The owners of a pub just outside of Swindon are celebrating winning four prestigious awards.

Earlier this month, Ashley and Samantha Windle of The Royal Wootton Bassett were awarded Tripadvisor’s Best of the Best Awards 2024, Opentable’s Diners Choice Award 2024, the national LUXlife Best Restaurant in the South West and LUXlife Best Tapas Restaurant award.

The couple, who previously owned The Weighbridge Brewhouse, completely renovated the venue during lockdown and opened in August 2020.

Ashley said: “It’s nice to be shown that people appreciate all the hard work. Things are going from strength to strength, we’ve been nominated for the Good Food Guide Sunday lunch award. We’re not sure where that will take us but to just get a nomination is good.

“We’re a small independent family-owned business, a lot of hard work goes into it.

“A lot of the restaurant industry is now dominated by big chains and we’re the polar opposite to that, the customers are the core values and we have really good staff as well, many have been with us since we opened.”

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They sold The Weighbridge Brewhouse to pursue their dream of having their own pub and restaurant and took inspiration from their travels around America, Vietnam, Thailand, Hong Kong, Australia and the Philippines to cultivate a unique menu.

“We brought some customers along and so much new custom has come since we moved to Wootton Bassett and it’s just brilliant”, added Ashley.

“The large majority of people who have been say it’s absolutely amazing - best place they’ve ever eaten and their favourite local place. The awards show that as well and how much people appreciate and enjoy it.

“To win these accolades, especially the LUXlife ones, which are national awards, and for us to pick up three of those so far since we’ve been opened, has just amazing and says everything about all the time and dedication that has gone into it to make it what it is.

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“The world tapas makes us different from everyone else and we’ve got a really popular Sunday lunch which you need to book up weeks in advance.

“The tapas is food from all over the world done to a really high standard in ways people have probably never seen before and it keeps people coming back, it changes every six to eight weeks but we do keep the favourites.”

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