Wales: Jolly Sailor

Burton, Pembrokeshire Ken Applin says the first thing that he and wife Jean decided to do when they took on the Jolly Sailor was transform the rundown boozer into a family pub. That was 13 years ago and Ken reckons the then landlord, Ansells, hadn't invested in a lick of paint for 20 years. But the Applins' plans hit the buffers almost immediately when the recession of the 1990s took its toll on family spending. In their early days, a week's take in winter could be as low as £500. For the first five years, the couple went cap in hand to the bank manager, family and, in fact, anyone who could lend money to tide them through. When the worst was over, Ken and Jean decided that to attract trade, especially diners, the waterside pub needed a conservatory extension. This was duly added, together with an extension to the kitchen "to replace the ancient equipment". Another addition was the children's play equipment that Ken built himself. Since then, the pub, on the water's edge facing Pembroke Docks and Milford Haven, has flourished. Families are attracted not only by the play equipment, but also by the fact that parents can sit in the beer garden while their kids paddle in the water or stroll along the beach looking for crabs. When the weather is good, says Ken, the outside area is packed. "The beer garden accounts for a third of our taking in summer," he explains. Trade also gets a boost from the sailing fraternity, which uses a floating jetty nearby in the summer. On a busy summer's day, the pub serves around 300 meals. The menu features a number of dishes for children or those with a smaller appetite such as spaghetti bolognaise, chicken tikka masala and gammon and rump steaks. But chicken nuggets, fish fingers and sausages prove popular with the pub's younger visitors. Between 65% and 70% of the Punch-leased pub's trade comes from food. However, locals who just want to sit and drink haven't been forgotten and a bar is set aside for their use. To advertise the pub to the many tourists, the Applins use local holiday guides, but say a lot of their work is done for them by word of mouth, particularly among visitors to the nearby caravan parks.