It’s the watering hole with some special surprises in store.

Those behind the bar at The Jolly Farmer pub in Warsash are continuously looking at ways to keep customers coming back for more.

So this winter, they decided to convert their outdoor space into a winter gin lounge featuring a selection of hand-brewed gins ranging from London Blue to Bombay Sapphire.

Owners Sarah and Frank Cooper, who took over the reins three years ago with managers Adam Buckner and Jim O’Grady, say the new addition has been popular among guests alike.

“It’s like an old traditional country pub,” Sarah added, who previously ran a hairdressing business.

“We have got a big following of locals and are a big friendly community.”

One of the longest-standing pubs in the area, it was originally a farmhouse in the early 1900s surrounded by strawberry fields but was soon converted to a pub.

The pub attracts families but also has its fair share of regulars, some of whom have been coming for more than 40 years.

Also among their offering, the pub serves a selection of classic pub food including fish and chips and steak and ale pie that has been prepared by the same chefs for more than 30 years.

Manager Adam said: “Our food has always been top quality because its all home cooked to order and comes from locally sourced produce.”

The team gave the bar and restaurant an overhaul in 2015 which includes a unique bottle bar display with a selection of classic wines and spirits as well as locally brewed cask ales including HSB, brewed by Fullers.

The team have also improved the garden area with picnic tables, a bouncy castle and an outdoor BBQ area during the summer.

Adam said: “We get a lot of visitors during the summer season especially families who bring their kids after school so we end up serving food all day.”

When they bought the pub, Sarah and her husband had no experience in the pub industry but had been customers of The Jolly Farmer themselves for 10 years.

Sarah added: “It was something that I’d always wanted to do. So when the old owners retired it was just a conversation that Jim and I had and it just really went from there.”

The pub is open between 11am and 11pm Sunday to Thursday and 11am until midnight at weekends.