Loders Arms has reopened under new management

The Loders Arms is now being run by husband-and-wife duo, Matt and Harriet Hallet, who are following their dreams of running their own pub together.

Matt said: “When we opened on the Friday night, we essentially had the whole village turn up to come see it.

“I suppose it’s only normal as we’ve been here a couple of months without opening – the expectations for everything just grew so much that everyone was desperate to see what it looked like.

“The general consensus was that everyone seemed to quite like it - we just wanted to make a clean, welcoming, and friendly space.”

Harriet added: “This is our lifestyle now and we are putting everything into it.”

The pair are initially from Cornwall, but have lived in East Devon in recent years, before moving to Dorset around a year ago when Harriet was working as the general manager at Lilac Wine Bar in Lyme Regis.

Matt explained that the plan is for Harriet to run the front of house, whilst his skills in the kitchen will see him preparing food and popping out to help Harriet when needed.

“We wanted to do something for ourselves and when we initially got in touch with Palmers, they asked us to give them a set criteria on the type of pub that we would like to run and we liked the idea of being a strong part of the community.”

The venue has a very welcoming and traditional theme to it with dark green walls and a rustic interior.

Matt said: “The interior design was all Harriet’s vision. She had a clear picture in her mind of what she wanted to create and it’s that combination of rustic country with modern touches.

“We want people to come in, relax and have a drink and feel that they are welcome to do so and if they want dinner and lunch that’s also perfect.”

When the pair first moved in, locals were bringing them coffee and cake, helped move furniture in with them, offered them the use of their showers when they had no electricity, mowed the lawn, and brought flowers.

Harriet said: “The area is beautiful, and the locals are lovely.”

Matt added: “Anything they could do they’ve done for us – they’ve really welcomed us and it’s so nice.”

The pair would like to thank the community for all their ‘relentless support,’ and said that they ‘wouldn’t have done it without them.’

“They’ve made us feel like part of the fittings and fixtures already.”

The pub also boasts a beer garden and terrace and is a dog friendly venue.

For more information visit the pubs Facebook page or website: https://thelodersarms.co.uk/