THE new owner of a Hampshire country pub is looking forward to revitalising it by bringing back food, live music and renovating the garden. 

Mike Pullinger took on Samuel's Rest, in Shedfield, at the start of July. 

He has been the landlord of the Barleycorn in Bishop's Waltham since July 2020 and is looking forward to the challenge of getting people back through the doors of Samuel's Rest.

Mike, 60, explained his background and how he came to take on his new pub. He said: “I worked on the railways for 34 years and I just saw a pub in Portsmouth called the Pelham Arms and it was up for lease and I just fell in love with it and decided to take it on, so 2016 was when I started owning pubs. 

Samuel's Rest (Image: Newsquest)

“We've had the Barleycorn now for four years and this pub was one of my locals. The Black Dog, the Black Horse and here were the three pubs that were closest to home, so we used to do a circuit every Friday and Saturday night. This was just my local pub and it came up for rent about three years ago, but the people decided not to move. Then it came up again about four months ago and the business development manager phoned me and asked if I would still be interested.”

The Bishop's Waltham resident added: “The pub has had its problems. It had been shutting at 6pm and they stopped doing food and all the things that make a pub great stopped happening. So we want people to know that it's under new management.

“It is picking up now, more people are coming. We're now doing food, we have a chef called Stuart Colborne and we have his brother Simon Colborne at the Barleycorn. They are two local chefs who have worked in all the pubs around here over the years.

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“People are happy that someone has taken the pub over who wants to make the pub better and expand it. This pub has never had TVs in it, it has never been a youngsters' pub. Now, we have put a new pool table in and the darts back on.”

Mike said everyone is welcome at Samuel's Rest.

Samuel's Rest (Image: Newsquest)

“I'm going to put Sky Sports and TNT Sports in. People are happy that someone has come into their local and is trying to improve it instead of leaving it as an empty shell. 

“I have had a chat with the brewery and they are prepared to back us with a big play area at the bottom of the garden which will be good for families. We're going to be putting some live music bands in here as well. 

“Food is going to be good quality, medium priced pub grub. We have real ales and we just got our cask mark. I like a challenge and hopefully we can bring some more people from the local area. Everyone's welcome,” he said.

For more details about the pub and its upcoming events, visit facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559568497207.