Shropshire countryside pub on John O'Groats trail which aims to be a pub for all people

In order to attract customers and ensure that the pub remains viable and can thrive, the people running country pubs have to look at how it presents itself and how it can remain attractive to people.

One pub which has become a desirable place to go is the Haughmond in Upton Magna, which sits about two miles outside Shrewsbury and a short hop from the A5.

The pub, which overlooks the Wrekin, has been owned and run by husband and wife team Martin and Mel Board since 2014, when Ms Board said they bought it from Marston's after they looked at it and saw the potential.

She said: "We saw it as a multi-use venue when we bought it from Marston's as it had all these derelict buildings outside, so we transformed a double garage into a village cafe, while the rooms next to the stables became pet-friendly rooms and the cow sheds became a self-catering, single level farm conversion.

"We also did a function room in one of the other barns and we also put five en-suite bedrooms on the third floor of the building as well."

Built in 1780, the Haughmond has existed as a pub in some way, shape or form since, with the current name replacing the Corbet Arms moniker in 2014 to avoid confusion with a similarly named pub in the nearby village of Uffington.

The bar is in the restaurant to the right of the front door, while there is seating for drinkers is in the Lounge to the left with table service.

The pub's new name recognises its proximity to Haughmond Hill, which Ms Board said was just one of the many reasons why people came to the pub.

She said: "People come here because they don't want to go to a chain pub, as there aren't too many independent pubs around now and we produce top quality meals from raw ingredients, including our Sunday lunches which people flock to.

"We have an uninterrupted view of the Wrekin from our very nice beer garden and we are on Route 81 of the cycling network, which is from Land's End to John O'Groats, which was why we named the cafe the Pedal Stop because the cycling community is huge.

"Someone coming in for the first time can expect a warm welcome and a great wine list as we do everything by the glass and I think that if someone is coming to Upton Magna for a really nice meal, they should have a really nice glass of wine to go with it."

As well as the quality wine list, the pub is a freehold, which means it can select what it wants for beers and ales, and customers can always find beers from Hobson's and Salopian on tap, as well as gins from Shropshire distilleries and lagers such as Madrid and Pravha.

Ms Board said the pub was trying to get across that it was an affordable place to have a drink and a meal and not have customers feel like they were being priced out.

She said: "People have a pre-conceived idea that we're expensive and we're posh, but we're actually not anymore as we've given back our three AA rosettes as we felt that was giving the wrong impression, as well as taking ourselves out of the Michelin guide.

"We're concentrating on providing really good food and drink at really good prices and we've become a destination pub, with reintroducing the Sunday Lunches opening us up to a wealth of new diners and we seem to be fully booked most weekends.

"The food is high quality, such as a Boston cut sirloin steak which looks like a fillet steak and costs £28, but my husband utilises his skills to make a product which is affordable, even in the cost of living crisis."

Ms Board said the independent spirit of the pub was what made it special to her and her customers.

She said: "It's my home and my family business and it's something which my husband and I have grown and adapted and been flexible with since 2014.

"It's a hub of the community and we're desperate to keep hold of it as there's not many independent places left at the moment."