Experienced Hampshire operators Sharon Cole and Eric Lisle are the new owners of the Blue Hayes restaurant in the Hampshire village of Shootash.

The restaurant occupies a three-quarter-of-an-acre site in the Test Valley on the A27, three miles from Romsey and 12 miles from Salisbury.

Believed to date back to around 1900, the thatched stone property retains a number of period features such as an inglenook fireplace, exposed ceiling beams and leaded light windows.

It accommodates a reception hall, a 30-seat front restaurant with bar, a 30-seat rear restaurant, and two-bedroom owners accommodation. Outside there is ample car parking space and gardens.

The Winchester office of Christie + Co sold the leasehold (which runs to 2025) off a guide price of £180,000 on behalf of Mike and Jan Driscoll. The current annual rent is set at £24,000.

By Angela Frewin