A country pub in Redlynch that received a one-out-of-five food hygiene rating less than two months ago has regained its perfect score.

The Kings Head received the low rating in August much to the shock of managers Tony and Jo Digweed, who have ran the pub since December 2020.

Tony and Jo said the pub had lost points for the water being out to a handwashing station at the time of the original inspection, and problems with the sealant on one of the refrigerators. They also claimed the inspector would not accept the pub’s paperwork at the time.

The authorities said that food was being handled to a “generally satisfactory” standard.

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But after a recent reinspection, the pub now sports a new five-out-of-five sticker on its door.

Jo said: "We’ve gone from a five to a one to a five."

Although they were confident they could get a four-out-of-five back, the new rating came as a pleasant surprise as Tony and Jo had been told that a four would be the highest they could receive immediately after falling to a one.

Jo said: “The report that has now gone out was higher than we thought we were going to get. [The inspector] actually thought she was going to come in and do a four anyway because it was a revisit, but she actually put it up to a five.

"She was extremely happy."

The couple added on Facebook: "Tony and I would like to congratulate our head chef Russell Haydon and the kitchen team as, after a little bump in the road, we have been re-awarded our second five-star food hygiene grade.

"Well done to Russ and the team. Thank you for all your hard work."

38-year-old Russell Haydon, whose background consists of multiple hotel restaurants in Northern Ireland, including Galgorm Manor.

The King’s Head Inn is only the second pub at which Russell has ever worked, and he said he enjoys the slower pace compared to life as a hotel chef.

He said: “You don’t have to get up at silly o’clock in the morning. You don’t have to get up at five o’clock in the morning to do breakfast and stay there until 11 o’clock at night."