THE LAMB in Newport has reopened on St. David’s Day after closing down in early 2023 due to rising costs severely impacting trade.
The pub welcomed back customers last weekend, celebrating its 160th anniversary with a weekend of live music.
Vladyslava Krapyvka, a Ukrainian woman, has taken over the lease of the Grade II listed pub. Krapyvka left Ukraine with her youngest son in 2022, following the Russian invasion of the country.
“I like the pub’s location, and I really like Newport,” Krapyvka commented, speaking of the city in which The Lamb is situated, in the heart of the city centre.
Krapyvka mentioned that while she’s excited to take on the pub, it comes with its challenges. “It’s much harder to start from scratch when you have free rein to do what you want.”
She described some initial difficulties in setting up the pub, such as establishing customer Wi-Fi. “I’m a fighter and I’m very stubborn, so I will do my best to make it a success,” she asserted.
Krapyvka was keen to maintain the pub’s traditional decoration throughout its existence. “I didn’t really want to change the pub. I wanted to keep it traditionally Welsh.”
“I had an image in my mind of a proper Welsh pub, but coming from a different country, I wasn’t sure how that looked exactly,” Krapyvka admits.
“People are happy with the fact that I’ve kept mostly everything the same.”
“My clients inspire me when they come in and are pleased with the atmosphere.”
“A local lady, who has lived in the area for 25 years, said that it looks exactly as it did before, a proper Welsh pub.”
However, Krapyvka is open to some changes. She has introduced a variety of new craft beers and ales, hoping to attract more people to The Lamb.
“We offer a wide range of ales, and after only being open for twelve days, we already have people eager to try our new selections.”
“Customers have said that we have a good collection of ales,” she continued, explaining that she regularly visits new breweries around the area to source unique ales and beers.
“I’m still on the lookout for new breweries because I want people to have new ales to try.”
“In big chains, they all serve the same thing, and I want people to be able to come here to try something new and different.”
Krapyvka also plans to host special events where people can come and taste the new gins and vodkas that she has locally sourced.
Though the pub is still undergoing renovations, she eventually wants to serve food and host social events, such as cocktail-making sessions led by a mixologist.
“I think it would be nice for people to come for an education on the drinks as well, so they know what they’re drinking and practice responsible consumption.”
“It would be nice for people to come and socialize, have conversations, and be in the same room with others who share the same interests and share their experiences.”
Krapyvka mentioned that people can stay updated on the new ales and beers that she is serving by following the pub’s Facebook page, where she will also advertise any future events.
