Wales: Lion Inn

Trellech, Monmouthshire

The Lion Inn enjoyed even more success over the last year with wet sales rising by 14% and food sales by 28%. Tom and Debbie Zsigo, who have run the Trellech pub for nine years, put the success down to a number of factors. The Lion's growing reputation for serving excellent real ales and good food together with being the Morning Advertiser's Freehouse of the Year and Food Pub of the Year for Wales and Gwent Campaign for Real Ale's Pub of the Year.

Winning the accolades, say the Zsigos, has attracted "the more serious food lovers and real ale buffs". Tom adds: "We have also attracted a lot of people from the trade, most of them incognito although a few have said who they were."

What the fellow licensees picked up from their visits was the attention to detail that runs throughout the Zsigos' business. The Lion's menu offers a wide selection of dishes from Hungarian specialities, which stem from Tom's ancestry, through traditional British pub fare to more exotic meals including those featuring kangaroo, ostrich, impala, crocodile and warthog.

The real ale selection mainly features smaller breweries such as Archers, Bath Ales, Wye Valley and Cottage. But it is perhaps the quality of the staff that makes the biggest impression.

Under Tom and Debbie's tutelage, all employees receive thorough training in all aspects of customer service. Debbie notes: "Our standards are incredibly high and we want staff who feel motivated, happy and proud to be part of the Lion Inn." This formula has worked and staff turnover is very low, even though Tom says attracting suitable employees is very hard in the area. The only downside is that a few employees were lured away to other pubs by the promise of more money. Tom adds: "All have come back as they realised people only wanted to get information out of them about the Lion and details of their training."

Tom and Debbie are also adept at promoting the pub by staging events that appeal to local media. Tom says with a grin: "The local member of the Welsh Assembly complained to me that we were in the papers more often that he was."

However, the Zsigos aren't resting on their laurels and have taken on a lease of the Moon & Sixpence ­ a pub a few miles down the road beside the River Wye. They have already spent £25,000 on refurbishments to create a similar ambience to that of the Lion.