Welcome to Meet the Publican, our regular feature highlighting the brilliant folk behind the pubs across our branch area.

Continuing the series, we chatted with Lucy Farrington, landlady of Stack Real Ale Cafe in Hornsea. Stack Real Ale Cafe has been the driving force behind the Hornsea real ale scene since 2014. And, despite having to relocate in 2024, continues to thrive with even more exciting plans on the horizon.

We caught up with Lucy to talk about all things micropubs, new ventures and the perils of backless stools!

Lucy has spearheaded the real ale scene in Hornsea since 2014.

Yorkshire Wolds CAMRA: Congratulations on your inclusion in The Good Beer Guide 2026. What does this accolade mean to you?

Lucy: My bar has now been included in The Good Beer Guide 10 times, which is great! It definitely helps bring visitors to Hornsea; prior to 2014, the town was very limited when it came to real ale.

How did you get into running a pub in the first place?

It was a combination of wanting a career change after having my second child—rather than returning to full-time accounting—and feeling there was a real shortage of great places to drink in Hornsea. I’d heard about micropubs becoming an alternative on the high streets at the time and so visited a few and loved them. I was able to pick my own opening hours and work around those parental duties, like doing the school run!

You first launched as a pop-up at the 2014 Hornsea Carnival. Did you ever imagine back then that 12 years later you’d be running a permanent, staple venue?

Oh yes! The pop-up was just for Hornsea Carnival weekend but the intention was always to be permanent.

The abrupt closure of the original site in May 2024 left local ale lovers devastated. What gave you the drive and resilience to pivot so quickly and open the new location just a couple of doors down that same summer?

Along with my customers and staff, we were all devastated. They gave me so much support to carry on and reopen down the road, even helping with the move and the fit out. It was all very much appreciated as the whole experience almost financially ruined me. I couldn’t have done it without everyone’s help and support and will always be so grateful to all who continue to help and support us.

Now at 140 Newbegin, Stack has been a firm Hornsea favourite for over a decade.

Do you miss the decor of the old venue, or does the new vibe suit the cafe better?

The new venue is so much better and enables us to also do food in our tiny kitchen. We also have outside seating in the lovely afternoon sun, car parking across the road and excellent neighbours offering a good diversity of drinking establishments at this end of town. On nice days, it’s really buzzing on the terraces and there’s often a wait for a seat.

You keep a brilliant rotation of four real ales alongside craft beers. What is your philosophy when sourcing casks, and how much do your regulars influence what goes on the Real Ale Finder board?

We often order our beer with direct input from our customers, on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon, for example. We also visit other towns and try their real ale pubs on a regular basis to get ideas about what’s good and popular.

How important is it for a modern micro-pub to be a community hub rather than just a place to get a drink?

It’s really important! We have plenty of customers who are retired and/or live alone, so coming to Stack might be their only interaction with other people some days. We’re also seeing more people moving to the area who don’t know anyone yet; our intimate seating layout makes it easy to strike up a conversation, as table-sharing is common during busy times. Lots of friendship groups have been formed in both the old and new Stack, and these groups even arrange bus trips to other towns to drink real ale there.

Being completely dog-friendly is a massive hit with locals and coastal tourists alike. Who is the most famous four-legged regular at Stack?

Oh, we have so many but it’s probably Gizmo the Shih Tzu as he’s in most teatimes with his owner who loves a pint of stout or porter in a dimpled jug. His owner has been a regular since we opened in 2014 and has probably drunk more different ales here than anyone else!

Exciting news has reached Yorkshire Wolds CAMRA about your plans to open a new real ale location (separate to Stack Real Ale Cafe) called The Amber Room on Bridge Street in Bridlington. What drew you to Bridlington, and what can you tell us about the vision for this new venue?

I’ve always loved Bridlington and when we saw the old Dockside building up for sale last year it was perfect timing with my husband Julian retiring from the Fire Brigade. He wasn’t ready to retire completely and, thanks to our fantastic, well-established team running Stack, we’ve been able to step back and focus our energy on this exciting new project.

