A group of students at the Royal Agricultural University (RAU) are celebrating after a beer they came up with as a business project has been selected for sale by Waitrose.

'Muddy Wellies ale' is now on the shelves in three branches of the supermarket’s shops in Gloucestershire.

The store said it was attracted by both the taste and the fact that the drink is a Social Enterprise - meaning 10p from every bottle sold is returned to help launch RAU students’ new business ideas.

Muddy Wellies’ story began in 2006 after students in the Entrepreneurs Society created a craft ale with a local brewer which was sold in the university’s campus bar in Cirencester. Now brewed by Friday Beer Company it has been available in a range of small outlets across the region in a deal with the local distributor Craft Drinks Co, before catching the eye of buyers at Waitrose.

Katy Duke, Head of Enterprise at the RAU said: “It’s been a big journey for Muddy Wellies, with each group of new students taking it a little further along. Seeing the beer taking pride of place in Waitrose a decade after students came up with the idea makes us all proud and excited about where this might go now."