This week’s Norwich Pub of the Week is the Fiveways in Earlham, which is a safer and friendlier place than its out-of-date reputation might suggest
Evening News Pub of the Week, The Fiveways. Landlady Mandy Richmond. PHOTO BY SIMON FINLAY - Credit: Simon Finlay
The manager at the Fiveways in Earlham is proof that you can start at the bottom in the pub industry and rise to the top.
Mandy Richmond began in the trade as a cleaner, but is now manager at the Fiveways, where she's one of the main attractions with her friendly smile and swift service.
After her cleaning days and working at Jarrold's in Norwich, and having her three children, she gained experience at other Norwich pubs including Micawbers in Pottergate and the Reindeer in Dereham Road.
The Fiveways is one of the last pubs left in Earlham.
The Grove in Cadge Road has been vacant since 2009 and residents last year signed a petition to get the owner to clean it up, which he did. The Shoemaker also closed in 2005 and was demolished last year.
'The only pubs left in the area are ourselves, the Freed Man and the Marl Pit,' she said.
The Fiveways, which is owned by Enterprise Inns and leased to Eddie Scott, once had a bad reputation, and was closed for a time after a drugs raid, but the manager has not witnessed any trouble in her two years in charge.
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She said: 'It's not a rough pub as everybody thinks it is. Everybody is so friendly. People talk to anybody new who comes in, and there's a really friendly atmosphere.'
And while pubs across the country are struggling, she said the Fiveways was managing to stay afloat.
She said: 'We are thinking about opening up the kitchen to get more people in, as we are close to the hospital and the UEA. We would do basket meals, and nothing posh. We are a working man's pub.'
Her father Richard Goss once ran the pub and he still comes back to help his daughter out behind the bar.
She said it was mainly a 'lager-drinkers' pub, but they do have one real ale. They also have two darts teams and live music on Friday nights.
The Evening News has been urging people to return to pubs in our Love your Local campaign.
To see more stories from the campaign visit www.eveningnews24.co.uk/loveyourlocal
