THE old Pizza Express is to reopen as a pub in Ludlow tomorrow (Friday), and pizza will be on the menu.

Oakman Inns will be reopening the venue under its original name, The George Inn, after an extensive refurbishment programme.

The pub will be opening its doors at 10am with a fresh Mediterranean-style menu boasting brunch dishes, wood-fired pizza, traditional home comforts and Sunday roasts alongside hot drinks, local ales, chilled draught lagers, cocktails and an extensive wine list.

The George has much the same footprint as before in the bar area, with seating and dining space for 60, but has extended behind the old M&M store, creating room for a 120- seat restaurant leading to a terrace with a retractable roof and seating.

For the first two weeks, the bar and restaurant will be open from 9.30am to 11pm, with lunch being served from noon to 3pm, and dinner 6pm to 9.30pm respectively.

Then, from September 4, the pub will be open from 8am for breakfast.

“I’ve lived and worked in the area for the last few years, and I feel so lucky to be opening The George in the heart of historic Ludlow,” said Anna Mahey, general manager.

“The town is very special, and it will be a lot of fun, judging by all the goodwill messages we’ve received. We have recruited an outstanding team of people, most of whom live within the town, which is great.”

A small part of a forgotten history has led to a new paint colour that Oakman Inns have chosen for the front of the pub, after a carpenter found a fragment of painted wood under a 19th century fascia board.

When he showed it to the Oakman Inns’ team, they immediately asked for it to be The George’s new house colour.

“Everything we do with our many listed properties is about maintaining our links with the past, while adding our traditional values and aspirations to their future,” said Peter Borg-Neal, chief executive officer at Oakman Inns.

“That small piece of wood has created a lovely link to The George’s history and its colour now adorns the front of our beautifully restored pub and is repeated across the new interior."