A HAMPSHIRE man is fulfilling his ambition in a small way.

Ian Gosney has opened a new micropub, Caskaway, in a former florists in Oxford Street, Southampton.

It is one in a series of micropubs that are now becoming more frequent across the city.

The trend really took off in Southampton when The Butcher’s Hook in Bitterne Park Triangle was built, and since then the Bookshop Ale House in Portswood Road and Overdraft in Shirley High Street have also opened.

However this is one of the first to be in a more prominent location in the heart of the hustle and bustle of Southampton.

Mr Gosney said: “I’ve always worked in the off licence trade which is where the seed for a micropub was sown many years ago.

“When the shop was quiet, I used to discuss with a colleague what we would do if we owned our respective shops; my dream was to turn mine into a small bar serving a selection of great ales and wines.

“A couple of years ago, I began looking into turning this into a reality and when I discovered a unit was becoming available on Oxford Street, it felt like the time was right.”

Mr Gosney said it was the likes of the Butcher’s Hook and the micropub community in the city that has helped inspire him to open Caskeaway.

He added: “I think we all have a bit of a debt to the Butcher’s Hook and they showed that you can do this in Southampton, it is a friendly industry where everyone helps each other out.”

The opening of the premises hasn’t gone unnoticed and England Rugby star Mike Tindall has even wished the pub luck.

It has capacity currently for around 45 people, but this could increase in the future.

The premises is a grade II listed and dates to 1850 and there’s no bar counter so service is at your table.

There are a choice of four cask ales on eight taps and six kegs are on at any one time, there are also a range of wines, ciders, spirits and the tiny pub even serves food in the shape of scotch eggs and pork pies.

The tiny pub has a courtyard beer garden to the rear and al-fresco seating on Oxford Street itself.

All the indoor furniture has been made from locally sourced reclaimed wood, hand built by a local carpenter and designed to be used for storage as well as seating.

It will be open from 10am to 12midnight everyday apart from Monday.