THE Owls Nest, the home of great food and the finest real ales in West Parley, takes the crown for this week’s Pub of the Week.

Located on Christchurch Road, this pub has been run by landlords Richard and Jacqui Muir for 12 years and is at the heart of the West Parley community.

The Owls Nest, formerly a private members club, was bought by Richard's parents in 1989.

Richard said: "My parents used to come here and dance when they were in their 20s. When they bought the pub, they renamed it 'Ollie’s' after my father. Back then, the name Ollie was associated with a cartoon owl, so the pub was later renamed The Owls Nest."

When Richard's parents decided to retire, running the pub was offered to Richard and Jacqui.

Jacqui said: "Mum and dad asked us if we could take over after they retired, and we decided that this is what we wanted to do. I’m so glad we did because we love it."

The pub is completely family-run, with Ricard and Jacqui's daughter Danielle taking up the post of the pub chef.

Jacqui also lends a hand with the cooking, creating popular dishes local residents know and love.

She said: "The majority of what we sell is homemade, from our lasagne, beef burger (which is so delicious we had it as our wedding food), speciality pies and more."

Ricard and Jacqui source their produce from a lot of local companies, including a butchers in Ferndown.

However, The Owls Nest is also renowned for its ales, having been featured in CAMRA's Good Beer Guide for many years, including 2020.

Typically, if the locals have their way, there are three or four taps at the bar offering a range of beers from around the South West and elsewhere.

Interaction with regular customers obviously ceased during the lockdown period, but that didn't stop Richard and Jacqui from working hard.

Jacqui said: "The last time the pub was decorated was when it first opened in 1989. Lockdown gave us the opportunity to refurbish the place. We did everything ourselves, apart from the carpets, and made it more our own."

Richard added: "The pub was looking very tired, but before lockdown we never had the opportunity to do anything as we couldn’t afford to close for a couple of months. Lockdown was a great opportunity for us to do what we wanted with the place."

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