New owner was looking for free of tie lease with plenty of scope and found it at The Rest and Welcome
Trading as a traditional style country inn and destination public house, The Rest and Welcome Inn at Melbury Osmond, Nr Dorchester in Dorset has been sold by licensed property specialists Stonesmith of Exeter.
The new owner is experienced licensee Dave Braddock, who also runs the Royal Oak on the Wimborne Road in Bournemouth. Dave was looking for a free of tie lease that offered him scope to develop the trade and to create a business that offered a good selection of real ales and quality food.
Russell and Emma Craven presently run the pub for Dave and Emma being experienced in catering has introduced a totally new menu. Emma describes the food as being good quality home cooked traditional English fare with a choice of main meals, a pie of the week, snacks, a butty menu, pit-stop quick meals, finger nibbles and on Sundays a traditional roast. Sunday has now been so successful bookings are required. Meat is delivered fresh and daily from a local farm, which has its own butchers and veg is again fresh from local suppliers.
Having lost a lot of the pubs sports teams Dave is keen to re-establish them. One of his priorities is to refurbish the skittle alley and to make more use of it for private functions and as an extension to the pub when it is busy. He hopes to have skittles and darts teams playing regularly in the new September leagues. Being also family friendly he is keeping the children’s play area and maintaining the well kept gardens.
Dave has a passion for good quality real ales and is looking to establish a real ale festival. At present, along with Emma and Russell, he is focusing on expanding all aspects of the trade but especially the catering. So far the response from regulars has been extremely good and the business is attracting new custom from word of mouth recommendation.
The Rest and Welcome is on the outskirts of the pretty Dorset village of Melbury Osmond, on a popular tourist route between Yeovil and Dorchester and to Bournemouth and Weymouth. The village being the setting for Thomas Hardy’s “Little Hintock” in the novel “The Woodlanders”
The property dates back to 1700’s and was originally three small cottages. It was converted into an inn in the 1860’s and vastly improved over the past 5 years, though much of the character and many original features have been retained. The accommodation now provides a lounge and top bar with 44 covers, catering kitchen and 3 bedroomed owner’s accommodation. Externally there is a purpose equipped skittle alley/function room, enclosed children’s play area, trade patio with 24 covers, private garden, a range of outbuilding and garaging and a patron’s car park with 25 spaces.
