THIS picturesque rural country pub has been at the heart of its beautiful Hampshire village for centuries.

The Dolphin Inn in Hursley is under new management and is fast becoming the go to place for home-cooked food, locally sourced drinks and live music.

Owner of three months Chris Schutrups told the Daily Echo: “The Dolphin in is a truly rural country pub which prides itself on providing a personal service from an awesome team.

“All our food is made using locally sourced produce, all home-made by our incredible team of chefs. We believe in quality, not ping and ding food.

“We are family friendly and dog friendly, we pride ourselves on being a food led venue where families can come to relax and enjoy.”

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The brand new menu, cooked up by head chef Stefan Nicholson and his team, boasts pub classics, steaks, pasta dishes and seafood, as well as a good choice of burgers and pizzas.

Daily Echo:

Led by general manager Ben Robbins and assistant manager Katie Matley-Jones, the team also serve up a wide selection of gin, vodka and other spirits, including some really cool small batch products made locally from the likes of Mermaid Gin from the Isle of Wight and Quirky Rum, made in Southampton. There’s a good selection of beers, ales and lagers with guests ales on tap regularly from local brewers. The impressive wine list is compiled by wine specialists at Elegant Wines in Romsey.

The pub’s glorious garden regularly welcomes large groups from local employers such as IBM. There’s a play area for young guests while their parents enjoy a drink or a bite to eat.

Daily Echo:

The monthly quiz is popular and The Dolphin hosts live music every second Friday.

Celebrated local swing singer Martin Murphy went down a storm recently.

Chris added: “Live music from Martin Murphy was a huge success and we had over 100 people singing along until the end.

“It showed the power of a community pub and how it can bring everyone together.

“We are proud to be a pub who take pride in serving the community.”

"We genuinely do love our customers and want them to be exceptionally happy when they leave our venue.

"We're known for being a truly traditional British pub in an amazingly beautiful English village. We’re now starting to be know for really good quality food too, which we are very proud of."

  • The Dolphin is our pub of the week. If you'd like us to feature your Hampshire watering hole, click on the link below, visit dailyecho.co.uk/pub-of-the-week or email lorelei.reddin@dailyecho.co.uk

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