The new owners of a village pub say they are determined to restore the site to its former glory.

The Halfway House in Challock, near Ashford, has undergone a extensive refurbishment in recent weeks after Jason and Vicky Piper collected the keys to the establishment last month.

The couple, who have three children and one granddaughter, have now reopened the pub in Canterbury Road.

Mrs Piper - who previously ran a clothing boutique in Whitstable high street - told KentOnline that she jumped at the opportunity to take on the pub when she found out it was on the market.

"We used to bring the kids here and used to think it had a lot of potential," she said.

"When we found out it was up for sale we thought we just had to.

"Both of our parents had pubs and my husband grew up in one. We have owned pubs before.

"We have spent a lot of money on the refurbishment - we have got people working day and night.

"We are going for a grey theme. We are going to have really nice furniture and a relaxing atmosphere.

"Our aim is to bring the village pub back to its former glory."

The pub closed on Tuesday, November 19 for one week while the interior was upgraded and new flooring was installed throughout.

It had been put on the market earlier this year £190,000 for the leasehold after former owner Subhash Shrestha decided to stand down to pursue other business ventures.

Mr and Mrs Piper now have plans for a performance area in the pub garden and an upgraded children's play area for the summer months are also on the cards.

The menu has been reinvented with a strong focus on home-cooked food using locally sourced ingredients.

Head chef Alfred Piper, 23, said: "We will be serving classic British pub grub, locally sourced produce, all fresh, good honest food prepared well with attention.

"We are going to add influence from other parts of the world, including Turkish, Asian and American."

The pub is open from midday to 11pm seven days a week.

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