6th January 2006

New licensees at New Inn, Abthorpe

The New Inn, Abthorpe, Northamptonshire is a proper village pub, at the centre of community life. New licensees Jane and Robbie Costall intend to make sure it stays that way.

The couple come from Stoke on Trent and have quickly involved themselves in the life of the village - forging links with local people and groups. The importance of the pub to the village life was made clear to them by one local who said, “Life in this village revolves around the church and pub, but the church is only open one day a week, the pub is open seven”.

The pub is listed in CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide and the couple hope that beer lovers will come and try their range of excellent Hook Norton beers. “We are both real ale fans,” said Robbie. “We welcome CAMRA members to the New Inn and it is my ambition to ensure that the New Inn continues to be listed in the Good Beer Guide.”

It didn’t take Jane and Robbie long to decide that the New Inn was for them, they are keen motorsport and horse racing fans, so the location of Abthorpe, close to Silverstone Circuit and Towcester Racecourse, certainly influenced their decision, but most of all they wanted to run a village pub. The New Inn is a quintessentially English village pub built of local stone complete with an inglenook fireplace. It serves real Hook Norton beers that are still brewed in the traditional way. “We wanted out of the rat race, which made Abthorpe the perfect place for us, but that doesn’t mean we are turning our back on hard work, this pub really is at the centre of village life and we want it to stay that way,” said Jane.

A simple food menu is being developed including sausages from a local butchers. The couple plan to decorate the main bar with some of the many historic pictures of the village that are in the pub.