We are a fun loving family of 4: James, Sally, Alistair & Rose!! Prior to getting married and having children, we arrived in Harrold (Feb 1998) to take the tenancy of The Magpie, now the Spices of Paradise! We had an absolute blast at The Magpie and after a few successful years, and after having made some very good friends, we decided to tie the knot and come out of the pub life to focus on careers and building our own family. We got married in May 2001 and left The Magpie in July 2001 – I think we lost count of the number of stag and hen do’s we actually managed to fit in, but the sight of James in orange jeans will go down in history as one of the funniest things ever! We moved back to Rushden and settled down to build our family life – 2 children later, several jobs later, several house moves under the belt, and we found ourselves in a great place in life!

We were happily enjoying the build-up to Christmas 2014, and were happily planning a long-awaited bathroom/bedroom refurb when a low hum and buzz started to emerge from Odell, followed by a big BANG!

The Bell had become available! Well, we have always loved The Bell. I and Sally had always said that if ever the pub became available I would seriously consider getting back into the pub game and support James in living the dream! I don’t know what it is about the pub, but it’s magical! Imagine our delight when the news came through! The excitement went through the roof and we contacted the brewery immediately!

So, here we are…..with our arms firmly wrapped around the pub in a loving embrace, we are proud to have opened the doors for business….we have no new bedroom and no new bathroom but that can wait……