Downstairs has had to be reconfigured (we’ve had some fire safety work to do), meaning we’ve been able to create a nice big bar - one of the things that has made Stack so popular over the years. Upstairs is still in the ideas stage as we want to get the main bar up and running as soon as possible with the same good beer concept as Stack.

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Wife and husband team Lucy Farrington and Julian Broxham are now embarking on their new venture in Bridlington: The Amber Room

Will The Amber Room carry over the same vibe and cafe hybrid style of Hornsea, or will it have its own unique personality tailored to the Bridlington crowd?

The vibe will be very similar but will evolve over time as we pride ourselves in listening to our customers and what they want. However, there won’t be any karaoke as we feel plenty of other bars already have that angle covered!

How do you plan to balance your time between the established community in Hornsea and building a brand-new real ale footprint in Bridlington?

As mentioned previously we have a great, trustworthy, established team in Hornsea who are all loved by our customers.

Micro-pubs have faced massive economic headwinds over the last few years. What do you think is the secret to survival and success for independent publicans today?

It’s not as easy as it was; staff costs especially are hitting us really hard at the moment as well as energy bills. We’ve been forced to reduce our hours this winter as otherwise I don’t think it would be worth opening at all. Luckily, we have a fantastic number of hardcore regulars who love good beer and have willingly adapted their drinking times so that we do stay open. We encourage our staff to taste the beer themselves, so they can advise customers who aren’t sure what to choose. Also, my husband looks after the beer in the cellar like his life depends on it!

Modern technology has a place in this micropub, with an information screen telling you all you need to know about the beer selection, upcoming events and much more besides.

When you finally get to sit down at the end of a busy week and pour yourself a pint, what style of real ale are you reaching for?

I’m a cider drinker myself and we have just expanded to have three real ciders on draught and two on keg. My husband drinks the real ale though and his tastes have actually changed over the years from a more traditional malty bitter to a hoppy pale such as Stacked by Buxton Brewery (which he tried on a recent trip to Buxton without realising it was 5.2%!!).

How can CAMRA branches and local beer enthusiasts best support venues like Stack and the upcoming Amber Room beyond just popping in for a pint?

Score our beers please! It’s essential to help keep us in The Good Beer Guide next year and also gives us feedback about how well we’re doing.

Over the last decade of pouring pints in Hornsea, what is the single funniest or most memorable story that has happened behind the bar?

Once a customer came in and accidentally tied his shoe laces together. When he stood up to go to the loo, it didn’t end well but luckily he wasn’t injured by his fall into the middle of a packed bar! We also had a few problems with customers who were previously used to sitting on chairs now sitting on stools at the new location due to the smaller space. One of my favourite regulars ended up on his back on the floor forgetting there is no back on a stool! Again, he suffered no harm apart from maybe to his pride!

For those of us with balance issues, there is (thankfully!) a ready supply of sturdy chairs!

Quick-fire questions

Favourite beer style? Hoppy pale for my husband.
Favourite cider? Rhubarb.
Favourite pub anywhere in the UK? House of The Trembling Madness, Stonegate, York.
Favourite pub snack? Salted peanuts.
Beer garden or cosy snug? Cosy snug.
What's always playing on the pub stereo? Songs from the 70s.

A huge thank you to Lucy for taking the time to chat with us and for her continued commitment to serving outstanding real ale!

Are you a local publican? Get featured next!

We love celebrating the amazing pubs, bars and clubs across our region. If you run a venue in the Yorkshire Wolds CAMRA area and would like to be featured in a future Meet the Publican piece, we’d love to hear from you. Send us an email to ku.gro.armac.sdlowerihskroy@retsambew to get involved!

If you haven't done so already, why not read our recent Meet the Publican features on Mark Bates at Three B's Micropub and Lena Pennington at Old Ship Inn.

