Spotlight on Allan and Jo Brown

Chatting to Jo and Allan at the Lord Combermere the other day, they confirmed that they intend to leave the pub at the end of their current lease in 2022, albeit with great trepidation and heavy hearts! They will have put 13 years of their lives into making the Lord Combermere a focal point of village activity and it would be difficult to think of another couple who have contributed so much to Audlem.

We at AudlemOnline thought it would be interesting for our readers to learn a little more about Jo and Allan and to get their thoughts on running a pub in today's very competitive environment in what is euphemistically referred to as the "leisure industry", though listening to them describe their exceptionally busy lives it is unlikely they would use the same term to describe it.

The Lord Combermere is their first foray into the pub world. Both come from a career in media sales. Allan left school at 16 and worked his way up to Commercial Director, Jo graduated in management science in 1993 and joined a media company. Although they have both worked for the same company, but at different times, they actually met on holiday in Corfu.

So why decide to run a pub? They wanted to run a business and work together and get more time with their family, then aged 9 and 6. The recession of 2009 provided the impetus to make it happen so they started looking seriously at opportunities to get into pub management and rapidly decided they were up for the challenge. The lease for the Lord Combermere was about to become available and Jo did a couple of shifts behind the bar to get the feel of the place.

Allan and Jo took over lease in late 2009. Their original plan was to stay a couple of years and then sell up and move on but they caught the "Audlem disease" and fell in love with the village. Unlike some pub landlords, Allan is not a beer drinker. He describes himself as "a beer sipper", he can taste a beer to judge when it is ready to drink. He says the 3 essentials for a good beer are clean lines, correct temperature and good condition. Allan chooses the guest beers and Jo chooses the wines, ringing the changes to meet changing tastes. Both say that good staff are an essential for a successful pub. The restaurant relies on the expertise of 4 chefs to maintain quality and variety. Running a pub, says Jo, is no different from running any business. It requires knowledge, skills and, most importantly, a positive and enthusiastic attitiude.

But this does not tell the whole story. The Lord Combermere has become a hub for village activities. Allan says that they have encouraged groups requiring an informal setting for meetings, discussions etc some of whom meet in the mornings over a cup of coffee and the Lord Combermere now hosts in excess of 30 community groups. The strategy is to additionally make the pub a village amenity.

So where and what next for Jo and Allan? Fortunately for the village, 2022 is sufficiently far off for us all to continue to enjoy their company and hospitality for a number of years yet. They both say that the thought of leaving the village fills them with regret but after 13 years they will be ready for a new challenge, just no idea what it will be yet!!

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