A well-known village pub near Penrith is on the market for £450,000.
The Shepherd’s Inn, Melmerby, has been owned by husband-and-wife team Mike and Margaret Haddow since 2018.
A talented head chef with 40 years’ experience in fine dining, hotels and pubs, Mike offers a pub food menu which attracts locals and visitors every week, eager to sample traditional dishes with the finest local ingredients.
The busy restaurant has a maximum five-star rating on Tripadvisor and a five-star hygiene rating from the local authority.
The sale comes as Mike and Margaret plan for a well-earned retirement after four decades in the service sector.
Mike’s career as a chef saw the couple travel and work all over England before returning to Cumbria in 1981 to open the kitchen at the Crown Hotel, Wetheral, near Carlisle.
Mike ran the kitchens at the Crown and later at the North Lakes Hotel, in Penrith, becoming group executive chef for Thwaites Hotels with responsibility for nine hotels and eight pubs.
“I’ve always loved working in kitchens and pubs, and owning the Shepherd’s Inn has been one of the highlights,” said Mike.
“We have sown our roots in Cumbria and enjoyed living and working here for so many years.
“Now it’s time to slow down, enjoy retirement and hand the reins over to the next custodians of this amazing country pub.”
The pub, which employs 14 people, is on the market as a freehold for offers in the region of £450,000.
