Patisserie excellence and pubs do not normally go hand-in-hand, but they do now in Weston-in-Gordano.

Marco Pilloni, who has worked in a Michelin-starred restaurant and cooked for the Queen, has teamed up with the owners of The White Hart to create Patisserie Venga. He said: “Visitors to our patisserie, which opened on Friday, will be able to see lots of tasty and colourful creations, the union of traditional and contemporary pastry, lovely artisan breads, and lots and lots of chocolate.”

Pub owner Mike Yeatman added: “It’s pretty quirky and that’s what we do here, plus we know it’s just the sort of thing people in the area will love.

“There is something rather fantastic about luxury where it’s unexpected. Once the unexpected becomes familiar, it becomes a place to regularly visit for that special present or treat.

“It is hard to meet anyone who doesn’t enthuse about great cake and pastry treats! Baking is the new rock ’n’ roll and our patisserie will take that to another level.

“We know we’re going to have to pull people in from far and wide, and we deliberately want an ‘inconvenient store’ that people will want to make that extra effort to travel too, because what’s on offer is beautiful, unique and delicious.”

The pub reopened in 2015 following a six-figure refurbishment.