History repeats itself at the Barley Mow

A Yorkshire couple have been invited back to the pub where they enjoyed their first date 33 years ago and they have the receipt to prove it.

Romance certainly isn’t dead for Ray and Jayne, who have been invited back to the Barley Mow, by owners, the Seafood Pub Company, to rekindle their meeting some three decades ago.

The receipt from 1982, shows that Ray and Jayne enjoyed a meal of T-bone steak and gammon at the Pendle eatery. The total cost of the meal including drinks was £21.12!

Jayne is Lancashire born and bred and her family ran the The Herders Inn in Colne, while Ray was a policeman originally from London who had been posted to the town.

Ray proposed to Jayne at the Barley Mow, and as well as the receipt, he also kept the champagne cork from this special night.

The couple married on the 27th August 1983 and are now living in Bingley, West Yorkshire across the border and have two children.

A friend of the couple’s told the Seafood Pub Company about the story and they felt it only fitting to recreate the couple’s first meeting in the place which will always remain close to their hearts.

Joycelyn Neve, managing director said “It’s such a lovely story, that we felt we had to do something to mark the special occasion. We love hearing stories from the past about all of our venues, so thought this was the perfect opportunity to give something back.”

The couple enjoyed a complementary meal and an overnight stay at the Barley Mow on the 4th February, just in time for Valentine’s Day celebrations.

The pub boasts cosy corners, roaring fires and a welcoming atmosphere; the perfect setting for a ‘first date’. Jayne said, “We were absolutely thrilled to be invited back to the Barley Mow; we loved the pub back in its heyday, so were excited to see the transformation years later. It’s a wonderful gesture from the Seafood Pub Company and we can’t thank them enough!”