THE award-winning Northcote Manor has taken over The Three Fishes at Mitton and is planning a £500,000 redevelopment to restore it to its former glory.

Owners of the Langho eatery, Craig Bancroft and Nigel Haworth, have taken out a 25-year lease on the historic Ribble Valley pub and want to make it the first in a new chain of country inns.

A new subsidiary company, Ribble Valley Inns, will operate The Three Fishes.

And bosses say they are aiming to make the pub synonymous with the Northcote for good food.

The Three Fishes is Northcote Manor's first venture into the pub market, and Craig said the extensive makeover would be starting this month with a grand re-opening scheduled for September.

He said: "A project of this magnitude requires serious consideration and investment -- we want The Three Fishes to be a compliment to the Northcote brand in every way.

"The Three Fishes has been in a dormant state for a number of years and this new chapter will start with over half-a-million pound investment that will re- establish The Three Fishes as a sought-after destination in The Ribble Valley."

Celebrity chef Nigel said he would be developing the menu, but would be appointing a head chef to run the day-to-day operations, which would leave him spearheading the kitchens at Northcote Manor.

He said: "The pub will be largely a traditional pub which welcomes guests into the public bar with roaring log fires and the finest cask ales, organic cider and traditional favourites from the past. The food, of course, will be a major feature."