The much-loved owners of a popular village pub famous for hog roasts and paella nights are selling up after 26 years.

Ray and Sandra Cottingham are handing over the keys of The Black Lion in Appledore so they can spend more time with family and retire to Romney Marsh.

The pair first bought the pub when it was a derelict building in desperate need of a revamp.

They spent time building it up from the ground and eventually turned it into a successful freehouse.

Despite their love for the business, after a quarter of a century, the couple feel it is time to move on and take life at a slower pace.

"I’m going to be 80 in a few years time and I’ve got great grandchildren I don’t get to see, my daughter is always on at me that I'm always working," said Mr Cottingham, 76.

"It’s definitely time to slow down and have more time with family.

"We have worked hard and some of our staff have been with us for 22 years and hopefully they can continue with the new owners.

"I will miss the banter with the customers because they become your friends.

"Twenty-six years is a long time, I had another pub prior to this for 15 years, and when I came here it was totally different.

"We had to start from scratch.

"The pub was boarded up and had been derelict for a little while, there were three other pubs in the village and we were the fourth so we had to work hard opening up.

"It took us quite a few years for us to gain the confidence of customers to come in and enjoy the food we were serving.

"In the end we were doing 800 to 1,000 meals a week at its peak."

Mr and Mrs Cottingham will pull their last pints on January 31.

After that, new owners will take over who Mr Cottingham says plan to carry out minor renovations before reopening.

It is understood no jobs will be lost in the handover.

He added: "We have had many good times but it’s now time to let go of the reins and hand them over to a younger person and let them forge a new chapter in Appledore.

"It will be good for them to put their own stamp on it and I wish them all the best."

The Black Lion became well known for its 'pig and paella nights' in which a hog roast and paella were cooked outside every bank holiday.