Elaine MaslinA rural Norfolk village pub which has been sat shut for nearly a year has re-opened - as a Mexican themed pub and restaurant.Elaine Maslin

A rural Norfolk village pub which has been sat shut for nearly a year has re-opened - as a Mexican themed pub and restaurant.

The Mustard Pot, a freehold pub in Whinburgh, near Dereham, has struggled under a number of owners over the past decade.

It has shut for lengths of time and was subject to an attempt to have in turned into housing in 2004, which resulted in a village campaign to keep it open.

But now, after an investment of about �200,000 buying and refurbishing the venue, local land lord Phil Tye has reopened its doors with a splash of Mexico after buying the pub three months ago.

'A lot of people did think I was trying to turn it in to housing, but those who have been in to see it have been very happy,' he said, adding they were fully booked on Saturday night.

'It is a Mexican but it is also still a village pub; that's what I'm here for,' he said.

'It has struggled for a lot of years, but you have to offer something different.'

The Mustard Pot first opened in 1979 after being converted from three houses and enjoyed a heyday in the 1980s.

A number of attempts to turn it into housing ended when it was re-opened in 2004 after an 18 month closure. The latest closure has seen it shut since April last year.

As part of the refurbishment, Mr Tye has lowered the floor and raised the ceiling - adding a little more head room in the notoriously low ceilinged pub.