One month shy of the 250th anniversary of Lord Nelson's birth, a pub near Dereham named after him has reopened with a new bistro named after his famous mistress, Lady Emma Hamilton.

One month shy of the 250th anniversary of Lord Nelson's birth, a pub near Dereham named after him has reopened with a new bistro named after his famous mistress, Lady Emma Hamilton.

Hamilton's Bistro at the Lord Nelson in Clint Green at Yaxham, near Dereham, was launched on Friday night by the pub's new owners Bryan and Louise Aslett with their son Dominic, a French trained chef to rosette standard.

The pub, originally the Lord Nelson, had been known as the Old Crow in the 1990s, but was returned to its original name before Mr and Mrs Aslett took over.

“It is amazing the small number of people who do not realise the significance of the name,” said Mr Aslett, who said he was looking into what they could do to celebrate the great naval hero's anniversary on September 29.

“People didn't like it when they changed the name before from Lord Nelson and called it the crow but we wanted to give the bistro a different name.”

They have refurbished the pub and have planning permission for a 32 seat restaurant extension but wanted to open the bistro first.

On the menu is everything from pea and rosemary soup, tapas, ribeye steak and wild mushroom and mascarpone risotto, all made on the premises.

The pair had previously worked at pubs in Kent before moving to Norfolk.