The Turf in Telford, or as the husband-and-wife team who run it like to call it, The Turf Family Pub, is a welcoming place for everyone, including children and families, hence the name they like to use .
Homeowners Steven Wright and Julie Wright, 46, originally from Stoke on Trent, have run the pub together for three years during the Covid pandemic.
Steven has always worked in pubs and bars, and previously lived in Tenerife for 18 years, where he had three businesses in the hospitality industry, but moved back to England with his wife for family reasons, and the two have been here ever since.
He has lived in Telford for five years now, and is relishing the role of running The Turf.
Talking about how it’s been, Steve says: “It’s been fine since taking over, better than we expected but at the moment things are tight with gas and electricity bills and the cost of everything going up. Well, this is crazy.
“But we’ve tried to keep the prices as low as we can, with beers only raised once we’ve had them, and customers have noticed it compared to other places around the area and its Appreciate, as well as it keeps them happy.
“We have regular crowds here, and we’ve been able to build relationships with the locals, where people are now more friends rather than customers.”
Steve also works part-time for Telford & Wrekin Council, where he drives buses for disabled school children, which was his first full-time job until the pandemic, which of course reduced his hours, and So he went part time in that role and now runs the pub full time alongside it.
When asked why they call it The Turf Family Pub, Steve explains: “We like to call it that to make it friendly, because we want people to know that families are welcome, and that’s a There is a family atmosphere.
“As well as the women, we want them to know that they can come here on their own and there will be no problem.
“We are one big family with customers, and there is a nice camaraderie around the whole pub, everyone gets on with each other and even if new people come in, they are always welcome goes.”
The hospitality industry has certainly been through a major testing period in recent years, first with the pandemic and now the cost of living crisis, but Steve said government grants helped get through those times.
“We took over in June 2020, and when we did there was little we could do in terms of staying open and then we closed but the government grant kept the pub running while it was closed, and it has given us a If it can be opened properly then there is a chance to set up a beer garden.
“It worked well as it was a car park before but now it is a nice beer garden which is very popular especially when the weather is nice, plus we have a bouncy castle for the kids to enjoy “
The pub also serves food, with the classic Sunday Roast available on Sundays of course, but they also serve breakfast from 9am at the weekend, and are now launching an evening menu for the weekdays.
Steve says The Turf has always been known as a drinking pub, but is now gaining a reputation for its food too.
He says: “We were once known for food and so we tried this, and it went so well with Sunday dinners that we’ve introduced breakfast on weekends and now we’re just about to launch an evening menu , and it’s nice to have the reputation of being known for its food as well.”
Running times in Telford and Tenerife can seem like different challenges. However, Steve explains: “There’s really not much different apart from the weather and the fact that running here is a lot more expensive than there.
“Wine and beer probably cost four times less than here, and it is shipped from here to Spain!
“Despite the huge cost of running a pub, we are happy to run the place here.
“Plus the regulars and people we’ve met along the way are always so helpful and they help out.
“Like when we campaign for charities and raise money, which we do a lot for Severn Hospice, they are always generous and it again points out that there is a family here at The Turf How does it feel?”