The team at The Anchor Inn in Hillfarrance has celebrated its eighteenth year running the historic pub. And there should be many more to follow if the owners' pride in the 18th century establishment is anything to go by.

Landlady Laura Magee was just 25 years old when, alongside her husband Steve, and parents Alan and Linda, the family purchased the freehold of the pub in 2006.

With a PR, branding and marketing background, Laura had big plans for developing events alongside a local food and drink offering.

But, within the first few months of taking on the business, the country's smoking ban came into force, changing the shape of the drinking pub trade, quickly followed by the 2008 recession. One of the subsequent pivots was to focus on the pub as a foodie destination.

The roots of the family's successful food offering are firmly down to Laura's mother, Linda, who led the kitchen in the early years and is now retired from the business, Laura explained. Linda's original homemade pies are still used today.

"She is a brilliant cook, everything is homemade, no wastage, fabulous with flavours, she said. "She taught me how important these three elements are when creating a menu and that is the foundation of every menu we’ve put out since."

The Anchor won its first back to back awards in 2013 and 2014 for Somerset’s Best Sunday roast, followed quickly by other awards including Somerset’s Pub of the Year, customer service awards, and multiple Taste of the West Gold wins for the team's dedication to using local suppliers for its food and drink offerings.

"We are not ones for standing still. We are constantly trying to improve what we do at the Anchor, from our food and drink offering, and our customer service, to the atmosphere we create," said Linda. "We set ourselves the absolute highest standards to make sure our customers enjoy their visit."

It hasn't always been an easy ride.

"It certainly feels like we’ve climbed a few mountains in our time here, but being faced with those challenges, especially in the early years, gave us a resilience and fighting spirit that formed the basis for our whole outlook here at the Anchor and has stood us in good stead, certainly in recent years.," she said. "I’m so proud of the business we have created and the team we have shaped here at the Anchor."