The owners of a pub in Tockholes say business is thriving, after they reopened the boarded up pub earlier this year.
Zoe Blakey and her partner Vassilis Vassiliou have been at the helm of The Rock Inn for five months and say the site’s unique Mediterranean twist has helped them thrive, as the cost of living crisis grips the nation.
Zoe said: “We’ve brought the Mediterranean to Lancashire and it seems to be working really well.
“The local people are so happy that the pub is back open and we are getting busier and busier.
“They say it is the hub of the community.
“We offer food daily. We have kept the pub traditional with classic pub food but we have changed the restaurant area to have more Mediterranean cuisine.”
Vassilis, who owned Mediterranean restaurant Mangiamo in Darwen for 26 years, brought his skills and expertise to the kitchen.
Zoe said: “A lot of Vassilis’ old customers from Mangiamo visit us.
“We wanted to introduce a more Mediterranean menu is the way we have always worked.
"We saw an opportunity for it here as the restaurant area is only small and we saw it as a chance to do something a bit different from your normal pub grub.
“We have kept the pub area more traditional and the restaurant area has a more Mediterranean feel, with a feature wall of the Italian area of Portofino.”
Homemade pizzas, made in a pizza oven, seabass, gyros, prawn linguini and more are on the menu.
As well as a revamped menu, Zoe and the team has been introducing live music events and quiz nights for the community.
Zoe said: “People are calling the pub the hub of the community.
“We have started quiz nights, with singers planned through November and December.
“We want to get the locals involved and are putting on entertainment that they have asked for.”
Zoe and the team are excited about what the next few months are going to bring.
She said: “When we took over the pub it was all boarded up and had been closed for months. It was awful to see and we felt like it needed another chance to be open again
“We used to come here for Sunday lunch and loved it. It has some amazing views of Lancashire.
“It’s been a successful few months already and we are excited about what the next year is going to bring.
“We just want to remind people that we are open and encourage them to come and give us a try.”
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