Former waitresses reopen 'iconic' pie restaurant

Debbie Knight, left, and Julie Howe, right, have clocked up decades working at The Pipe of Port as waitresses and later as general managers

Two former waitresses said they felt "a big responsibility" to everyone who helped them on their journey to reopening a long-established restaurant famed for its pies.

The Pipe of Port in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, opened in 1976 but closed in April this year. Two staff members, Julie Howe and Debbie Knight, have used their redundancy money and community fundraising to bring it back to life.

"We were so worried when we found out about the closure, but Julie and myself were so determined that if we could make this work, we would," Ms Knight said.

"Everyone has their special table or their special dish from here, and now we feel it's our responsibility to make sure that continues," said Ms Howe.

The Pipe of Port in Southend-on-Sea is renowned for its pies, which are still made to the original 1981 recipe

A fundraising evening and online donations led to £16,000 also being put towards the reopening, which the pair described as "an absolute lifesaver".

"It was never our plan to fundraise," Ms Howe said.

"We had received redundancy money and thought naively that we'd be able to do it on our own, but the more we got into it, the more we realised that wouldn't be possible.

"We both felt very uncomfortable about the crowdfunding page; it didn't seem right to ask people to contribute to a business, but we couldn't believe the amount of support, financially and physically, that people have given us."

The wine bar and restaurant opened in 1976 and was bought by Steve Jones, his wife Sue and Sue's sister Janet in 1981.

The trio ran it for decades, becoming locally renowned for their pies and the atmospheric restaurant with candlelit tables and sawdust on the floor.

Steve and Sue's daughter, Layla Tydeman, has returned to work behind the bar and said her parents would be delighted with the reopening.

"I've known Debbie and Julie since I was a little girl, and I think if anyone else had taken it over, it wouldn't be the same - they've got The Pipe in their hearts," she said.

Layla Tydeman's parents ran the restaurant for decades - she remembers filling up the salt and pepper pots as a child

Ms Knight said some of their regulars who worked as lawyers or accountants had been on hand to offer advice as well.

"We've just been so fortunate with the support we've had, everyone looking into everything for us to make sure it wasn't just that we couldn't let The Pipe of Port go from our hearts, it had to be a good business decision too," she said.

"It's part of my core, having been here for 36 years. We feel like a family here."