A PUB in rural Herefordshire says it is "beyond delighted" to be included in the new Michelin Guide.

The Michelin Guide, produced by French tyre company Michelin since 1904, awards up to three stars to restaurants of excellent quality.

In Herefordshire, six restaurants are featured on the Michelin website as being of quality for their food, service, and atmosphere.

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With so few restaurants making the cut, the Baiting House in Upper Sapey, near Bromyard, had to prove itself to inspectors.

Judging is undertaken over a series of visits by a group of Michelin inspectors who base their assessments on five objective criteria.

They look at the quality of the ingredients used, the mastery of flavour and cooking techniques and the personality of the chef in his cuisine.

On top of that, the judges are also looking at value for money and consistency between visits.

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The listing on the Michelin Guide website, which the pub said it was "beyond delighted" at, said in the 19th century, the pub was home to a wheelwright.

It was then a stop for drovers and waggoners to enjoy a quick snack or "bait", and now it is a friendly country pub welcoming all-comers with its rustic look and friendly atmosphere.

"The assured yet understated modern British dishes are well priced and nicely balanced and, most importantly, deliver bags of flavour," it said

"Make a night of it and book a lodge with a hot tub."

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Villagers Andrew Corthwaite and his wife Kate Lane are the owners of the Baiting House group which includes the Admiral Rodney, in Berrow Green, also near Bromyard, and the Hopton Crown in Hopton Wafers, near the Shropshire town of Cleobury Mortimer.

Mrs Lane said the venture started by buying the Baiting House, the couple's local, after it had fallen into disrepair and closed.

"Every pub in the group has a personal connection to us - I remember visiting each of them as a child with my parents for Sunday lunch or a glass of lemonade in the garden on a summer’s day," she said.

"We’re incredibly proud of what we’ve created, not least because it’s given a new lease of life to country pubs which had previously been neglected and even abandoned.”