Aldo and Deborah Esposito, Whatlington locals, have bought The Royal Oak pub.

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Quoted in Sussex World after an interview with Justin Lycett, Aldo said: "We've always loved The Royal Oak as a building and as part of the local area. Over the years, it had sadly declined, and in a long, drawn-out village like ours, it's so important to have a strong centre of the community. It's also in a fantastic location for passing traffic, so we could really see its potential.

"When we first saw it come up for sale, we were looking for our next challenge and made an offer not really expecting it to be accepted, but it was received warmly, and things progressed from there."

He added: "Our vision is to create a modern yet cosy pub serving comforting food made with high-quality ingredients, in a relaxed environment. It will very much remain an English pub, although our Italian roots

will naturally influence certain aspects of the menu and atmosphere. This won't be a fine dining venue.

We want it to feel accessible to everyone. Locals will absolutely be able to use it as a traditional pub for drinks, and we hope to host quizzes, live music and community events as it grows."

The pub will be renamed The Oak & Olive, creating a fresh, modern identity that distinguishes it from

other Royal Oaks in the area and blends English pub culture with Italian heritage.

"We decided to base our new logo on an old pub sign we found inside the building," he added.

"It had blown down during The Great Storm of 1987, just a few days after I first arrived from Italy and was my first crazy impression of England! We later discovered that the sign had actually been painted by a close friend of Deborah's father, David, which made the connection feel even more special and personal

to us.

"Finally, we want to thank everybody for the support we've already received from the local community.

The response has honestly meant a lot to us."

The building was originally built as two cottages around 1490; it later became a cheese house and subsequently a cider house, mainly serving workers from the local agricultural and brick-making industries.

The family owns two very successful restaurants: La Bella Vista in St Leonards and La Delizia in Hastings Old Town. They expect to open The Oak & Olive by the end of May. Aldo and Deborah will manage the business alongside Kat Cmokova, who previously worked as the restaurant manager at La Bella Vista. Kat will now take on the role of pub manager, with support from the management teams of

both La Bella Vista and La Delizia.

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Good Luck to all involved with this exciting and much welcomed new venture.

The Whatlington Community are right behind you.