Once again, it’s time to shine a light on some of the best pubs in East Lancashire.

This week, we have spoken to Stephen Reid who owns The Kettledrum Inn in Cliviger.

Stephen, along with his brother, saved the pub from closure when they took over in 2014 and aimed to transform it into a proper community hub.

Lancashire Telegraph: Sous Chef, Sarah, and Stephen Reid (Photo: Stephen Reid)Sous Chef, Sarah, and Stephen Reid (Photo: Stephen Reid)

Last year, the pub owners were nominated for BBC’s Everyday Hero award for feeding the vulnerable during the pandemic.

The pub also has some exciting things planned for next year, when their Cliviger Sounds Festival, which was meant to take place in 2020, will host some international musicians.

Here’s what Stephen had to say:

Name of the pub: Kettledrum Inn

Address: Red Lees Road, Mereclough, Cliviger

Pub owner name: Stephen Reid

How long have you been the owner for? Since 2014

Bar staff and their names: The manager of the pub is my brother, Robin. We also have James, our head chef, and our sous chef called Sarah. Lee and Rob also work here.

Give us some history about the pub: The pub got its name from a famous East Lancashire racehorse, Kettledrum, which won the Epsom Derby in 1861. The horse was owned by Charles Towneley, of Towneley Hall, who used the winnings to build St Hubert's Church at Dunsop Bridge in the Ribble Valley.

Is food served? Yes. Sunday roasts go down really well here. We also do something called ‘mouldy chicken’ which is chicken and blue cheese sauce – which is my favourite.

Is there a beer garden? We have two little patio areas.

Do you have any darts/snooker/pool teams? No.

Most popular drink served is: San Miguel – but we also do a Czech larger called ‘Budvar’ which sells quite well.

Most memorable moment at the pub: Maybe when we had a wedding on the car park. However, the most memorable moment will be when we run the Cliviger Sounds Music festival next year –  we have some quite big international stars coming to that, such as Kiki Dee. The festival will consist of three days of blues, jazz and folk music on the car park. 

Do you have entertainment? We sometimes have an artist on bank holiday weekends. However, it’s mainly just soft music in the background.

Have you faced any challenges within the industry? The biggest challenge has been the last two years in the pandemic, mainly with the furloughing of staff. It’s been difficult to cope with the extra payments we have had to pay.

The best thing about running a pub is: The community spirit and how the pub has brought the local community together.  The main reason my brother and I bought the pub is because it was going to close down and we bought it to save our local pub.

The worst thing about running a pub is... That it’s a 24/7 job.

The perfect hangover cure is... A nice cup of tea, a good night’s sleep… and never getting old!


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