A Darwen family-run pub and brewery whose motto is “you enter as strangers and leave as friends” has been named as one of the best in the region.
The Black Bull and Three B’s Brewery, in Broken Stone Road, is one of the 10 pubs battling it out to be named the region’s best in the Lancashire Telegraph competition.
Run as a family business, Wendy Bell and her husband Robert took over the venue in 2011 to sell the beers they produced.
“A lot of people we know really well now, and it is really lovely to think they think so much about us as a family business.
“We are a family business and we are a very small business, and we are lucky to have fantastic staff and a fantastic team of people.
"We pride ourselves on a variety of ales and it would mean such a lot to.”
Serving the “passionately brewed” beers made by the Three B’s, the pub has become central to the community.
Wendy says that they have chosen not to have televisions, gaming machines or music and wants the venue to focus on conversation, laughter and great beer.
She added: “We have our beers and a wide range of them, and it is all made with passion for the beer and always making sure it is absolutely spot on.
“We are a traditional pub, and we are relaxed, cosy, and we have a friendly atmosphere with wood burners and scenic views.
“One of our mottos is if you enter as strangers, you leave as friends, and we really feel that is so true, because so many people have become friends here.”
Serving everything from pale ales to stouts, the pub also does special brews for occasions, including for major football tournaments and the births of Wendy’s grandchildren.
READ MORE: Finalists in Lancashire Telegraph Best Pub competition revealed
Like all businesses, the pub and brewery have suffered as a result of the cost-of-living crisis, and Wendy says they have tried to absorb some of the costs to ensure that people can afford to keep coming back.
Currently employing six bar staff, Wendy says bar manager Dan Semanda is the star and everyone who visits the pub “absolutely loves him”.
She added: “Dan is the man. Everyone loves him, and he does a lot of hours for us. Everyone else is very much stars too.”
Voting in the Best Pub competition is open until August 2, and you can cast your vote by picking up a copy of the Lancashire Telegraph.
Over the coming days, each finalist will be profiled to show why it deserves your vote and to be named East Lancashire's best
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