Keep your eyes peeled for a new Meet The Publican soon.

Welcome to Meet the Publican, our new, monthly feature highlighting the brilliant folk behind the pubs across our branch area.

Continuing the series, we chatted with Lena Pennington, landlady of Old Ship Inn in Bridlington Old Town. Lena recently celebrated a decade behind the bar at The Old Ship Inn, whilst scooping runner up in our Pub of the Year awards, plus inclusion in The Telegraph’s Top 650 UK Pubs.

We caught up with Lena to talk about her ten-year journey behind the bar, keeping award-winning real ales, creating a thriving community hub, and how her Norwegian roots compare to classic British pub culture.

Behind the bar for over a decade. Lena took some time out to chat with us.

Yorkshire Wolds CAMRA: Congratulations on celebrating 10 years at The Old Ship Inn! How does it feel looking back over the last decade behind the bar?

Lena: It honestly doesn’t feel like ten years! There have definitely been plenty of ups and downs, and running a pub is certainly never boring, but I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved. The biggest thing for me is seeing how the pub has grown into such a lovely community. We’ve got customers who came through the door when I first arrived who are still regulars today, and over the years many of them have become friends rather than just customers. I wouldn’t change it for the world.

When you took over ten years ago, what was your initial vision for the pub and how has it evolved since then?

When I first took over, I wanted The Old Ship to be a proper traditional pub – somewhere with great beer, a friendly atmosphere and where everybody felt welcome. That hasn’t really changed, but I think we’ve built on it enormously. We now have so much going on, from pool and darts to karaoke, live music, quizzes and big charity nights. At the same time, I’ve always been determined that it should still feel like a proper pub at heart. We’ve also focused massively on real ale. About 7 years ago we increased the number of handpumps from 3 to 6. This allows us to offer a better choice of real ales. We have no permanent ales on, so each day the selection can be different.

Also, we must say congratulations on being named CAMRA Yorkshire Wolds Pub of the Year runner-up and being listed in The Telegraph’s Top 650 Pubs in the UK for 2026. What do those recognitions mean to you?

It means an enormous amount, especially because you never really expect recognition like that when you’re just getting on with the job every day. Being runner-up in the CAMRA Yorkshire Wolds Pub of the Year was a huge honour because good real ale is such an important part of what we do. Then to find out we’d been included in The Telegraph’s Top 650 Pubs in the whole UK was absolutely fantastic. I’m incredibly proud, but the credit also belongs to our staff and customers because The Old Ship wouldn’t be what it is without them.

The Old Ship Inn is a fantastic, traditional three-room pub. How does that classic multi-room layout shape the atmosphere compared to open-plan venues?

I think it gives the pub a character that you just don’t get with a big open-plan room. Each room has its own atmosphere. You can have something lively happening in one area while somebody else can sit and have a quiet pint and a chat in another. It means lots of different people can enjoy the pub in their own way, and I think that traditional layout is a big part of The Old Ship’s charm. Also, if the weather is nice, we’ve got our amazing beer garden at the rear of the pub. My husband does a fantastic job keeping the garden looking good, and it’s full of birds and flowers.

The wonderfully well-kept beer garden is a real draw in the summer months.

Sitting on St John Street near Bridlington’s historic Old Town, what kind of mix do you get between local regulars and tourists or heritage visitors?

We have a really strong group of local regulars, which is the backbone of the pub, but being in Bridlington Old Town means we also meet lots of visitors. Some come because they’re exploring the Old Town, some are looking for a good real ale pub and increasingly people tell us they’ve specifically sought us out because they’ve seen us in the Good Beer Guide or heard about us elsewhere. I love that mixture – and it’s even better when someone who first came in as a visitor comes back every time they’re in Bridlington.

Do you know much about the history of the pub?

Yes, we’ve managed to trace the pub back to 1822, so it has more than 200 years of history. According to David and Susan Neave’s book on the history and buildings of Bridlington, the pub dates back to 1822, and we believe it was originally known simply as The Ship or The Ship Inn.

