

“I thought it needed to be restored to a proper country pub, where people can come and relax.”

The interior was completely repainted by Elektra. She joked that the brewery thought she was "mad" to decide to take on the job herself, which took around two weeks of continuous work to finish.

She added: “It’s especially nice when people come in and say they can really see a difference.

“They ask if the brewery has done it and when Mike tells them, they often can’t believe it.

“Overall, there’s been a really positive reaction, and many of the regulars have come back in and they’ve said how good it looks.

“It’s really appreciated when people notice.”

The Bunbury has an extensive range of beers, spirits and wines, including exclusive Bunbury Black stout and Bunbury Best bitter, which are brewed especially for the pub.

The pub also hopes to introduce live music, having had a handful of performances already, with individuals and duos on Fridays and the potential for bands on Saturdays. There are also plans for a darts team and a weekly quiz.

However, the new tenants say that these changes will not happen overnight and now that they have overcome the hurdle of getting the Bunbury ready and reopened, they will need time to bring the other parts of their project together over the next few weeks and months.

Elektra adds that the kitchen is currently being upgraded with a view to providing a regular lunch and dinner service and Sunday lunch. 

“We did a lot of food options at the Traveler’s Rest, and we’d like to bring that same concept here, with pub classics with some modern twists.”

“Consistently changing [the menu] with seasonal and local produce and all tied in with decent beer and decent wine, what more can you ask for really?”

More information on the Bunbury Arms can be found at: https://www.facebook.com/BunburyArmsStoak/?locale=en_GB.