‘Everyone’s welcome at The Old Sal’
Landlady Joanne Baker has launched a new food menu including Sunday lunch and afternoon tea... and you can get 20% off. RACHEL LAWTON finds out more
APOPULAR community pub has recently launched its homemade food menu. Like many venues, The Old Sal, in Longton, has seen its trade affected by the government’s 10pm curfew.
In a bid to get back on track, the Heathcote Street venue is now offering fresh, home cooked food – and you can get 20 per cent off.
Also on offer is a selection of desserts, including afternoon tea, which will be available from November 1.
The Old Sal is especially keen to welcome back customers who may be wary of venturing out post-lockdown.
Landlady Joanne Baker worked at the pub for five years before taking over last year. The 37-year-old, from Longton, said: “It’s a wellestablished pub. It’s been open since 1983 and we want to keep it going, so we have to introduce new things and keep things fresh.
“Before Covid we had our free function room where we held lots of events such as charity nights, but we can’t do that at the moment.
“And since the pubs have had to close at 10pm, we have struggled and we have had to really put the work in.
“Most of our trade is the younger generation at the weekend who come here for
pre-drinks, and that has taken a hit.
“So we have decided to take a new route and have recently relaunched our food menu. We will be serving fresh, home cooked meals – including Sunday dinner, breakfast and desserts – and everybody is welcome.
“One thing that is very important to us is that we source our food from local suppliers. It’s local business supporting local businesses which is what we need to do, especially at this time.”
Joanne continued: “The pub has had a bad rep in the past but we have changed this. We are a family-run businesses and a proper community pub – it’s out with the old and in with the new.
“We’ve had a bit of a refurb, new signage outside and we have lots of space to welcome back new and returning customers.”
The Old Sal team, including Joanne and chef Jemma Rhodes, are keen to welcome customers who may not have felt comfortable enough to visit a pub until now.
“We are fully Covid secure and have lots of space, such as our large dining room, to maintain good social
distancing,” explained Joanne. “Our capacity is of course lower than usual to allow for this.
“We are not dwelling on this year. It has been tough but it won’t be forever. If businesses can get through this year and come out stronger, then they can get through anything.
“We just want people to come back and see us. I think hink Covid is scaring a lot of people and they want to stay at home, but everyone is welcome at The Old Sal. We are taking every precaution to keep customers safe.”
The Old Sal pub is taking part in The Sentinel’s Shop Local scheme and they are offering 20 per cent off all food.
The pub is open everyday from 9.30am to 10pm, with food being served between 9.30am and 8pm. For more information you can like their Facebook page.