David (57) and wife Janice (53) have been tenants of the popular George Inn in Great Oxendon since 2004 and David has worked hard this year to make the pub attractive and welcoming to the public.

The couple's son, 25 -year-old Philip, works in the kitchen.

He is a pastry chef and has helped the couple to build up the business, having had previous experience working for one of the top ten restaurants in the world, Raymond Blanc at Le Manoir aux Qaut' Saisons in Oxfordshire.

David spends a lot of time in the kitchen too, having worked as a chef for the hotel company Arcadia in the past, as well as running the bar.

David said "Last year one the shrubs died for some unknown reason so this year I have planted a wisteria in its place as well as honeysuckles and clematis so hopefully they will do well."

There are 20 hanging baskets teeming with colourful petunias and geraniums and although they are a great display, David said he wanted some colour in the garden so he has planted dahlias, red hot pokers, hollyhocks, lupins, foxgloves and about 300 gladioli.

In the tubs there are lillies and gladiolis as well as geraniums and fuschias.

Tables and chairs are set out on patio and on the lawn at the back of the pub so patrons can relax and enjoy their fragrant and colourful surroundings and maybe enjoy a pub lunch.

An addition to the garden is his three bantam hens which roam the back garden during the day. He joked that it works out that the eggs they lay for his breakfast costs him about £10 each!

Also he has put tomato plants in this year and is waiting to see whether he gets a good crop out of them and has cleared the bottom of the garden to plant blackberries and raspberries.

David has some help when gardener, Guy, comes in once a week for four hours to tidy up the lawns and do odd jobs, one being building the chicken coop.

A big plant-filled Grecian urn made of clay which David is very proud of, stands at the front of the pub and he said that after the summer is over he is going to clear it out and start again as well as clear one of the big flower beds with the idea of filling it with plants and shrubs to make it more colourful next year.

He has even noticed that lots of flowers have appeared out of nowhere including a group of sunflowers which he said are growing really big.