New landlady of village pub to make 'really exciting' changes

Jill Tickle, the owner of pub management firm Tickle's Taverns, has a clear vision of what she'd like her new watering hole - the King's Head in Hethersett - to look like after recently taking over.

Mrs Tickle, who also runs the Green Dragon in Wymondham, said that she "can't wait" to put her own stamp on the pub.

The King's Head, Hethersett (Image: Jill Tickle)

"I've been a local in the pub for the past 15 years and I would always make plans in my head of the things I'd do differently every time I visited," she said. "I really like it here but I know I can change things for the better."

The King's Head, which is located in Norwich Road, has already been entirely redecorated inside and Mrs Tickle insists there will be even more improvements over the next few months.

But it is with the food that Mrs Tickle claims is where the "really exciting" changes will happen.

The beer garden at the King's Head (Image: Jill Tickle)

She said: "Good food is at the heart of our business and with a new head chef and a whole team in the kitchen producing wonderful dishes, it means the future is exciting.

"The ethos is for fresh local produce whenever possible and I want people to walk into the pub and just know we've got good food by the smell."

Other initiatives that Mrs Tickle is already planning are hosting barbecue events, a family fun day, and she is also looking at bringing in regular live acts.

While Mrs Tickle is aiming high, she insists the pub is and always will be "for the locals".

The King's Head has recently been redecorated (Image: Jill Tickle)

She added: "We do want to attract people from far and wide and be seen as a destination pub but the locals will always be at the heart."

Despite significant plans for the King's Head, Mrs Tickle said her other venture - the Green Dragon - won't require any renovation at all as she would just like to be the "custodian".