On the hunt for a pint with Blunt

Superstar singer James Blunt has made a real go of his posh London pub and MILO BOYD manages to grab a table to see what all the fuss is about

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Say what you like about his music, but you can't argue with James Blunt. He's become the target of a mountain of putdown tweets and snide comments over the years - but his replies are never short of beautiful.

"What has James Blunt achieved?" one troll sneered at him online.

"They named a ski ride after me in Verbier and turned a phone box into a museum for me in Herefordshire. Your turn," he quipped back.

Since worming into the ears of every British person alive with 2005's smash You're Beautiful, the self-acclaimed "one hit wonder" merchant has done a roaring trade in poking fun at himself. And also, I discovered, in the pub business.

Brit award-winner Mr Blunt, 51, is one of a host of big names who have branched out from their craft to get into the pub game.

From the outside, getting involved with pubs is not an obvious move. In fact, it is a terrible time to be a publican.

The British Beer and Pub Association estimates that there were 378 closures in 2025, potentially impacting 5,600 jobs.

Thankfully, Rachel Reeves U-turned on cutting business rate relief for boozers, which has been welcomed by publicans, but the extent of the tax break remains uncertain, as does the future of a trade hit from all sides.

But while I am not privy to the finances of The Fox and Pheasant, I am confident it's doing just fine.