Raise a glass to celebrate success of The Volunteer Inn

The owners of a popular Ottery St Mary pub are celebrating after scooping a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence award.

Mike and Jacqui Downs, of The Volunteer Inn, say they are surprised and delighted to have received the top industry recognition but have no intention of resting on their laurels as ‘there is plenty more to do’.

The couple have carried out major improvements since taking over the Broad Street business in 2012 and worked hard to create a welcoming, traditional pub that offers good quality, home cooked food.

Mike said: “We weren’t expecting this so it was a really nice surprise to find news of the award in our inbox.

“We know that a number of other hospitality businesses in the town have received the same award recently and it’s great to see that Ottery St Mary is upping its game and play our part in this.

“We’ve made significant improvements at the Volunteer and there’s still plenty more to do – so watch this space. In the meantime, it means a lot to us that our customers enjoy their visit so much that they make the effort to leave positive reviews on TripAdvisor.”

Jacqui manages the kitchen and devises menus that include regular specials, including a ‘Touch of Spice’ night every Thursday.

The Certificate of Excellence arises from reviews submitted on TripAdvisor over a 12-month period, taking into account quality, quantity and timing of reviews.

To qualify, a business must maintain an overall TripAdvisor bubble rating of at least four out of five, have a minimum number of reviews and must have been listed on TripAdvisor for at least one year.