The couple at the helm of a popular west Suffolk hotel are celebrating after scooping a prestigious award for the quality of their beer.

Daniel Esplen and Zainab Khan, who run the Bell Hotel in Clare, have been awarded the Cask Marque accreditation for serving the perfect pint of cask conditioned ale.

Mr Esplen said: “This award is a great endorsement for us. A lot of our customers visit the pub especially for the cask ale and it is really gratifying to know that we are getting the formula just right.”

Cask Marque accreditation is only awarded to licensees whose ale passes a series of rigorous independent quality audits of both the beer and the cellar standards.

Paul Nunny, Cask Marque director, said: “Daniel and Zainab should feel justifiably proud of this great achievement, which not only recognises the effort they put into serving the perfect pint but also acts as an independent guarantee of quality for customers.

“All too often, publicans don’t appreciate the care and attention cask beers require and then run the risk of losing custom by serving pints that are below par.”