The present building is thought to date from later in the 19th century, so it appears that there was already an inn here before the building we know today.

I absolutely love the fact that people have been coming here for a drink for over 200 years. Being in Bridlington Old Town, we’re surrounded by history anyway, and I think the traditional three-room layout and character of the pub are a big part of what makes The Old Ship special. I feel very privileged to be looking after a little piece of Bridlington’s history.

In your experience, how have beer tastes changed over the last ten years — are customers more adventurous with their choices now?

Definitely. People are much more adventurous now. There will always be customers who know exactly what they like and stick to it, but we see far more people wanting to try something different. That’s one of the reasons I love rotating our cask ales – it gives people the opportunity to discover beers and breweries they might never have tried before.

The Old Ship Inn is located just off Bridlington Old Town's beautiful High Street.

You consistently maintain a 5-star cellar rating and feature in the Good Beer Guide. What goes into keeping the quality of your cask ale so high day in, day out?

There really isn’t a shortcut – it’s about doing the basics properly every single day. Cleanliness, looking after the cellar, keeping the beer at the correct temperature, cleaning the lines properly and making sure every cask is conditioned and served at its best. If I wouldn’t be happy being served a pint myself, I certainly wouldn’t expect a customer to pay for it. Consistency is probably the most important thing.

With up to six cask ales on rotation, how do you strike the balance between supporting local breweries and bringing in beers from further afield?

I like having a good mixture. Supporting local and Yorkshire breweries is really important to us, but having up to six cask ales gives us the freedom to bring in interesting beers from further afield as well. I want somebody looking along our pumps to have a genuine choice rather than six very similar beers. Rotating them also means there’s usually something new for our regulars to try.

Visitors regularly comment on these quirky stained glass windows. A fabulous feature of the pub.

The pub is well-known for its community work, including supporting local charities and veterans' groups. How crucial is that community role to the pub's identity?

Massively. A good pub should be part of its community, not just somewhere that sells beer. We’ve been very lucky to have customers who really get behind the things we do, whether that’s raising money for local charities, supporting veterans’ groups or helping with community events.

Some of my proudest nights at The Old Ship have been charity events where you see everybody coming together. That side of the pub means a great deal to me.

What has been your proudest moment or favourite memory from your ten years running the pub so far?

This is a difficult one because there have been so many. Winning recognition from CAMRA and being included in The Telegraph’s Top 650 are obviously incredibly proud moments, but some of my favourite memories are actually the mad nights when the whole pub comes together and everyone is having a brilliant time.

With up to six cask ales, there really is something for everyone.

Being from Norway originally, how does Norwegian drinking culture compare to the UK?

Very different! In Norway, alcohol is much more expensive and drinking tends to be more of an occasion, whereas Britain has this wonderful tradition of simply going to the pub for a pint and a chat.

That social side of British pub culture is something I really love. A proper pub can have people of completely different ages and backgrounds sitting together and talking to each other.

If someone has never visited The Old Ship Inn before, what can they expect from the experience, and which beer or cider would you recommend they try first?

Hopefully, the first thing they’ll get is a friendly welcome. We’re a traditional pub and we don’t try to be something we’re not. You can come in on your own for a quiet pint, have a chat at the bar, play pool or darts, sit in the beer garden or turn up on one of our event nights when the place can be absolutely bouncing.

As for the beer, I’d probably ask what sort of beer they normally enjoy and recommend one of our cask ales from there – and I’m always happy to let someone have a taste before deciding.

Looking ahead to the next few years, what can customers expect — are there any exciting plans or events on the horizon?

More of what we do best, hopefully! I don’t want to change The Old Ship into something it isn’t. I want to keep improving it while protecting everything people love about a traditional pub.

There’ll be plenty more live music, karaoke, quizzes, sport, charity events and probably a few ideas we haven’t even thought of yet. Most importantly, I want it to continue being a pub where people genuinely enjoy spending their time.

