Businessman John Timpson, owner of Timpsons the repair retailer, also has a pub – here he talks about business at the White Eagle.

Most people think they know how to run a pub, but it’s not that easy. All the derelict ones sadly displaying a “For Sale” sign should tell you something.

But don’t be deceived.

The great British pub isn’t dead. It has changed. Your dream rural pub is now unlikely to survive without good food. Many well–run gastro pubs that cater for families are already fully booked for Mothering Sunday.

Like most new publicans, we were pretty naïve. The White Eagle was acquired on a whim.

When we bought a holiday home on Anglesey, Alex, who hates cooking, couldn’t find a good restaurant, so her solution was to buy the White Eagle. She said: “It will be a lot of fun.”

We passed the licensees’ course, but still had a lot to learn. When we bought it, the White Eagle wasn’t busy (the only stock we could find in the kitchen was two fish fingers and a limp lettuce) so our first objective was to get a few more customers. We got busier, but soon found you can have a busy pub that makes no money.

No one told us how difficult it is to find a good, honest, loyal chef with a placid nature. We quickly had to discover how to cope with long hours and short–tempered customers. We had to find out about stock levels, waste, margin and wage percentages.

We would never have succeeded without lots of help, in particular from Stuart and Kirsty, who managed the White Eagle for our first three years, Adrienne, who is in charge today, and Roger, our executive chef who is not only placid, patient and loyal, but also now teaches young people how to make cooking a career.

Before you sign up for life behind the bar, beware of the pitfalls and be clear what sort of pub you want. It isn’t enough for the pub to be a pretty building, you also must provide a square meal and a warm welcome.

For me, the best part of buying the White Eagle was the market research. We went around Rutland, Leicestershire, Cheshire and the Cotswolds sampling pubs, pinching ideas and collecting menus. We took Stuart and Kirsty back to the places we liked best, together with Rupert, who did the decor. They did the rest, helped by Woody and Gary, friends who had run a few pubs of their own.

If you are lucky enough to build such a loyal team and get a good reputation, you can start having fun enjoying your success.