Wentworth Brewery managing director, John Moorhouse explained: “A group of friends used to meet for a pint or two on a regular basis and we often discussed running our own brewery.”

Three years ago the pipe dream turned into reality when five of the regulars formed a consortium, and entered the brewing business. John Moorhouse withdrew £5,000 of his savings and bought some equipment from a local brewery that had recently closed down. The next stage was to find the right premises, and a disused powerhouse in the village of Wentworth proved ideal. Shareholder, Gary Sherrif was placed in charge of brewing, and the very first ale he brewed proved an instant winner. The Wentworth Pale Ale, or ‘Woppa’ as it has become affectionately known as, picked up a gold medal at the Sheffield Beer Festival. Since then, the brewery has gone on to win a further 16 medals for its growing range of beers.

Meanwhile, John Moorhouse started his sales drive, and the brewery now supplies a wide range of customers including the House of Commons and pub groups such as ‘Scottish and Newcastle’ and ‘Weatherspoons’.