The top-rated Wolverhampton pub which prides itself on its locally sourced food

Meet the couple that run the Horse and Jockey, a pub with some of the best reviews in the Black Country.

The Horse and Jockey on Robert Wynd, Bilston, is famous for its food with more than 150 reviews on Tripadvisor. The pub, in Robert Wynd, Bilston, has the second best rating for Wolverhampton pubs on the comparison site's website, and it's something landlord Chris Caldwell is especially proud of.

"We are very popular with locals and have a loyal support who are proud to support us," he says.

"We have been number one or two on Tripadvisor in Wolverhampton for restaurant and pubs and that is something we are especially proud of.

"We're proud to be rated the best-rated pub in Wolverhampton, and it's because of the good food we serve.

"We tend to focus on good food and drink rather than putting on events, and so the food along with the great service we provide makes it a fantastic experience to come and get here."

Chris, 39, runs the pub with his wife Laurna Caldwell, 38, and the couple have done so for over seven years.

Chris has worked in the hospitality sector for a large part of his life while Laurna has been on and off in the industry, but both now commit full-time to the Horse and Jockey.

The couple met whilst working for a pub company, and were living in Scotland before an opportunity arose to take over the pub where Chris initially grew up.

Once they took over in 2015, they completed a full refurbishment of the place and it has completely taken off since then.

Speaking about the experience since taking over, Chris explains: "It was a fantastic local pub when we took over, but we added our own touches, developed the food side of the business and it has since taken off.

"We launched our own food menu when we took over - adding our own touches. It's traditional British pub grub with our own touch and it is really popular and tastes good.

"Everything is home-cooked with a great team of chefs we have working in the kitchen.

"Another thing we do to help the local micro-economy is we support cask ale brewers from the local area, we use local butchers, veg shops and a fishmonger all close by, which helps everyone all round.

"This is a big part of our selling point. We're a small independent business but thankfully people want to support businesses like ourself and in return we make sure we provide a fantastic service and serve great food and drink."

Pubs are often seen as the hub of a community, where people can go and socialise or just enjoy the company of another person, where they wouldn't usually be able to at home.

This is something pub owners, landlords and landladies often describe as vital for pubs to remain open and continue as a place for socialising - especially as a result of the the financially crippling Covid pandemic which forced them to close or open with strict restrictions, and the current cost of living crisis.

Chris says: "People really appreciate having fantastic independent pubs in the heart of the community.

"Trade is positive at the minute - we are showing growth year on year, and this is probably going to be the busiest December we have ever had, but at the same time we are very concious about that and do not want to see it as a brag.

"Covid was certainly a setback with the closures and disruption but we were very fortunate to retain all our staff and have our customers come back.

"It was a tough time but we did our best to keep in touch with regulars. We went above and beyond to make it safe when we reopened, and we are grateful to still be about now.

"I think during that time the appreciation for pubs grew massively.

"They are of course highly appreciated in British culture but the appreciation grew massively in the lockdown due to people not being able to have a pub to go to."

Landlords and ladies often say that in order to successfully run a pub, you have to love the job and cannot do it half-hearted, and that is the case with Chris too.

He said: "You have to love what you're doing when running a pub, and we both do!

"We want to remain here for the rest of our careers, along with the great staff we have who have been here for years.

"Having a fantastic team along with brilliant customers, we couldn't ask for a better group of people and it really makes the job so much easier.

"We daily deal with a great bunch of people and it truly makes the job a pleasure."