A landlord is set to retire after 25 years at the helm of a community pub.

Nigel Rainbow, the landlord of The Three Horseshoes in Henley, has announced his retirement alongside his wife, Julie, after a quarter of a century running the pub.

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Mr Rainbow said: "It's the kind of pub I'd like to live next door to.

"My mum could come in for a glass of wine with a friend, the older gents enjoy their pint and a chat and the 18+ crowd play darts or pool.

"There's great beer and tasty food of course, but it's really about the atmosphere: everyone feels welcomed and safe.

"It's the essence of what a great community pub should be."

Originally from Coventry, Mr Rainbow trained as a chef at Henley College before working in hotels in Germany.

He returned to the UK to work in bars and pubs, eventually becoming the manager at The Dog & Fox in Wimbledon and then in Laleham near Staines, where he met Julie.

The couple took over The Three Horseshoes in August 1999.

Mr Rainbow immediately set about creating a food offer from scratch, drawing on his culinary skills to produce freshly-made pub classics.

Today, food accounts for 30 per cent of the pub's sales and is managed by chef Tim Butler, who joined the business six years ago.

Mr Rainbow said: "Hiring Tim was one of my smartest moves.

"He does a great job with our mainstay of pub favourites, but he also innovates to refresh the menu regularly."

The remaining 70 per cent of revenue comes from drinks, with Birra Moretti and Brakspear Gravity firm favourites.

The pub is one of the stops on the Henley Ale Trail and on a busy weekend more than 100 'trailers' come in for a pint and a stamp on their collector card.

Mr Rainbow has also established relationships with groups, offering refreshments for the squash team and rowing teams from Yale and Harvard Universities and the US Air Force.

Mr Rainbow has also developed a relationship with the older regulars, delivering meals when they can't come to the pub, and phoning relatives if they don't stop by for a few days.

He said: "I love my job, and I think that's why I have so much energy for it – though I am looking forward to slowing down a bit in retirement."

The Three Horseshoes are currently looking for the next landlord to take over from Mr Rainbow, and ask those who are interested to get in contact with Gavin Mansfield at the Brakspear by emailing gavin@brakspear.co.uk.