When people picture a pub landlady, the first image that springs to mind is usually Peggy Mitchell screaming ‘get out my pub’ in EastEnders. They think of Bet Lynch from Coronation Street: an older lady with heavy makeup, big hair and leopard print outfits who controls rowdy locals. So, a lot of people are surprised that I’m only 26.
‘Do you work here?’ is usually the first question customers ask when they arrive at The Bay Horse in Unsworth and I have to explain, ‘no, I live here, I’m the landlady.’
I started doing shifts behind the bar at The Bay Horse when I was working in a bakery and needed extra cash. Nine months later, my boss Christine encouraged me to train for my brewery license so I could run the pub while she was away.
My first day in charge was scary. There were countless things to remember and a long list of jobs to get through. But The Bay Horse is part of the Joseph Holt{
Being a landlady, you work your own hours so the day can start at any time. First there’s the cleaning, then office admin, sorting out the cellar and checking the beer garden.
My favourite part is the cellar, and the delivery guys are always laughing at me because I’m shifting 22-gallon barrels around on my own. The lads tell me to wait for them, but I know I can do it by myself.
When Christine said she was leaving The Bay Horse, the regulars encouraged me to go for the landlady job even though I was only 24. It’s empowering to be such a young woman running a pub which is of an older generation, and we have some real characters in here.
In contrast to the caricature of a ‘traditional’ landlady, I’m a lot more lenient. I want everyone to have fun and have a good drink. But if someone’s doing something wrong that’s when I show my sterner side, and everyone really respects it. I don’t have to scream and shout because regulars can tell they’re in trouble from just one look.
I’ve never had to deal with many fights at closing time. If you stand your ground and remember your voice is the scariest thing you can use, then people respect you automatically. Over the past two years, my main goal is to make sure that everybody in this pub feels comfortable.
There was a time when women used to think that pubs had a masculine image. Men could drink alone at the bar and make friends with the other regulars, but women were left at home. Since I’ve run The Bay Horse it’s not a working man’s environment anymore.
There’s one lady who love to come in and enjoy a drink on her own. She comes for lunch that feels home cooked and enjoys her fish and chips without a stigma of being by herself. She isn’t isolated or vulnerable because there’s always someone to chat to.
When you boil it down, a pub is a local community, we even run charity events and fitness classes for OAPs at The Bay Horse now. Even on my days off when I’m on the other side of the bar, I love socialising here: The main quality you need as a landlady is the ability to listen.
I see myself being the landlady of The Bay Horse for a long time. As long as it’s my choice, I’ll still be here. I’m the youngest landlady in the history of the pub and I’d love for people to realise that bar work doesn’t have to be a stop gap for when you need some extra money. It can be a long-term career with exciting progression—It’s more than just pulling pints.
Now I’ve trained a twenty-year-old called Christina to cover for me while I’m on holiday. It seems like a lot of responsibility for someone so young, but she’s been put through her license by the brewery, and I trained her in the pub and the office. She took to it so easily and absolutely smashed it. Hopefully Christina is the first of many young women I can encourage to give the role a try.
*As told to Lydia Spencer-Elliott
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