Jason Schinkel has been in the hospitality industry for more than 20 years, starting in his native South Africa, which he pays homage to in the pub’s menu, featuring South African Beef Bobotie and South African Beef Curry.

After moving to the United Kingdom in 2000, Jason first ran The Cricketer’s Arms in Chandler’s Ford near Southampton for ten years, before moving to the countryside.

Jason said: “Country pubs are more rustic, people come in with their dogs. People are coming in to eat more, I would say.

"It’s more of a dining experience. So you get sort of dog walkers, families, holidaymakers, tourists, that sort of thing, so different to a city pub.”

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Since moving to Downton 12 years ago, he has ran The Bat & Ball in Breamore, the Radnor Arms, and The Horse & Groom in Woodgreen, which was his first pub to own. He has since left the other pubs he was renting and thrown all of his efforts into his own pub.

When Jason bought the pub, a total refurbishment, change of layout and décor was undertaken, giving the pub a cosy, rustic atmosphere.

Salisbury Journal: The Horse & Groom in Woodgreen. (Photo by Joshua Truksa)The Horse & Groom in Woodgreen. (Photo by Joshua Truksa) (Image: Joshua Truksa)

Jason said: “You can walk into a pub and straight away, as you walk through the door have a feeling whether it’s welcoming, friendly or whether there’s a bit of tension or you don’t feel that welcome or you get a bunch of locals sitting around who stare at you.

"I think you get that feeling straight away. Whether it’s comfortable and welcoming or not so much.”

Woodgreen is a very small village of a few hundred residents. It started life as an encroachment settlement of houses illegally built on the edge of the New Forest during the 17th Century, and The Horse & Groom has played an important part in village life for generations.

Jason said: “A pub in a little village is definitely the hub of the village. People when they buy houses in villages they look for the pub, they look at whether there’s a shop and a post office, perhaps a church.

"Those are the important things, really, and having a decent pub would definitely be an attraction to people wanting to move to that village, and it adds some value to the houses, as well.”