THE owners of a pub in Herriard are celebrating after launching a new bespoke event service. 

Peter and Fran Whitehead have owned the Fur and Feathers, an independent pub in Herriard, since 2010. However, due to rising utility bills and costs, they were forced to close the pub on January 29. 

The couple applied to Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council to turn the pub into a house in October 2022 following a loss of trade when public transport links from Basingstoke to Herriard were stopped. 

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However, with a good deal of imagination and determination, Peter and Fran have since redesigned the old pub and launched a new service to cater for events, allowing them to continue working in the industry they love.

The couple hopes the new service will be enough to keep the business afloat while times are tough, with the aim of reopening the pub again in the future. 

When the pub closed, Peter and Fran travelled to India and Vietnam, using the experience for inspiration to offer a more diverse range of dishes at the pub. 

When the couple returned they decided to launch a new bespoke catering service, which can be held either at the Fur and Feathers pub or in customers' homes.

The garden now has a permanent marquee and has been planted with mature shrubs and roses, with a bar and two dining rooms which can be configured especially for individual events.

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The planning of every event starts with an informal meeting to discuss dates, times, a theme,
favourite foods, drinks, dietary requirements, numbers and the budget. Peter and Fran are in the process of planning upcoming events around the Christmas calendar.

Peter said: "These events are a great opportunity to have something curated and made specifically for you. We've been back since June and have been holding one or two events a month since.

"We're just trying to grow the business. We have a long way to go before we are breaking even, but the aim is to keep ourselves going in the hope that the utility bills to run the pub will come back down to some level of normality and hopefully, we could consider reopening the pub."