Brewery boss shuts down Sheffield pub after ‘not serving his favourite dessert’
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The Cow and Calf in Grenoside shut indefinitely on Tuesday, August 18, just weeks after it had reopened following the easing of lockdown measures.
After customers expressed their shock, Louise Brownhill, who had run the pub with her husband Steve since last year, took to Facebook to explain what had happened.
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Hide AdShe said Humphrey Smith, owner of the Samuel Smith brewery to which the pub belongs, had visited that day and been disappointed when they were unable to serve him his favourite dessert.
They were fired, she claimed, despite explaining that they didn’t have the dessert – understood to be a chocolate fondant – because they hadn’t been provided with a freezer.
“We are sad to be leaving as we have made many great friends here, but onwards and upwards,” she added.
"Thank you for all your support and we hope to see you at our next venture.”
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Hide AdThe brewery declined to comment when approached by The Star.
Customers reacted with dismay to news of the pub’s closure, with one describing how the outgoing managers had been a ‘breath of fresh air for the place’ and served ‘amazing’ food.
Humphrey Smith has reportedly ordered managers of his pubs to ban customers from swearing or using mobile phones inside, with anyone caught breaking those rules liable to be thrown out.
When pubs reopened following the lockdown, it is understood that prices of some drinks at Samuel Smith pubs rose by up to £1.