Fifteen new jobs are to be created at Hayling Island pub, the Ferryboat Inn when it re-opens following a £250,000 refurbishment next month. The pub on the water’s edge at Sinah Beach is to be transformed in a 19-day makeover, re-opening on Friday 8th November 2013.
The overhaul of the pub will see its interior refurbished from top to toe, whilst the pub’s waterfront outside area will be extended to seat fifty customers in comfortable wicker furniture, protected with glass windbreakers. Regular barbeques and an outside bar will be additional features in the summer season. Designers have put a lot of thought into the layout, fixtures and fittings for the uniquely situated pub, and have created cosy lounge areas with sea views as well as a wet bar area with stone flooring for customers arriving straight from a day at sea.
The destination pub, which is owned and operated by award winning Stonegate Pub Company, will re-launch with a brand new menu. Light, healthier options, under 500 calories will be available alongside pub favourites such as Cumberland Sausage and Spring Onion Mash served with a red wine gravy and a sticky red onion marmalade. Healthier yet mouth-watering dishes include grilled asparagus and king prawn salad, with poached egg; 8oz rump steak and superfood salad and an aubergine bake filled with orzo pasta, tomato, garlic, basil and pulses, coated with a cheese sauce and served with a superfood salad.
Alongside an extensive choice of wines the Ferryboat Inn real ale enthusiasts will be able to choose from a regularly rotating selection of cask ales, available in both bars, sourced from national and regional brewers as well as local micro-brewers.
General manager Peter McLaughlin and his team will host a VIP reception for invited guests and local businesses to celebrate the pub’s re-launch on Friday 8th November at 5pm. Guests will be welcomed with bubbly and tasters from the delicious new menu prepared by the pub’s head chef and her team. Doors open to the public from 7pm with live entertainment from acoustic guitarist Ben Criddle. The pub will host its first family fun day on Sunday 10th November, with another scheduled for Sunday 8th December. Children can dine for just £1 with parents and there will be a face painter and table entertainer on hand during the day.
“Its location makes The Ferryboat Inn such an iconic pub”, said general manager Peter McLaughlin. “There’s something quite special about the pub being on the beach, whether in summer when you’re enjoying a drink and lunch in the sunshine or winter when you can enjoy a freshly cooked meal, a favourite pint and watch the waves crash outside.
“Those who have frequented The Ferryboat Inn over the years will notice quite a significant change when it re-opens. We wanted to retain its charm but at the same time give it a contemporary, stylish look. And now with a fresh new focus on food, led by our head chef Gina McLaughlin, we look forward to welcoming customers new and old to the Ferryboat Inn” he continued.
“The pub and its customers have always been huge supporters of First Responders charity and the Hampshire Air Ambulance, raising £550 combined in recent weeks for the charities. They are both such vitally important charities for those on the Island and with several fundraising ideas in mind we will continue to support these worthy causes post opening,” added Peter.
The pub will open daily from 10.00am from mid-April until end of September until 11.00pm and from 11.00am during the winter months. It will open serving brunch daily, including coffee from Lavazza, and continue food service until 10pm.