A Southwick woman is hoping for the luck of the Irish after taking over an award-winning local pub and restaurant.
Enya McGlinchey has agreed the lease on the Steamboat Inn at Carsethorn with owners Blazej and Kate Reczko.
And the 25-year-old got off to the best possible start at the National UK Pub and Bar Awards in London last week.
Judges voted the Steamboat the best pub in south-west Scotland – one of only four regional winners north of the border and 15 in the UK.
Enya, originally from Ballycastle in Northern Ireland, has managed the Steamboat since 2016 – and started waitressing at the pub aged just 12.
“I did not know anybody when I came over and thought it would be a good way of meeting people,” she told the News.
“Blazej and Kate were looking for staff and I just worked my way up then he asked me to be manager when I was 20.
“I’ve done the job for five years and when the chance of the lease came up I took it.
“I have been in the trade for a long time and Kate and Blazej are really good friends.”
Enya was thrilled the Steamboat scooped the honours at the awards ceremony which she attended in person.
The theatre-style event at 30 Euston Square was hosted by TV restaurant critic Grace Dent.
Enya said: “It was amazing we won – it came as quite a shock.
“I think the view, our location, the food and especially the service of our staff won it for us – they are just great.”
The go-ahead boss has one cloud on the horizon – the ongoing difficulty of recruiting enough staff.
The Steamboat is currently closed on Mondays and Tuesdays to relieve the pressure on its existing 18 full and part-time employees.
Enya said: “If more people come out of the woodwork we will definitely aim to get back to seven-day opening.
“At the moment we are reviewing things on a week-to-week basis – we don’t want to kill our hard-working staff completely.
“There’s just not many applicants around.
“Years ago we used to be inundated and could fill the spot within a week.
“Shortages were never an issue – but now it’s hard to get anybody.”
The prize-winning pub has been inundated with bookings – far more than they can currently handle.
Its seafront location next to the public car park and bus stop makes it a popular stopover for visitors.
