A Clerkenwell pub is set to reopen as a fine dining restaurant selling pigs’ ear crisps, snail skewers and grilled duck hearts.

The Coach and Horses, in Ray Street, has been closed since 2015.

But Shane Styles, under his company Farringdon Pub Limited, has got his hands on the boozer for “high-end dining”.

An application to Islington Council reads: “Having been a drinking destination since 1790, this is a site steeped in history. The new team looks forward to celebrating this heritage in the bar, restaurant and garden dining room.

“Toast its new incarnation over duck confit, choucroute and quality sausage rolls.”

But first, it must get a licence from the council for opening hours up to 11.30pm on weekdays and 12.30am on weekends. Eighteen neighbours have objected, worried about disruption caused by alcohol (and snail kebabs).

The application will be heard at a licensing sub committee meeting at the town hall on Monday next week.