"If you'd have told me 18 years ago that I'd still be here, I would have laughed!" smiles Alison. " But now, I can't imagine not being here!"
When Alison Mavros first stepped inside the Recruiting Sergeant back in 2006, she was excited to begin a new chapter of her life. Little did she know, however, that 18 years later, she would still be running the characterful village pub - and loving every second of it.
"If you'd have told me 18 years ago that I'd still be here, I would have laughed!" smiles Alison. " But now, I can't imagine not being here!"
Alison took on the Great Gonerby venue along with her former husband, with whom she'd previously run a handful of other pubs. With few staff on the roster at the Recruiting Sergeant, much of the work was done by the two of them. For Alison, that involved spending seven days a week in the kitchen, dealing with the pub's paperwork, and raising their daughters, who were aged only one and three when they moved to the pub.
As Alison recalls, it was a challenge juggling the demands of work and home life.
"I was the full-time chef and Rebecca, who was only one year-old, used to sit in a highchair at the end of the kitchen at lunchtimes," she says. "Back then we only made a small amount of food. That's how we operated for a while, and then the business built, and we took on more staff."
Alison and her husband - who, she says, had fallen out of love with the pub trade - separated 10 years ago. According to Alison, she planned to leave the pub as she didn't believe she could run it alone. However, it is thanks to one of her regulars that she is still standing behind the bar of the Recruiting Sergeant.
"I was talking to a customer, Roy, who's still a very good customer now, and I said, 'that's it, I'm leaving' and he said 'why?' I said, 'well I can't run it on my own' and he said 'but you do run it on your own.' He wasn't trying to be nasty towards my ex-husband, but he pointed out that I did about 80 per cent of the work. He said 'why don't you stay? We really want you to.'
"That's what changed my decision, and then I spoke to Everards, who were really supportive," continues Alison, who employed a chef so that she could be out front with her customers - whose opinions have helped her shape her line-up of events, from homemade pie nights to comedy nights.
"Each event hits a different market, so people who come to the pie night might not come to the comedy night, but there's something for everyone."
In addition to the traditional bar area at the front, the pub boasts a lovely restaurant to the rear, which was refurbished five years ago, and is also set to be extended in 2025. As well as accommodating diners six days a week, the space can be hired out for functions such as birthday parties and wakes. "Even on the sad occasions, it's nice to be able to look after people," says Alison.
Looking back over her time running the pub, she says that the coronavirus pandemic was a difficult period, but the support she received from Everards was wonderful. "We wouldn't have survived if it weren't for Everards," says Alison, who launched a takeaway service during lockdown. It was a way for her to keep busy and keep the community spirit of the pub alive.
Despite the challenges, Alison is adamant she wouldn't want to be doing anything else: "It's not a job, it's a way of life. There's a lot of long days so you've got to love what you're doing - and I really do."
She's also enjoying the fact that her two daughters now often work behind the bar with her.
"Andriana's here now because she's finished university and when Rebecca's home from university it's great fun, the three of us working together. On Christmas Day and Boxing Day we only open for drinks, so it's just the three of us greeting everyone and that's a really special thing."
Daughter Andriana says she loves working alongside her mum. In fact, she couldn't wait to start doing her bit. "When I was about 12 or 13, I started going into the kitchen and helping with the salads and drying plates. I wanted to work because that's what mum did, and I wanted to help her out because I was aware that she was doing a lot by herself. She's handled it really well - I'm really proud of her."
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