Finally, if you could sum up The Old Ship Inn in just a few words, what do you hope people say about the pub after they've visited?

Hopefully they’ll say something like: “Great beer, great atmosphere and a proper pub where everybody feels welcome”.

Here's to another 10 years!

Quick-fire questions

Your perfect pint? A nice cold pint of cider.

Favourite beer style? A porter or stout. I particularly like to try all the flavoured ones. I also enjoy a sour-style craft pint.

Favourite cider? Inch's or Lilley’s Bee Sting on keg. I also enjoy trying different real ciders at beer and cider festivals.

Favourite pub anywhere in the UK? That’s too difficult to choose. There are so many great pubs. Depends on the occasion. Some memorable ones are The Cavern in Liverpool and The Purple Peacock in Newcastle.

Favourite pub snack? Bobby’s Chilli Nuts.

Beer garden or cosy snug? Beer garden in summer. Snug in winter.

What's always playing on the pub stereo? Rocket Man by Elton John.

A huge thank you to Lena for taking the time to chat with us and for her continued commitment to serving outstanding real ale!

Are you a local publican? Get featured next!

We love celebrating the amazing pubs, bars and clubs across our region. If you run a venue in the Yorkshire Wolds CAMRA area and would like to be featured in a future Meet the Publican piece (like this one and our recent chat with Mark Bates at Three B's Micropub), we’d love to hear from you. Send us an email to ku.gro.armac.sdlowerihskroy@retsambew to get involved!

Keep your eyes peeled for a new Meet The Publican in October.

There must be something in the water in Bridlington, because our coastal town is officially spoiling real ale lovers for choice. Fresh off the back of celebrating The Old Ship Inn, the Yorkshire Wolds CAMRA team recently headed over to The Moon Tap to present Julie and her fantastic team with the award for Third Place in our fiercely contested 2026 Pub of the Year competition. And, on what was one of the hottest May days on record, the lively mix of locals and tourists was certainly in need of refreshment!

A Legacy of Excellence

Taking a top-three spot in the branch area is a massive achievement on its own, but for The Moon Tap, it’s just the latest chapter in a runaway success story. Regulars and CAMRA members will well remember that the pub took the crown as our overall Branch Pub of the Year in 2025.

Maintaining that level of excellence year after year is no small feat. It takes relentless hard work, impeccable cellar management and a genuine passion for the craft. This latest award is well-deserved proof that The Moon Tap isn't resting on its laurels—they are consistently operating at the very top of their game.

Yorkshire Wolds CAMRA Chair Jonquil presents Julie with The Moon Tap's certificate.

What Makes The Moon Tap Shine?

Step inside, and it’s immediately obvious why this town centre gem remains a firm favourite for locals and beer tourists alike:

• An Ever-Changing Cask Lineup:You are guaranteed a fresh experience every time you walk up to the bar. The dedication to keeping the pumps rotated with high-quality, perfectly kept real ales is spot on.
• True Local Provenance: Alongside top-tier guest beers, the pub proudly showcases brews from The Bridlington Brewery, crafted right on-site. You can't get much more "local" than a pint that has travelled mere feet from the brewkit to your glass!
• A Welcoming Vibe: Beyond the brilliant beer, it’s Julie’s team and the warm, community-focused atmosphere they cultivate that keeps the pub packed and the conversation flowing.

Bridlington’s Real Ale Boom

With The Moon Tap, The Old Ship Inn and Three B's Micropub taking third, second and first places in this year’s competition, Bridlington is firmly cementing itself as a premier destination on the Yorkshire beer map.

We would like to extend our massive congratulations to Julie and everyone at The Moon Tap. Thank you for your continued dedication to keeping the cask flowing and for giving Yorkshire Wolds real ale drinkers a paradise in the heart of the town.

Why not raise a glass next time you’re in town? Cheers to Julie and the team!