Thanks to a general appreciation of all things gastronomic in local towns and villages, there’s no shortage of potential takers when pubs and restaurants in Bucks come on the market, one of the leading agents in the licensed trade said this week.

“The people of Buckinghamshire have a real passion for food and drink and publicans know this,” Christie & Co’s Tim Widdows told the Free Press.

“Although the pub market [in general across the UK] has had its fair share of challenges over the past few years, interest so far in 2018 has been strong, especially in Buckinghamshire where demand for properties is especially high.

“We have sold a variety of businesses in the county in the last year from high end food-driven pubs and traditional pubs relying chiefly on the sale of drinks as well as sites that have closed and are in need of re-investment.

“The large number of affluent towns and villages throughout the county are a real draw for investors as well as operators. We are always on the lookout for more pubs to sell in the Bucks region.”

At the end of last year the business agents at Christie reported an 18 per cent increase in sales to first time buyers and private operators across the UK during the previous 12 months.

Eighty five per cent of pubs sold in 2017 were still being run as pubs.

The Three Horseshoes in Seer Green, a friendly village four miles from Beaconsfield, is one of the hostelries currently on the agency’s books. It’s waiting for a new owner to take over the remaining 15 years of the 20 year lease.

The Orchard Road pub has been extensively renovated since the present licensees arrived five years ago.

The public part includes an open plan 60-seater restaurant, the main bar and a well equipped commercial kitchen. Upstairs is the owners’ three bedroom flat plus an office/store room. The garden at the back has seating for around 50.

The annual rent is £49,000. The price for the remainder of the lease is £100,000.

Another local pub for sale is The Cock & Rabbit at The Lee, one of the best known and best loved village inns within half an hour’s commute of London.

The agents at the London office of Fleurets are inviting offers for the freehold. It has been run by the same couple for more than 30 years.

Sharp-eyed Midsomer Murders fans will recognise it straightaway as The Rose & Chalice hostelry in ITV’s long-running who-dunnit series. It has been in three episodes: Death of a Stranger, Death in a Chocolate Box and Saints and Sinners.

The real life The Cock & Rabbit is in the village made famous by the Liberty family of Regent Street store fame. 

The pub is also only a few minutes drive from Great Missenden, home of the legendary children’s author Roald Dahl for 36 years until his death in 1990. In 2008 The Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre in Great Missenden High Street was named Best Small Visitor Attraction by an organisation called Enjoy England.

Elysia Wilson-Gunn, from Fleurets, says freehold pubs always attract a lot of interest, especially in Bucks. “It’s a popular area due to the affluent demographic, its history as well as the scenic beauty.

"Our newest property The Cock and Rabbit has generated strong interest because of the idyllic setting and the links with Roald Dahl and the Liberty family.”

See www.fleurets.com/search/all-properties/search-for-la-821645 for more on The Cock and Rabbit.