The traditional Black Country pub that is a hit with locals and customers from afar

It is owned by Black Country Ales and run by Richard and Laura Wilkes, a couple who took over in March this year.

It is the first time that the couple have run a pub but they are loving life, and enjoying making the Vine Inn a great success.

The pub dates back to the 1930s, it still has the fixtures, design and layout of the original building and it also retains the original tiled fireplace built that decade.

Richard, 41, from Wednesbury, said he is proud to run The Vine Inn.

"I have been a DJ for 20 years, and Laura has worked in childcare for 16 years, but during Covid we sort of stumbled upon this job.

"So I have always been around pubs but never ran one before. During Covid there was no night clubs open and so I started working behind a bar in a pub to earn some extra income, and I sort of fell in love with it and knew that we would be good at it.

"We knew that running a pub requires a good personality, people who make their customers feel welcome. So myself and Laura took over this pub in March this year.

"I know that when running a pub we should get to know people, know their name, their family, their story. It is all about making people feel at home, giving a nice personal touch to it, and that is the approach we have taken. Making the effort to get to know everybody."

The Vine Inn is a traditional wet-led pub that serves bar snacks such as pork pies and cobs which have made the establishment famous, and has people travelling from all over the country to come and try.

Richard added: "We don't serve meals here. It's a very traditional pub that focuses on serving a good beer and bar snacks.

"We are really famous for a proper Black Country cobs. We sell around five to six hundred a week and have had people travel from all over for our cobs.

"We try to have a really good presence on social media and take some good photos, and it has gained attention, so people come down to try them.

"Also because we are famous for serving good drinks, people have travelled here all the way from Cornwall, Scotland, it's amazing to have these kind of customers coming in.

"Of course we are here for our locals and regulars, but the fact that we get people from all over is a testament to the hard work and quality that we serve."

The Vine Inn is featured in CAMRA's good pub guides nationally and that is why is has gained so much attention and has people travelling hundreds of miles to visit.

It is popular with Wolves fans also, who visit there on matchdays for drinks before the game, and there are also TV screens which has Sky Sports and TNT Sports, for all the televised games.

Richard added: "As new landlords of the pub, we know that people want more than a good pint. They want to enter a friendly, clean environment and so you have to offer more than just your old school pub. We have worked hard and still continue to do so, to make it a pleasant experience for everyone that comes in.

"It is a great pub with real great people - they make the pub. We are very lucky that it is currently trading the best it has ever done since Black Country Ales took over, and it's a nice feel good story, because all you heard is doom and gloom about pubs these days.

"We are currently trading at the point where we targeted to be in five years time, and so since taking over in March, it has exceeded expectations and we are so proud of it.

"I also want to make a special mention to the team here who have all worked incredibly hard and played a massive part in the pub's success.

"And it has been so nice to get to know everyone. They become friends rather than customers. We are nothing like a corporate-type pub, we wanted a more intimate, personal feel, and people appreciate that."

The pub hosts weekly quizzes on Wednesday evenings, and will have a charity community event on bank holidays. There are three open fires in the building which will be appreciated heading into the Autumn Winter period.

As a Black Country Ales pub, there are 10 real ales on offer, two real ciders, as well as the big brand lagers.

Richard said: "We focus on serving high quality drinks, no cocktails or shots. So we have a specific target audience and have done well in doing that.

"The pub trade is a funny game as times have changed. You hear about pubs closing down, or big corporate companies selling them on, but there are still some little gems knocking about, and they are well run pubs."