The new landlady of a village pub in Cornwall has followed in her grandparents' footsteps, by opening her first business. 

India Rogers, 28, along with her dad Nick, 59, took over the Queen’s Arms in Breage at the end of December 2023, after the previous landlord Matt Ferguson was forced to close his West Cornwall Inns pub company in November of the same year.

Since re-opening just before Christmas Day, India has welcomed back regular customers, from in and around the village, who were happy to see the pub back up and running.

India and her family are no strangers to the Queen's Arms and pubs altogether. India’s grandparents, Peter and Margaret Rogers and Nancy Thomas are all successful publicans and have been in the trade for nearly 40 years. She said: “I was a waitress at the pub when I was 13 or 14 – it was my first job.

“I grew up in Ashton before moving to Helston, so I have known the pub for most of my life.

“My grandparents are successful publicans and have owned local pubs in the area. Most of our customers know of them.” 

With the pub well and truly back open for business, India told the Packet what else is in store for the pub over the next couple of months. She said: “At the moment, the restaurant is being decorated, ready to serve food around February time.

“We are planning on serving hearty pub food, nothing too fancy, just what people want out of a pub. We will be serving roasts on Sunday and plan to cater for people who want something lighter during the week, such as soup and a sandwich.”

With the café at nearby Trevena Garden Centre due to close for refurbishment at the end of the month, India will also provide a selection of cakes and hot drinks for customers looking for somewhere else to go nearby, and a possibility of cooked breakfasts in the future - although this currently remains a longer-term plan. 

Food will be prepared by India’s dad Nick, who has been a chef for most of his life. For several years, Nick was a chef on oil rigs around the world and is used to catering for many people at all hours of the day.

With increasing pressure on the hospitality businesses, and many pubs closing around the country, India admits it was “daunting” opening a business at this time, but the support of the locals gave her more confidence. She said: “It was daunting, but it would be setting up any other business.

“People in the village were coming up to us before we took over the pub and told us they couldn’t wait for it to be open again, and they wanted happy smiling faces back behind the bar.

“Because of that, it was a massive confidence boost.”

And it’s not just new faces at the Queen’s Arms. “We also have a pub dog,” said India. “His name is Perdy, and he is a two-year-old Dalmatian. He’s been so happy in the pub and greeting the customers.”