Anyone who's visited charming Edith Weston pub The Wheatsheaf over the past 23 years will have no doubt been greeted by the friendly face of business owner John Holland.

Experienced publican John, 49, has been at the helm of the Rutland food-led venue since 2003 and has "loved every minute of it", he says. Now though, John feels the time is right to begin the next chapter of his life and so will be waving farewell to the village venue, and his career running pubs, at the end of this summer.

Talking about his decision to retire from the trade, he says: “It’s been a labour of love. I’m not leaving because I’m unhappy or things are going wrong, it’s just time for the next chapter of my life.

“I’ll be sad to leave but at the same time, excited for what’s ahead.”

John has been working in the pub industry since he was a teenager, beginning 34 years ago at The Red Cow in Leicester Forest East, which at the time was owned by Everards. Taking on roles in the kitchen and front of house, he went on to work at other Everards pubs including The Forge Inn at Glenfield and The Bulls Head at Leicester Forest West.

“At 19, I went to work for Wolverhampton and Dudley Breweries at The Bradgate at Cropston as an assistant manager and then shortly after that, managed two pubs in Leicester for that brewery,” says John, who then had a brief spell at The Cherry Tree in Market Harborough, before deciding that he was ready to take on a pub of his own.

As far as John was concerned, there was only one pub company he wanted to go into partnership with – and that was Everards.

“I’d always been in and around Everards pubs. I knew the company and liked the fact it was family-run, and I knew tenants who were really happy running pubs for them, so I didn’t think about going anywhere else.”

John and his then-partner applied to Everards in 2002, and around seven months later, they were invited to look around The Wheatsheaf – which is situated a few minutes from Rutland Water.

“The brief was we wanted a country pub with dining and this fitted the brief. At the time, although it was in a beautiful location, it was an underperforming pub, but we were looking to take on a challenge, and the support from Everards was there.”

John soon got to work on improving the pub, making cosmetic changes as well as creating a new patio area at the front and introducing new menus to delight diners.

Thanks to the hard work of John and his team – who he describes as “a very loyal, hardworking bunch” - The Wheatsheaf has become a popular spot with both locals and visitors alike.

“We have a lot of regulars but with all the events going on in the area, there’s always a throughput of different faces. Also we have what I call ‘irregular regulars’ who might only come to Rutland twice a year, but when they do, they always come here – and that’s nice.”

Talking about the kind of opportunity the pub presents to prospective new owners, John says: “There’s a mass of opportunity. Rutland’s evolving all the time and this pub’s right on the edge of Rutland Water, which is the jewel in the crown.”

On the subject of what he’ll be doing next, he says: “I haven’t got any plans. Life’s been very structured for me for a long time and I just want a period of chilling out.

“I’ve had all kinds of chapters here, including Covid and a fire 10 years ago. There’s been challenges through that 23 year career, but we’ve overcome those and come out the other side really well. Now it’s time to go off and enjoy the fruits of my labour.

“One thing I will say is ‘never say never’. I want to go and enjoy a bit of time with my partner Shaun, but I’m still young enough to come back to the industry and do it again. I’m not saying that’s my intention, but I’d never rule it out.”

“It’s been a fabulous career and to anyone who’s serious about wanting to be a publican, the right opportunities are around, so go for it!”

Interested in running this pub? Give us a call 0116 201 4260 or get in touch here.