A couple’s long-held dream will be fulfilled in February when they take over as landlords of the Three Horseshoes in Burton Bradstock.

The Palmers’ pub is currently closed for renovation and will reopen on 20 February with Jaap and Hannah Schep at the helm. Jaap and Hannah have many years’ experience in the hotel industry. Jaap is a chef and Hannah worked front-of-house. Their ambition was always to run their own country pub.

‘We have been talking about it for years,’ says Hannah. ‘Our first priority after getting married was children, and we have been blessed with three beautiful girls: Lilly and Alyssa, who are identical twins and are five years old, and Poppy Louise, who is two.‘Jaap is Dutch but my side of the family live in Dorset, so we wanted a pub in this part of the world and Palmers were our top choice. We spent over a year on their waiting list, biting our nails and waiting for the right pub to become available. When the call came, it was a dream come true.’

Jaap trained in Holland and came to England in 1997 with Marriott Hotels. He was head chef at the Portsmouth Marriott for the last 10 years, gaining its first AA Rosette and developing a fabulous seafood restaurant.He’s currently working hard to develop an all-new menu for the Three Horseshoes featuring carefully sourced ingredients from local suppliers. Jaap will be making all the condiments and trimmings in-house, including his amazing piccalilli and shortbread biscuits.

Hannah will be putting her hospitality training to good use making sure the team are ready and raring to welcome their first customers through the door. She is also working closely with Palmers Wine Store. to ensure the wine list is interesting and complements the menu.