Meet Craig and Barbara
We may soon be raising a glass at the White Horse with the new tenant Craig and his business partner Barbara. At the time of writing they’ve been working hard alongside the pub committee towards the successful conclusion of the tenancy agreement and, subject to completion, are looking forward to fully reopening the pub as soon as possible.
We spoke to the busy pair earlier in May and their enthusiasm is clearly evident. “Thank you for choosing us!’ they said. “We’re thrilled to be coming to the White Horse and to Stonesfield. We’ve been working together for many years since first meeting at the Boat Inn in Thrupp, and we have a very similar mindset on what we believe a great pub should be.”
“Our attraction to running a community pub is exactly that – the community. You are the heartbeat of the White Horse and our mission is to provide reasonably priced great food, local ales and a warm and friendly welcome - whether it’s for a bite to eat, a pint with friends, a coffee and cake, or just to pop in for a chat. Our doors are open to all.”
“We want to create a proper pub that’s accessible to everyone, something there seems to be very few of these days!”
Both have a long history in the hospitality industry. “Catering is in my blood,” said Barbara. “My late father was an RAF Chef and later head of department at what’s now the City of Oxford College. I’ve been working as a chef in Oxfordshire area, most recently at the Black Prince in Woodstock, where Craig and myself took it from strength to strength to be number one on review sites for several years.”
Craig is equally experienced. “I’ve been working in hospitality for 26 years. I’ve always had a passion for this industry since a very young age, and started my career at a Spanish restaurant in my home town of Burton-on-Trent, moving to Oxfordshire in the early 2000s to continue my journey to learn about all aspects of the industry.”
The pair are keen to emphasise that the pub will be available for a wide range of meetings and events. “We’re looking forward to welcoming all groups to the pub including local cycling and walking clubs, work get-togethers, family parties and all kinds of community groups. Come and talk to us about any specific catering you would like, or feel free to just pop in for a chat! We want to support the Stonesfield community in any way we can, and I’m sure that by supporting each other we can create something special.
We wish Craig and Barbara our very best for this next chapter of the pub’s history. It’s still a very tough economic environment for running any kind of successful pub, and work on safeguarding the White Horse for the future continues. The committee are still very much committed to a long-term timetable of repair, improvement and investment, and we’ll be in touch soon about future plans and funding.
Thanks again to you all for your continuing support, and we pay tribute to all the efforts of our wonderful pub volunteers who’ve once again gone the extra mile in preparing the building and grounds for reopening.