09.04.12: Long standing tenants of the Royal Standard Pub in Gerrans have just purchased the freehold of the premises and will now run the establishment as a Free House. After six years of running the 18th Century pub, Dave and Bobbie Mitchell took the opportunity of buying the freehold from owners, Punch Taverns when it came up for sale.

Bobby and Dave told Roseland Online, “The change will give us greater control over the business. We can sell Cornish real ales and have introduced Cornish Orchard cider. We try to source locally and buy meat from the local butcher, A.R. Day, and even sell chocolates made in the village by Roseland Chocolates. We may be a small community pub but we believe that we can offer excellent service in a relaxed, traditional setting.”

The pub was recently awarded the Gold CHEFS award from Cornwall Council which rewards excellence in food safety, healthy eating options and local sourcing of ingredients. It also holds the Cask Mark for the quality of its beer.

But purchasing the freehold and finding a loan wasn’t without its delays. Bobby and Dave added, “Borrowing money to purchase a small business is not impossible in the current climate. We would encourage anyone with a good prospect to have a go, but be prepared for quite a long process.”

We wish them all the best with their exciting acquisition and are sure all their usual events like Sunday evening Quizzes, regular bands and popular summer events for charity will still rate highly in their busy events schedule, all of which you can find on Roseland Online’s Calendar or their own website, www.royalstandard-gerrans.co.uk.