The Lodge at Salhouse celebrates first year since reopening

Locals were delighted when The Lodge at Salhouse, in Vicarage Road, was taken over by family pub business Colchester Inns, which reopened the site in June 2023.

The company also owns The Recruiting Sergeant and The Rising Sun pubs in Coltishall, the Black Boys Hotel in Aylsham and The Bucks Arms in Blickling.

The Salhouse Lodge reopened in June 2023 after months of renovations (Image: Denise Bradley)

Now, on its first birthday, manager George Colchester has reflected on the highs of the first 12 months.

"It has been brilliant - totally above and beyond what we expected," he said.

"We have met loads of locals who have made us feel so welcome and have become regulars."

George Colchester runs the Salhouse Lodge (Image: Denise Bradley)

George was blown away by how many locals showed up to the pub when it reopened after a major refurbishment last summer with new management at the helm.

"Our opening day was insane," said George.

"I had expected around 50 people to turn up, so to have more than 1,000 people here was incredible, and really showed how excited the locals were for us.

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"It definitely caught us off-guard - but we knew what to expect from then!"

The pub underwent an extensive refurbishment (Image: Denise Bradley)

From then on, the pub continued to grow and flourish - something that George is very grateful for when it is becoming increasingly difficult to work in the hospitality industry.

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"There are so many places locally that are really struggling to stay afloat," he said.

"All you can do in this business is put everything in and hope for the reward at the end.

"We feel very lucky."

The pub has been popular from the start (Image: Denise Bradley)

With a year under its belt, Salhouse Lodge is set to launch a brunch menu on June 17.

While the pub won't be celebrating its first birthday just yet, George has plans for the August bank holiday weekend.