A COUNTRY pub is celebrating a transformation in fortunes almost six months after its landlords feared they could be forced to close.

Jeff Keegan and his wife Michaela, 49, moved all the way from Blackpool to take on the lease for The Black Horse, at Gozzards Ford near Abingdon, last April.

From the start they were plagued with inherited issues with the boiler and kitchen which made turning a profit a struggle and put the business in jeopardy.

In May, former landlady Dawn Neil, of Hanney Road, Abingdon, was given a 16-month jail term suspended for two years for faking a gas safety certificate on the pub’s boiler, which cost £16,000 to replace.

But after help from brewery Greene King, who own the building, trade is now booming and the couple received a top five star hygiene rating when health inspectors from Vale of White Horse District Council visited the pub last month.

Mr Keegan said: “It is doing so well now after all the work we’ve put in and the score feels like recognition of that. It’s been a real boost for the staff as well.

“When we took on the pub last year it had a two star rating and had never been at a five so this is an incredible achievement.

"We've also jumped up the Trip Advisor ratings and are now 21 out of 75 restaurants in Abingdon."

He added: “A lot of it has come down to the investment we’ve made in the kitchen, with the latest technology being installed, and we have a great chef as well.

"It has taken a while to get on a good footing again but by this time next year we should be turning a profit.”

The 55-year-old said since the top rating the business was attracting even more trade, with Friday, Saturday and Sunday particularly busy.

The restaurant is now doing so well Mr Keegan and his wife plan to switch the dining space, which currently sits around 40 people, with the larger bar area.

He explained: “The restaurant is currently in the older part of the pub, which is around 350 years old, so we are going to move it into the newer extension so there is more space."

The revamp is expected to take place early next year.

It is not just the restaurant which is thriving and Mr Keegan said the pub now attracted local bike groups, darts clubs, as well as hosting live music. He said: "We've got a really great atmosphere and are so pleased we are making it a sustainable business."

For more information visit the pub's Facebook page by searching The Black Horse, Gozzards Ford.