The Old Peacock: 'I own the Elland Road pub loved by Leeds United fans and taking it over was a dream come true'

The Old Peacock, in Elland Road, was founded in 1842 and taken over by Ossett Brewery in 2013, following a £400,000 investment.

The Wakefield business currently operates 33 bars and pubs in the region, but Leeds United fan Jamie Lawson said the acquisition of the Old Peacock was a “dream come true”.

Get more stories like this, as well as a headline round-up and all of the breaking news updates, when you sign up to the Yorkshire Evening Post’s free emails

It was his father that introduced him to the club and Jamie attended his first game at the football ground at the age of seven.

Jamie said: “I have supported them ever since. So, when we were offered the opportunity to take over the pub, it was a bit of a boyhood dream come true.

“The history between the Peacock pubs and the ground of the club has been locked in place for over a century. It’s the unofficial Leeds United pub. It’s almost like a spiritual home for Leeds United fans.

“The atmosphere of the Old Peacock is something to behold, particularly when Leeds United are winning.

“We're very fortunate. We've got a large grass area at the back of the pub, which is not far off the size of a football field itself, and we've got a specially built marquee in the back of the pub, in the beer garden.

“From a capacity point of view, we can host a large number of customers. So on a summer's day, when Leeds United are winning, other than the ground itself, there's no better place to be.”

The Old Peacock is also famed for changing its name to honour big moments for Leeds United.

Jamie explained: “We started the tradition when the fan favourite manager Marcelo Bielsa left because he was held in such high esteem by the fans.

“It was a spur of the moment decision really - we decided to rename the pub temporarily to the Bielsa Bar for the remainder of that season and that just went viral.”

But the pub is not only loved by Leeds United fans, it is frequented by the club’s directors, players and staff. It is Noi’s Thai Kitchen, which is based inside the pub, that keeps them coming back, Jamie said.

Led by the former executive chef of city centre restaurant Chaophraya, Noi, the kitchen has been a huge success since it first opened in 2019.

“The food is special,” Jamie said.

“It really is home cooked authentic Thai food, so it's worth making the trip. Outside of match days, we operate just as a normal pub - everybody's welcome.

“Noi has designed a special matchday menu, which is great. It is really, really positively received by locals.”

This Sunday (May 27), when Leeds United face Southampton at Wembley Stadium for the playoff final, the Old Peacock have installed a mega screen for locals to enjoy the game.

With 550 tickets for the event sold out in just 13 minutes, Jamie said beyond Wembley, it’s the place to be this weekend.