ONCE they were customers. Now Tracy and Richard Butler run the Red Lion in Knapton, near York.

The pub is that increasing rarity - a local for locals by locals. But the wider world always receives a warm welcome at this village favourite, and from tomorrow, can tuck into some classic home-made pub grub too.

Since moving into Knapton seven years ago, Tracy and Richard became regulars at the Red Lion. They would even lend long-standing landlord John Henderson a hand when it was needed.

John died, the pub changed hands and Tracy and Richard got on with their sales jobs for different companies. But the work took them away from their young family - son William is now nine, and daughter Ellie is two - and an ambition to run their local began to form.

In August 2003, that dream came true. "We decided to go for a complete change of direction," said Tracy.

"It was fate in a way. I was made redundant, Richard was made redundant, and we didn't foresee any of that.

"We looked at each other and thought, what do we do now?"

The answer lay behind the bar at the pub, which dates from 1823. "We came on board through watching it become neglected," she said.

The couple have turned it round, redecorating the outside so the Red Lion looks, according to one villager, the best it's done in his 40 years in Knapton. A patio beer garden has been added too.

Around 26 teams take part in the Sunday quiz, and the pop quiz on Thursdays is also popular. The pub's golf society has more than 30 members.

"We have brought it back to life," Tracy said. "A lot of customers had stopped coming in. Everybody's back now."

An Enterprise Inn, the pub sells John Smith's and Tetley's bitter. And from tomorrow, food as well.

Tracy will be cooking up the first of regular Sunday roasts in her new kitchen between noon and 3pm, with home-made Yorkshire puds and fresh veg, at £6.95 a go.

And on Monday, the lunchtime menu is launched. The emphasis is on home-made dishes: corned beef hash with Tracy's own brown sauce; sandwiches with turkey and ham cooked on the premises; soup and freshly-baked bread; quiche and more.

It must make them want to become customers again.

AT long last, a beer for intolerant people.

All those unfortunate people who have an aversion to certain foodstuffs can now glug back GFB from Hambleton Ales in Thirsk - Britain's first gluten-free beer.

Gluten is a substance found in wheat, barley and rye which can cause damage to the process of absorbing nutrients and vitamins in the body.

Hambleton boss Nick Stafford decided gluten-intolerant beer-lovers were getting a raw deal and decided to sponsor innovative brewing processes to create a drink just for them.

A tawny beer with aromas of cascade, liberty and challenger hops and specially prepared dark sugars, GFB comes in at 4.2 per cent and is available in 500ml bottles.

The Maltings, on Tanners Moat, York, has recently taken delivery of the beer and is selling it for a hefty £3.95. A spokeswoman for Hambleton Ales brewery explained the beer was pricier than normal because of the research costs and the expense of the special ingredients.

Has Maltings landlord Shaun Collinge tasted GFB? "I can't afford to open a bottle," he said.

He may crack one open for a really special occasion: such as his beloved Leeds United winning a game...

Updated: 08:38 Saturday, March 19, 2005