WE’VE all thought at one point or another what it would be like to run our local.

But for David Hicks, landlord and head chef at The Bell in Winchester, it is a reality.

David’s early home was just metres away from the St Cross pub before his family moved to Hursley.

But two years ago he returned two take over the reins, focusing on offering home cooked food made with local ingredients.

David, 32, said: “Food is the saving grace of the modern pub. You can’t run one without offering it now and luckily Greene King is very good at supporting me here.

“We try to make it a welcoming atmosphere and we are family and dog-friendly, plus we have a lovely beer garden that is packed in the summer.

“It’s certainly a challenge to run the place but if it wasn’t it would be boring.”

David is the definition of ‘local boy done good’ – he attended St Faith’s and John Keble primaries, Kings’ Secondary School and Peter Symonds College before running The Chestnut Horse in Easton and The Plough at Longparish.

He said he’s settled into life well back in St Cross and is enjoying the job, particularly because of the regulars.

David said: “We get a friendly crowd here with a mix of age groups. We have a cracking relationship with the nearby Hospital of St Cross and we do weddings and funerals for them, and we get good trade from the cricket matches too.”

The pub and beer garden is currently being refurbished while David will also host his first beer festival in August.

It is open from 12noon all week, and hosts regular events including monthly pub quizzes and live music nights.