A PUB just outside Berkeley has won three CAMRA awards for its drinks and hospitality, including best pub in Gloucestershire, after only being in business 11 months.

Despite having never even pulled a pint before taking over the Salutation Inn in April, Peter Tiley, 30, has impressed the Campaign for Real Ale judges with his running of the public house and awarded it Dursley and District’s pub of the year as well as cider and perry pub of the year.

Following on from those successes, the Ham public house, popularly known as ‘The Sally’, was nominated for and has won the Gloucestershire’s Pub of the Year for 2014.

“I’m absolutely over the moon,” said the former Katharine Lady Berkeley’s School student.

“I am really pleased, considering I have never run a pub before. I hadn’t actually pulled a pint before I started running the pub.”

Formerly from Charfield, Mr Tiley went to work in London as a business analyst but decided to pack in the well-paid job and take up his passion for beer and hospitality with his physiotherapist wife Claire, 31.

Mr Tiley has installed a piano and has sing-along evenings at the Sally and has also introduced traditional pub games including shove-halfpenny, bar-skittles, dominoes.

The business also has a guest chef night on Mondays, when nearby Hill-based food enthusiasts Craig Kempson and Polly Dugdale cook old-fashioned dishes with seasonal produce from their garden.

With five real ales and ten ciders already available at the Sally, Mr Tiley hopes to have his own micro-brewery up and running this year.

The pub was judged on the quality and range of its ale and ciders as well as customer service and the atmosphere of the establishment and Dursley and district CAMRA chairman Chris Arrowsmith said it was a fantastic achievement by the couple.

“Since taking over from the previous tenants Don and Sue, who were not strangers to success with CAMRA awards, Pete and Claire have built upon their values and have further expanded community events,” he said.

“The couple have injected a lot of enthusiasm into the pub, a warm welcome is guaranteed as well as a fantastic selection of ales, ciders and perry's all in great condition.”

The presentation for the Salutation Inn's best pub in Gloucestershire award will take place in April.