IT’S A DREAM shared by their whole family.

The Couper’s have seen their ambitions come to life running a country pub in Southampton for almost three years.

With siblings James and Vicki spearheading the business, their whole family has rallied behind them to make sure The Four Horseshoes is a welcoming, friendly and cosy place for people across the city to go and enjoy classic pub grub.

James, 27 and Vicki, 32 both worked at the pub before owning it, with James working in the kitchen and Vicki front of house.

The pair said they always loved working in the industry and both shared a dream of one day owning their own pub so when the chance came to take over The Four Horsehoes in Nursling they snapped it up.

Landlady Vicki from Bassett said: “I’ve always wanted to have my own place to run and make it exactly what I want it to be. It can be a challenge working with your brother but I think it’s good too because we know each other very well and how each other operates, plus we’re interested in different parts of the job.

“We’ve been here for a while now so we’ve got some loyal regulars and lots of people really love it because it’s a family pub, we’re trying to make our own mark on the place with refurbishment plans next month and we love planning big family events to host in the field opposite us.”

Landlord James, who is head chef and lives above the pub with his fiancee, said: “I really like the social side of having a pub and I’ve always really loved cooking so this is a great way for me to have a bit of freedom in designing dishes I want to serve. We’re planning a new menu at the moment which will feature a lot of seasonal foods and trying to be more local as well, it’s good to change things up as well as keeping all the classics.”

Vicki added: “We love working here and getting to meet so many new people and offering them a classic pub experience and it’s really exciting to see what more we could offer in the future. We really enjoy the events though like the May Day Parade and we’ve hosted Halloween events and there is the annual music festival we host opposite the pub as well that’s a big hit.

“This is definitely a family pub and we like to promote that sense of community to all our customers.”

The pub offers classic food with a Sunday roast costing just under £10.

At the bar they have a range of four ales including IPA for the average cost of £3.30 a pint and lagers like Stella, Fosters and Carling for £3.60 a pint.

A small glass of house wine costs £3.85.

(BLOB) The Four Horseshoes, Nursling Street, Nursling, Southampton SO16 0YA, 023 8073 2371, thefourhorseshoes.co.uk.

Regulars voxpop Saky Singh, 38, a taxi driver from Highfield said: “I’ve been coming here for years, even after moving because all my friends still come here, it’s a great local pub very friendly the staff are good and the food is lovely. It’s got everything you want from a countryside pub.”

Tim Morton, 50, an IT consultant from Cadnam said: “This is a really good local pub, I always think the staff are very welcoming and friendly and the food is very hearty and good quality. It’s a great family pub, I’ve been coming here for years and have always relied on it as a good traditional pub.”

Di Weston, 74, retired from Rownhams said: “I really love it here, the staff are always lovely and very accommodating, it’s an amazing place to come with family and friends. The food is brilliant and staff are always willing to help, you feel very at home here it’s a cosy pub and the staff work very hard to make sure you’re happy.”