Champions on the menu at the Golden Heart

Customers at the Golden Heart pub at Nettleton Bottom, near Cheltenham, Gloucester are guaranteed a winning meal.

Owners David Morgan and Catherine Stevens pulled off a coup at the recent Royal Show with a winning £1,600 bid for the Reserve Champion beef carcass - outbidding Sainsburys.

They also purchased 15 of the 21 lambs on offer in the food hall, including slapping down £400 for the champion, bred by Gloucestershire's Andrew Bishop.

This year's Royal Show, held at Stoneleigh, Warwickshire, last month, was the last. The organisers blamed falling visitor numbers, but the team from the Golden Heart were determined to see it out in style.

"All the major prize winners were bought for consumption by customers of the pub" said Morgan.

"£400 is a lot for the champion lamb, but I know that our customers appreciate the quality, and the traceability of the produce - being able to support the last Royal Show and local Gloucestershire producer Andrew Bishop is a bonus."

Like mayn rural pubs, the Golden Heart is having to work hard to drive trade. The pub is on a main road running between the M5 and M4, and the prize-winning menu will be used to give passing trade an incentive to stop.

"Purchasing the best lambs at the Royal Show and also at the Three Counties Show - held at Malvern - gives us an edge over our competitors. There's only ever one champion."

Butchery for the pub is carried out by Bruce Phillips, the village butcher in nearby Churchdown.

The pub promotes lamb dishes with a display of prize cards and rosettes alongside its blackboard menu, which features a range of specials.

"We also have a blackboard which announces what we have recently purchased, and their details, with provenance being very important," said Morgan.