Storied Kelham Island boozer The Harlequin recently reopened its doors after a brief closure earlier this year, and there are a couple of familiar faces now at the helm.
Fans of the Rutland Arms and The Crow will welcome news that the pair behind these ever-popular pubs, Kate Major and Chris Bamford, have taken on The Harlequin as their third, and over a late lunchtime drink with Exposed, they outlined their plans for the 170-year-old boozer.
Following a rather lovely and sensitively handled refurb, their next objective has been to ensure that, wherever possible, there is a strong focus on local and independent suppliers behind the bar.
Chris said: “We’re very much going to have an ethos that supports independent suppliers, from the food to the beer – that’s very important to us. We’re also big believers in getting value for money. We are conscious that people don’t have as much disposable income at the moment, and that we can’t just make a decision to put on a beer for six quid just because it’s independent. But our cheapest lager is £4.50, which I think is pretty much standard now.
“Because it’s part of the ethos, we do eat into our margins a bit and try to be as fair as possible. Since Kate left the Three Tuns and I left Shakespeare’s, we’ve always tried to focus on independents within the parameters of what existing customers expected.”
Kate added: “We’ve always tried to make the right choice. There are also more independent distilleries in the UK than there’s ever been, so it’s more possible than it’s ever been. Probably from a consumer point of view, there is a wider interest now than there has been too.”
To emphasise this ethos, their beer lineup is 100% independent, with beers sourced from as far afield as Bristol and Newcastle but mostly coming from Sheffield and its surrounding Northern cities and towns.
They also have a lager from the oldest independent brewery in the Czech Republic, called Glass Blowers in the UK after its industrial heritage, and The Harlequin is one of just a handful of pubs serving it in the UK.
Cider comes courtesy of Pulp Brewery in Somerset, and there’s also a no-Guinness policy as that is now supplied by one of the largest spirits suppliers in the world. Instead, they have a nitro stout called Slow Life, brewed in Dublin’s Whiplash Brewery.
There’s also a large range of alcohol-free and gluten-free beers available, as well as a range of wines sourced from local suppliers Le Bon Vin, and lots of independent spirits, including a Ukrainian vodka, whisky from 30 of the 52 Scottish independent distilleries, and gin from Sheffield’s very own Robin of Locksley.
Food will also be on the menu in the coming weeks, with a couple of the chefs from the Rutty heading down to create a bespoke menu. Chris explained: “It’s a smaller kitchen than in the Rutland, but it’s going to be a similar sort of menu, which will include an equivalent of the Rutty Butty with a name that is, as yet, to be determined.
“The chefs have been trying out some of the sandwiches they’re going to put on the menu here, and they’re tasting very good. It’ll be around £8 for a big sandwich and a side salad. There will also be pub classics, such as fish and chips, pies, and peas, that sort of thing in the evening.”
As well as the food, live music is also back on the agenda in the coming months. Chris previously worked at The Harlequin from 2008 – 2011, and he has fond memories of the live music nights held there every Friday and Saturday, which saw rock and blues performers like Frank White regularly performing.
Chris and Kate are planning to resurrect those nights, alongside jazz nights on Thursday evenings and the opportunity to showcase local up-and-coming bands earlier in the week. There is also an upstairs space, which needs a bit of renovation, but will hold around 50 people for folk and acoustic gigs.
Chris said: “Historically, in my first time here, the pub has always had rock and blues cover bands, including relatively well-known local acts every Friday and Saturday.
“We’ve got two areas for live music, and the scope is pretty open to everything from open mic nights to punk promoters, and if anyone wants to get in touch to put an evening on, we’re open to ideas and testing the waters.”
Chris and Kate had no plans to take on a third pub, but when the opportunity arose to take on The Harlequin earlier this year, after thinking it through they decided the potential was there to restore the boozer to its former glories.
The pub had previously been owned by Wendy Woodhouse, who also owned The Crow until she passed away a couple of years ago. She ran the pub (and also changed its name to The Harlequin, in honour of another nearby pub that she attempted to save from demolition) in 2006. She passed it on to her stepdaughter in 2008, who subsequently left the running of it to the previous landlord when she started a family.
Fast forward to earlier this year, the lease was coming up for renewal, and it didn’t look like the previous landlords were going to renew. Given their connection to The Crow and Chris’s previous experience working at The Harlequin, Chris and Kate were the obvious choice and the first people the pub was offered to.
“We met up and had a chat, and I don’t think there are many pubs we would have considered taking as a third, but there is a lot of potential here. The pub has had many heydays over its 170-year history, and lots of people have fond memories of it as The Manchester.
“When I worked here the first time, it was the start of it rebuilding its reputation again and becoming one of the top real ale pubs around here. We’d like to bring it back to being an inclusive, safe space that incorporates that. We believe that pubs should be as inclusive as possible and a hub of the community; community means everybody who isn’t spreading violence and disharmony.”
Kate added: “It’s important that people know they are safe here, they are loved here, and they are wanted – which is important to us across all of our pubs.
“We’ve brought the pub features back, we’re bringing back the music, and we’ve brought in staff who we know and trust to do a great job.”
Keep up to date with their plans for live music and more via their Insta page here.
