Richard & Caroline Binks, The White Horse at Tilbrook
Richard and Caroline Binks are achieving a series of ‘firsts’ at The White Horse, Tilbrook – their first pub and their first taste of country life.
Richard and Caroline Binks are achieving a series of ‘firsts’ at The White Horse, Tilbrook – their first pub and their first taste of country life.
And they have taken to it like ducks to water. They are really making their mark by asking their customers what they want. “Caroline and I have spent our working lives in retail so we look at the pub trade from the point of view of our unique selling points, making sure people can see them, and of course, the customer is really important to us,” said Richard. “We haven’t been here a year yet, and I am very proud of what we have achieved.”
The pub is based on four key elements, he said: “Good food, good beer, a great wine list and great gardens.” The gardens include one large area with tables and benches and a children’s play area, and another large area which includes the pub’s own ‘zoo’, whose residents include four goats, chickens, ducks and a goose! “The gardens and the animal collection area take a lot of work to get ready for the summer,” he said. “The ground is very soggy and we do all the work ourselves, with help from my mother who has green fingers.” The work includes trying to repair the damage done by some unwanted animals – moles!
“When we took the pub on we chose to keep the animals,” said Richard. “We can see what a big attraction they are for families, and living in the country was new to us and we fancied keeping some animals anyway.” The chickens have the run of the gardens and ‘welcome’ visitors on arrival – as they look to be fed!
“It’s great for parents and grandparents to bring children here and the local schools bring children along as well. We came in September and missed the summer, but we will certainly be aiming to maximise the gardens to the full this year.”
Richard and Caroline are developing the food side of the business. “We offer traditional pub fayre and source all we can from local suppliers to support local business.”
How do they view the prospects for the year? “We might be better off than some, because we don’t have last year’s figures to compare to this year, but all I can say is that we are pretty optimistic about the market we have. “We had a good Christmas and New Year and January, which is supposed to be a quiet time, wasn’t quiet at all. In fact on the weekend of January 24/25 we had our best day. “We believe we are doing something right and if we continue to do things well, people will still keep coming to us.”
They’ve added music into the mix too. They’ve held a performance from a Meatloaf tribute group and on the late May bank holiday weekend, held a hugely successful beer festival with music. They had 12 real ales available and music from local and national artistes – not bad for newcomers to the trade!
