YOU’RE only as good as the people around you.

That was the message from one Winchester publican who thanked his strong team as well as his local community for the success of his business.

General manager of The Bridge in Shawford, John Molley, moved to the pub four years ago with his wife and two daughters, needing a change from his work aboard the QEII.

“I got to an age where I needed a new challenge,” he said. “We decided to come here and this pub was at the bottom of the pile. I believe we’ve turned a corner, with the team I’ve had. I’m only as good as the people I’ve got around me.”

One of 450 Chef and Brewer Pubs, owned by the Spirit Pub Company, Mr Molley said the pub needed a lot of TLC to get it to a standard he was happy with.

It was refurbished last year and now is segregated into different areas to make full use of the space, allowing for 129 bums on seats at one time.

“It has to tick all the boxes for me. When I drove here and looked at it, I got a warm wow feeling and thought it looked sublime. The great thing about being out here is you can walk miles in any direction and be anywhere.

"It’s an absolutely beautiful place and what gives me pride over Shawford is most people here take pride in what they have. It’s not just my work. I’ve had help from some amazing people to make it what it is.

"It’s been a beautiful tenure I’ve had and the different characters I’ve had working for me – the majority of whom are still with me – have been great fun.”

Mr Molley said business soon picked up when he started investing in a product that wasn’t quite in line with the expected purchases of peanuts and lemons.

“We’d noticed quite a lot of the locals walking passed with their dogs so I thought I’d started getting dog treats on the bar,” he said. “I’m now buying about three to four bags a month! You get to know the faces whey they are being dragged in by their dogs!”

As well as catering for weddings and large buffets, the pub also has attachments to local charities and caters raffle prizes.

The next big event on the calendar is the annual duck day on June 28.

“Last year we had a bouncy castle and face-painting and on one of our busiest days of the week, but we’re really looking forward to it,” Mr Molley added.

The pub has one full menu as well as a smaller one, and a range of upcoming foodie events celebrating local produce.

The small menu has starters and puddings for £3, and mains from £4.99 to £7.49, jacket potatoes for £4.79-£5.49. Two courses cost £12, or three for £14.

The larger menu has starters ranging from £3.79-£6.99, sharing platters from £8.99 and mains from £8.49-£20.99. Puddings cost £3.79-£6.49.

Local ales are on offer, but the cheapest pint is Doombar at £3.48.

The house wine costs £9.99 a bottle, £5.39 a glass, it’s most expensive is a Chablis at £25.49 a bottle or £5.89 a glass. Softs are charged from £1.90, and a pint of coke or lemonade costs £2.80.