NEW owners will next month take over a Blackdown Hills village public house which was for sale for nearly £1 million or to lease at £50,000 per annum.

The Candlelight Inn, Bishopswood, was sold by Mike and Simon Rose‑Macleod, who owned it for eight years during which they won Taste of the West Gold awards in five consecutive years and were listed by The Guardian as a top 10 Somerset pub.

The former bankers used their pension fund to buy the Candlelight and took pride serving locally-sourced seasonal food, including produce grown in the pub garden.

The 18th century pub, which has two AA Rosettes, is due to reopen in August after closing to facilitate the handover.

Originally marketed for £1.1 million, the guide price later dropped to £895,000 through Bettesworths.

Mike Rose‑Macleod thanked Candlelight staff past and present for their work, without which ‘we could not have achieved so much’.

He said: “It has been a blast.

“Your work ethic is relentless, the banter has always been fierce.

“But most of all we have been a family working together.

“As we bid you farewell, Simon and I wanted to say a huge thank you to everybody whom we have met, the customers we have served, and friends we have made.

“It has been an honour looking after the Candlelight, she is a beauty, and we hope you continue to enjoy many more happy times with her.

“The last eight years are full of fond memories we will cherish forever.”