A country pub turned versatile tearoom has been named best in Buckinghamshire – catching its hardworking landlady by surprise.

Lisa Hunt opened The Red Lion tearoom in Bradenham at the beginning of October 2017, five years after quitting her London job in travel management and a series of management stints at pubs in the home counties alongside her husband.

When the 65-year-old got the chance to transform a pub on the National Trust’s Bradenham estate near West Wycombe into a limited hours tearoom, serving local walkers and tourists alike, she jumped at the chance for a slower pace of life – and has been going strong ever since.

And in vindication of her work to turn the old boozer into a hotspot for tea and cake as well as full English breakfasts and light lunches, The Red Lion was named Best Café or Tearoom in the county at the Buckinghamshire Food and Drink Awards this month – a fine way to celebrate the venue’s seventh birthday.

Lisa said she was “really surprised” by the café’s nomination for the title – which was voted for by customers – and a disbelief in the spot’s popularity endured right through to the awards ceremony at Milton Keynes theatre, when her heart began “beating at a million miles an hour” after hearing its name called.

(Image: Lisa Hunt)

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On reflection, she credits the tearoom’s “amazing” front-of-house team with building a loyal customer base and helping to spread word of mouth alike – and admits that her own tireless work ethic and love of the job may have also played a part.

“I got really burnt out when I was working in London but since then I’ve retired four times and then got restless and found something else to do.

“I wouldn’t have where I’ve ended up any other way. When we first got here, the building was a shell, so we had to start absolutely from scratch, but it’s been lovely to see it grow into a meeting place for people or a stopping-off point on walks.

“It’s a gentler way of life but it can still be shattering – we do breakfast and lunches every day, and our pastry chef makes all the cakes and afternoon teas from scratch.

“I’m in charge of making all the savoury food, so it’s an operation that works really well. I think that’s what appeals to people, really. I’m very happy here, and I think everyone else is too.”