A VILLAGE pub is helping its regulars keep healthy through an online cooking programme.

The Robin Hood Inn in Smithfield has started uploading a new recipe each day on Facebook in a series that they are calling Quarantea.

It’s an innovative approach to quarantine that supports local people while reminding them that they are still there.

Pub owner Craig Hennessey said: “Although pubs want to stay open, it is not in the public interest to do so. We recognised that pretty soon.

“We thought of ways to still involve people with the pub without having to physically interact with anyone.

“It is not a time for trading, it is not a time for looking to profiteer off the moment. It’s a time to help the local community.”

The community has been behind Craig and his wife Tita during this time.

Although there have been requests for the pair to offer takeaways, for them it isn’t compatible with the social distancing advice.

He said: “It’s great, the support and messages from the local community has been positive.

“The offers of help to support us have been great so we want to support our local customers in the same way by offering our skills in a simple way to try and pass those boring hours stuck at home.”

There are hopes to get a children’s version of Quarantea going to keep young people busy.

While the pub is closed, it has also set-up a JustGiving page to support it to help pay for things like bills and staff wages.

“As a business that can’t trade through its primary function, it needs to raise funds somehow,” Craig said.

“To bridge the gap in the meantime, hopefully if people do feel inspired by Quarantea every donation will help in being able to pay the electric bills, to being able to support the staff who are unable to work to eventually being able to reimburse the owner for payments on the property.”

He felt it is a difficult time but if people keep local businesses in mind when this all blows over, then it should help to keep them afloat.

“The key thing is the awareness of local businesses at this point,” said Craig. “These local businesses have always been here and hopefully all will still be here and they do all care about the local community.”