THE Boot in Bledlow Ridge is thriving. After Emma and Andy Goddard took over the community owned pub last year they have been drawing in diners with their excellent menu.

The couple, who live in the village with their two children, had never run a pub before, but they certainly seem to know what they are doing.

It looks great to start with. Closed for three weeks and completely refurbished - it has a long stylish bar in the centre, high wood beamed ceilings, a large brick open fire and tasteful furniture.

The colours are muted and well chosen and it has a great feel to it.

There were 120 shareholders from the village community who bought the pub in 2010 and a number of landlords have since passed through the door.

Emma and Andy were chosen last May to take over the running of the pub and they have had a brilliant first year.

Andrew Hipgrave is the head chef and chef Shane Healy was employed as it became busier.

Booking is now essential and the restaurant is often full.

Emma said: "All our food is prepared freshly. People seem to love what we do.

"That is where we have done really well- people expect the same kind of food at the same kind of level."

The menu changes three times a year but they keep popular dishes like their duck salad.

The staff are really friendly and efficient and make everyone very welcome.

For starters I had the creamy garlic mushrooms on brioche and served with watercress (£6).

I could eat this again and again as it was so delicious- the sauce was rich and creamy with just enough garlic.

The mushrooms were finely sliced and it was all layered on top of buttery, toasted brioche bread.

A fresh green salad was served alongside it.

My friend had the bubble and squeak with crispy smoked bacon, a poached egg and hollandaise sauce (£7).

A mixture of carrots, potato and broccoli made the bubble and squeak and a perfectly poached egg sat on top of it.

The bacon was crisp and the sauce was light and well seasoned- it all worked very well together.

Other starters included a red onion and brie tart, tomato gazpacho, smoked mackerel pate and pan fried scallops.

There is also a good selection of mains, with a home comforts and pub classics section.

I had the rump of lamb with Dauphinoise potato, Macsween haggis, spinach, glazed figs and a redcurrant jus (£16.50).

The lamb was served pink in generous slices - it was delicious- a great cut of meat and cooked well.

The accompaniments brought the whole dish together brilliantly- the expertly thinly sliced potatoes were layered with a decadent creamy and garlic sauce complete a crisp topping.

The haggis was a nice change, the spinach was seasoned well and the jus was smooth and flavoursome.

The glazed figs were amazing; they were soft with an almost caramel crunch on top, which brought out the sweetness of the fruit- I loved them and they went so well with the lamb.

My friend had the king prawn, crab and chorizo linguine with tomato, garlic and chilli (£14).

There was a generous portion of prawns and chorizo and the shredded white meat of the crab was scattered through the tasty linguine.

The sauce was thick and luxurious with a pleasant kick of chilli.

There is a great range of desserts from sticky toffee pudding to chocolate salted caramel torte.

We were pretty full by this point but we shared the homemade waffle with toffee sauce and honey comb ice cream (£5).

It was a wonderfully sweet dessert and very satisfying, especially the silky sauce.

It is great to see a village pub doing so well and serving really good quality food, which a lot of care and attention has gone into. Andy and Emma seem to have hit the nail on the head as to what a village pub should offer.

Go to www.theboot-bledlowridge.co.uk