The Greyfriar pub in Chawton is a five-star venue. And that’s according to food hygiene officers too.

The Winchester Road pub was awarded a one-star star rating last year because of structural issues – but in less than 12 months has completed a dramatic turnaround.

Simon Brencher, director of Pooka Pubs and Pooka Tearooms, said: “We have subsequently had an extensive kitchen refurbishment and a complete rewiring of the building. 

“The Food Standards Agency has since revisited us and given the highest score of five stars. 

“As a pub we pride ourselves on great food and have never had any issues with food hygiene. Unfortunately, when you are awarded a one star people automatically assume you have bad practices. It also seems unfair that one-star ratings are reported automatically yet the fact we were given a five is not mentioned. 

“We run regular guest chef nights involving TV chefs such as Lawrence Keogh, Fernando Stovell and Jane Devonshire as well as highly-acclaimed Michelin star chefs such as Jitin Joshi and Saurav Nath. They have always been confident to work with us.”

For details see the website www.thegreyfriar.co.uk