'Chesterfield is thriving - the pub has been really busy every weekend' says owner reflecting on first year in business

Despite the cost of living crisis, people are keen to reconnect in pubs after the isolation caused by the dark days of the Covid lockdown.

Sally and her husband Jay own The Neptune Beer Emporium on St Helen’s Street, Chesterfield. She said: “The pandemic caused a lot of mental health. It’s good for everyone to be out talking again. Even if they are on pop, they’ll come and have a drink and a chat for a few hours. We’ve been really busy every weekend.”

Since taking over The Neptune or Neppy as it’s colloquially known a year ago, Jay, 49, and Sally, 50, have recruited three additional workers as bar tenders, transformed the outdoor space and refurbished the interior of the pub. Their next goal is to upgrade the toilets.

A new addition is an Italian tapas night every Thursday that launched this month. Richard Alsop cooks the food in an upstairs kitchen at The Neptune. Sally said: “It’s working really well. Richard is bringing some new faces into the pub. He is hoping to do an Italian pop-up restaurant in other places but we are the first.”

The Neptune’s reputation for live music is going from strength to strength. Sally said: “We're having bands contacting us and wanting to play at the pub so I think it's getting a good reputation. The bands we've had on every weekend have been great. Every Sunday from 4.30pm we have an open mic which is really busy.”

Sally, who works as a maternity support worker, and Jay, an IT consultant, will celebrate their first year as mine hosts of The Neptune on May 31. The anniversary will be marked with three live music gigs that weekend. Connor Berry will perform on the evening of Friday, June 2, Hannah Lily and Jon Wynn (from the band Rogue) will be providing the entertainment on Saturday, June 3, in the afternoon when there will also be a barbecue, and Hallowed Travellers will play that night.