Cherryl is settling in as Landlady of the Royal Exchange, Radford Street, Stone.

The pub is operated by the award winning Titanic Brewery and is very popular with lovers of real ale.

While recognising the importance of her core customer base, Cheryl is introducing changes – such as a lunchtime food menu – to widen the appeal of the pub.

“Real ale has undergone a major change of image and the wide variety of beers available means that there is something available to suit every taste,” commented Cherryl.

“The Royal Exchange has perhaps previously been seen as a pub for male beer drinkers. But I have always loved pubs, and feel there is no reason why women shouldn’t feel comfortable coming to the Royal Exchange to enjoy one of our good quality beers, a glass of wine or a coffee.”

Cherryl, originally from Stafford, has lived in Stone for several years, and her love of the pub trade has seen her take on part time bar work alongside her main career.

“I leapt at the chance to manage the Royal Exchange,” said Cherryl. “Titanic took on the pub 12 months ago and transformed it from a down at heel sports bar to a bright and friendly pub.

“I was here at the launch last July and know it is a popular, much loved, local.

“My aim is to build on that. We are close enough to the town centre to attract office and shop staff looking for somewhere to eat and we also attract passing trade from the canal and Stone railway station.”

The menu includes good local produce – all meat is from a Stone butcher and salad and vegetables are bought from the town’s market.

Orders can be phoned through in advance for anyone who can only get a short break from work.

Cherryl’s deputy manager is her daughter, Laura, a keen musician.

And, Laura is helping to establish the pub as a venue for up and coming musicians. The Royal Exchange has established an acoustic night each Tuesday and hosts a live band on the last Saturday of each month.

Catering for office parties is a further service launched by Cherryl and she is also looking to attract darts or crib teams who may want to use the Royal Exchange as their base.

The Royal Exchange has nine regular hand pulled beers available, including regulars such as Titanic White Star, Iceberg and Steerage, Everard’s Tiger, beers from Titanic’s seasonal range and guest ales from across the UK.

Cherryl added: “People sometimes request a beer they have tried on holiday and because of Titanic’s extensive links with other real ale breweries we do our best to source it and serve it among our guest beers.”