Women of WoT
KATIE MATHER
CORTO/PELLICLE/FERMENT
‘You need to work out what feels good and what doesn’t work for you, and what topics make your words come to life.’
Tell us a bit about yourself and your role in the drinks world?
I started off with a blog about beer and pubs about 7 years ago, and with a bit of work and luck and support from others in the industry this then turned into a freelance career in writing about drinks and sometimes food in 2018. Since that time I’ve written for publications such as Pellicle, Ferment, Glug, The Guardian, Good Beer Hunting and CAMRA’s Learn & Discover portal, and numerous one-off projects by independent food and drink creators and publications.
In 2019, my husband Tom and I decided that the time was right to put our long-held business plan for a local bar and collaborative space into action and as of 2020 we have owned and run Corto, a beer, natural wine and real cider bar in the Ribble Valley town of Clitheroe.
You opened Corto in the midst of lockdown which was no mean feat. What challenges did that pose for you and how did you overcome them?
We are still attempting to overcome them. There have been a lot of setbacks and challenges! To begin with, we aimed to be open in April 2020. Tom left his role as an aerospace engineer and we had verbally agreed with our landlord to take the unit on. By February 2020 it was obvious that Covid-19 had other plans for us, and we spent the rest of 2020 with our plans on hold. Thankfully our landlord was extremely kind and kept the unit for us until we could feasibly begin work on it.
In December 2020 we sectioned off the front of the bar and created a shop/kiosk for take-out only, and I developed an online shop and delivery service in order to try and bring some money in while we were not able to open. This closed several times due to changes in lockdown restriction regulations. In 2021 as these restrictions reduced in severity, we began building work on the rest of the bar and in June 2021 we finally opened as a bar.
‘It’s about generosity and meeting new people and sharing. I love that.’
After this point, challenges have been many and varied! There are, of course, challenges in running your own business for the first time, and we’ve worked with some excellent people to learn about running a bar ethically and successfully: Ren Navarro’s generous advice has been invaluable, as has Kate Major’s support and advice, from her experienced background in running The Crow and The Rutland Arms in Sheffield. The wonderful Ola and Duncan from Kwas in Huddersfield have also been great sources of inspiration and motivation to us. Turning to experts for their help has been a gamechanger for us. You cannot run a business, especially during such difficult times, alone.
Christmas 2021 was a challenge in itself, thanks to the Omicron variant. Our expected income was slashed by a wave of illness and self-isolation throughout our small town, and this had a knock-on effect for months to come. This seemed like the toughest challenge to date—we had made it through so much worse, but it felt like resilience was at an all-time low. What got us through was working together to decide what was coming next. What could we do to make 2022 a success? What can we do to fortify ourselves against future disappointments? Creating an action plan for 2022 made a big difference., and thanks to that plan we’ve already achieved our Crowdfunder to build a new coldstore. We’re excited about what’s to come.
You’ve said that Corto is inspired by Spanish food and drink culture. Why did you choose Spain as your inspiration and what can the UK hospitality scene learn from there?
Interesting question because it’s something I think about all the time! The reason we were so inspired by trips to bars in Spain is because we were desperately after some escapism. The past few years have been tough, and we all need a break from it. In tapas bars in Spain, especially in León, a city to the north of Madrid, there is a feeling of untempered generosity—the feeling that you are entirely welcome. Our name “Corto” actually comes from a drink measurement in that city, it’s about 100-150ml (so much smaller than a caña or a tubo) and was created especially so that drinkers can enjoy tapas at every bar in town and it won’t take all night. It’s about sharing the wealth. You sell less beer in one go but you welcome others more than you might have as they do the rounds. It’s about generosity and meeting new people and sharing. I love that.
You are also a drinks writer. What would you say to someone who may be interested in writing about food, drinks or anything in between, but maybe doesn’t know where to start?
I’d say, look out for my workshops, coming later this year!! Hahahaha but seriously I think there is some advice out there already that as a burgeoning writer they may already have disregarded, but I’m going to repeat it. Sorry. You need to write, and as well as getting constructive feedback for that writing, you need to write for yourself. You need to get a blog or a notebook and you need to keep track of the thoughts that pop into your head and the ideas you have when you’re out and about. You need to work out what feels good and what doesn’t work for you, and what topics make your words come to life. You need to keep at it. Days when you absolutely suck happen, and the thing is, you just need to get back at it. Writing is tough, but it’s by far and away one of the easiest jobs in the world too. You literally sit at a desk and make shit up. Don’t overthink it. And don’t take critique too hard once you start putting your work out there either—something easier said than done. There is something useful to learn from every (valid) criticism. If you’re suffering with writer’s block, take an online course in a different genre. Read more. Write badly rather than not at all. Get better, don’t give up.
Tell us about someone in the industry that inspires you, or just deserves a shout out?
I already mentioned her, but Kate Major is a big inspiration to me. She runs two successful pubs in one of our best beer cities and she does it with kindness and generosity and understanding. I’d also say that Jas Swan, a winemaker based in Germany, is an inspiration to me too. Her world is different to mine, but the challenges she comes up against almost every day instil in her this otherworldly resilience that I can’t help but admire. She cannot be knocked down. She is going to take over the world.
What's your favourite tipple right now?
At the moment I’m really enjoying Wild Disco, a cider made with Discovery apples by Nightingale Cider (https://nightingalecider.com). We have it on tap at the bar and I just love it! I am also a big fan of cask beer, and I think Wishbone in Keighley (https://www.wishbonebrewery.co.uk) are making some of the best modern cask in the country right now. Pixie Juice, their unfined pale ale with Mosaic, Citra and Simcoe is such a fruity blast of refreshment.
Check out Corto: https://cortobar.co.uk
Read some of Katie’s work at:
