Melton CAMRA give special award to village pub

Robert Smith, landlord at The Bell pub at Frisby, received a coveted merit award from Melton CAMRA chairman Kevin Billson EMN-190301-155305001

Landlord Robert Smith, his wife Helen and son, Sam, took over the Bell Inn, at Frisby, in May 2017, at a time when residents were concerned they might lose it.

But their work in reviving its prospects has led to CAMRA giving it a coveted Merit Award.

Kevin Billson, chair of the Melton branch, said: “This award is in appreciation of the way Robert and his family have turned a struggling village inn into a thriving local with excellent beers, good food and theme nights that pull in the local villagers and visitors, alike.

“Until the Smiths came along, Melton CAMRA were concerned about the future of The Bell and making it an Asset of Community Value was being considered but hopefully now those concerns are a thing of the past.”

The Smiths previously ran The Star Inn at Thrussington.

Robert runs the bar while Helen is front of house and Sam is the chef in the busy kitchen.

Theme nights include quizzes on Tuesdays, which also doubles as the popular pie night, Wednesdays feature sausage and mash, Thursdays steaks and Fridays are devoted to fish and chips.