The Hart.

Through the years, and especially during my time teaching elementary school, our surname has been associated with things like Valentines Day and feelings of love, as well the organ that flutters in the throes of affection.

But, did you know that "hart" comes from the old English heorot and means "deer" (specifically, a "male red deer over 5 years old") -- or quite simply, a stag?

We've come across upon several such pubs on trips to the Cotswolds – the first trip which, back in 2016, served as a huge inspiration for so much about The Hare and The Hart.

Legends abound about the rare white hart in English folklore, including Arthurian legend, which states that the creature has a perennial ability to evade capture, and that the pursuit of the animal represents mankind's spiritual quest.

In more current mythology, think of the white stag that the Pevensie children pursued as kings and queens in C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia series, as well as Harry Potter's patronus.

And ~ do you remember the Hartford commercials that aired years ago during football games? What springs to mind? You've got it - a stag crossing a river - or more precisely, a hart at a ford!

As you know, The Hare & The Hart is English at heart with a Southern sensibility & a French twist.

We've been incredibly inspired by our time in the UK; so much so that we love evoking a bit of a (modern) village pub vibe with our name ~ and our logo with the silhouettes of the hare and hart inside the wreaths.

If you could name a pub, what would it be? I'd love to hear, so email me at amy@thehareandthehart.com!

xo,