The Hare.

The Jugged Hare is a pub that we walked past many times in the London neighborhood of Pimlico on our 2016 trip to England. While the timing was never right for dining there, we did peek in, and I fell in love with the whole place — and I have to admit that I coveted its décor, including a cheeky statue of a reclining hare. (If visions of Mr. McGregor from Peter Rabbit frequent your nightmares, you will not want to look up the meaning of “jugged hare” – and don’t say I didn’t warn you!)

The jauntiness of hares has always enchanted me: they are long and lean in body, leg, and face and are rather untamed in attitude, complete with sharp elbows and long, ridiculous ears. Hares have been scattered throughout our home’s décor for years: a concrete statue on top of our brick mailbox, a needlepoint pillow here, a candlestick there. And, like the mythical white hart, the hare has inspired English legend for centuries (See the photo above of a magazine tidbit I read while staying in a Cotswolds cottage).

In one “aha” moment in front of The Jugged Hare it was decided: our business would be called The Hare & The Hart, a twist on a pub name and the perfect way to evoke the English at heart with a Southern soul (and a French twist) way of life!

You just never know when we might return to the Cotswolds and London for further inspiration — stay tuned!