One of the things I love most about Monmouthshire is the fantastic pubs, restaurants and cafés. These brilliant local businesses all play a key role in our communities and make Monmouthshire the food capital of Wales!

That’s why I was so pleased to recently attend the reopening of The Star On The Hill in Llanfihangel Tor y Mynydd. This used to be my local when I first moved to Monmouthshire 25 years ago, so it was extra special to be there on opening night and see it brought back to life by the local community.

Everyone worked so hard to make it happen – llongyfarchiadau to the new landlords. They should be so proud, and I can’t wait for my next visit!

I raised The Star’s reopening in Parliament, where I praised the importance of supporting local hospitality in Monmouthshire so that it can thrive.

I highlighted how we’ve seen several exciting new hospitality businesses opening their doors recently, including Fuzion in Abergavenny and Rustica in Monmouth.

In total, there are more than 450 hospitality businesses across Monmouthshire, employing over 2,800 people – from the Black Bear Inn and the Boat Inn, to my new local, The Halfway.

The Halfway, run by Rhi and Jason, has not only opened a fantastic pub, but they’ve also set up a shop so people don’t have to drive to the nearest town.

And of course we are home to the wonderful Abergavenny Food Festival - "the Glastonbury of food festivals!" - which takes place Sept 20th - 21st - and is well worth a visit. It’s a wonderful showcase for all the brilliant food and drink that Monmouthshire has to offer.

I’m glad to see that the Welsh Labour Government continues to support hospitality businesses, providing a 40% discount on business rates for retail, leisure, and hospitality for the sixth year in a row.

This is the kind of support they need to survive and grow, and I’ll continue pushing the Government to ensure it does the right thing: by engaging with the sector on the challenges it’s facing, and providing the help it needs.

Finally, I recently held an in-person surgery in Caldicot. Thank you to everyone who joined me. I’ll be holding my next in-person surgery in Abergavenny on Friday, 4th October – if you’d like an appointment, please don’t hesitate to call my office on 01291 200 139.