The Scot had never stepped foot in the pub despite living around the corner for 18 years. But he is one of life's excellent hosts and now the proud owner of a Guide Award for best pub.
He deserved it just for his hospitable, natural manner – and the fact that he's never been in the pub business until now is further testimony to his latent skills. Louise Bassinder is the pub's chef and is equally flushed with pleasure with the win. She and Steve have been building a reputation for good, traditional food and her homely fare is coupled with a dish or two from Greece, where she worked as a chef.
Her menu goes mainly down the tried and tested route. To kick off a meal there are dishes like classic prawn cocktail; deep-fried whitebait with lemon and tartare dip; tomato and mozzarella salad and a Greek salad with olives, red onions and feta.
Mains include lamb's liver and bacon with mashed potatoes and a rich onion gravy, butterflied breast of chicken topped with cheese and bacon with a chilli sauce, lamb cutlets with minted mash and seafood pasta with a creamy white wine sauce.
Prices are reasonably under the £10 mark, with starters around £4. At lunchtimes Louise whips up big open sandwiches that require a mega appetite, along with wraps, beef and ale pie, mussels in a white wine sauce and salads.
A board in the larger of the two rooms surrounding the bar chalks up specials. They might include pork loin topped with cheese wrapped in savoy cabbage with swede mash, or cottage pie, or chicken and broccoli pasta.
Despite this slender chef's size, Louise doesn't believe in small portions. My cottage pie, served in a rectangular serving dish, was large enough for a small family. And jolly good it was too – the seasoning just right in the beefy, oniony mashed mix. The swede, savoy cabbage and cauliflower were served separately and needed some butter and a grinding of the pepper mill. A sprinkling of unseasonal corn, although adding a splash of extra colour, could have been happily missed out – three vegetables are quite sufficient.
Sweets are homemade, apart from the ice creams, and choices include apple and rhubarb crumble, chocolate torte and sherry trifle, which was my choice. A proper trifle has sponge fingers soaked in sherry, raspberries sprinkled over them, then a floppy layer of homemade custard topped with another floppy layering of sweetened real cream. Sadly, Louise's is of the jelly and tinned fruit variety. But she knows her audience and if this is their preference then that's fine. It's just not quite what I expected – and at £4.25, it ain't cheap.
Despite these slight grumbles, Steve and Louise are a fine partnership, and the pub gets my vote for the most friendly, neighbourly place I've been to in a while. There's live music and a Sunday lunch that goes on all day. Locals, I am sure, can't quite believe their luck that the Golden Lion has risen to such winning heights.

The Golden Lion,
54 Bedhampton Road, Bedhampton, Havant. (023) 9248 0401.
Open: All week from midday-2pm (midday-5pm Sun) and 6pm-9pm for food.
Food: ****
Service: ****
Atmosphere: ****
Disabled access: Yes, wheelchair users can use the wide doors by the patio on the car park.
How to get there: If coming from Portsmouth exit at the Havant junction, following the town centre signs but carrying on north to New Road at the first roundabout. Turn left here, the road becoming Bedhampton Road, the pub on the right. Car park.