PUB landlords and chefs are growing their own fruit and veg and rearing chickens and pigs to meet demand for better quality ingredients in the food they serve, a pub guide editor said.

Some 70 British pubs have been added to the Michelin Eating Out In Pubs Guide, which recommends more than 590 pubs across the country based on the quality of their food.

It says that demand for locally sourced produce is driving some chefs to become producers as well.

The guide's editor, Rebecca Burr, said: "Pubs are a quintessential part of British life and the standard of food being served in them continues to reach new heights. The value of the local pub cannot be underestimated, particularly in rural areas. From the local darts team to the village cricket 11, from quiz nights to wine tastings, pubs provide more than just a meeting point - they are often the hub of the community.

"Chefs and pub owners are not only embracing this idea but some are taking it a stage further by growing their own fruit, vegetables and herbs, and by keeping chickens and rearing pigs."

The Pub of the Year in the 2015 guide, released today, is the The Wild Rabbit, a "chocolate box pub" in the affluent Cotswolds village of Kingham, Oxfordshire.