The Good Pub Guide National Award Winners 2010
Pubs are thriving despite all the doom and gloom. The editors of The Good Pub Guide report that, though pub closures are worrying, they are not out of line with the general recession. The vast majority of pubs are keeping their heads well above water, and thousands of enthusiastic landlords and landladies show that there’s plenty of life in the British Pub yet.
Every year The Good Pub Guide picks out the top winners from the country’s thousand or so very best pubs. It names 37 County Dining Award winners. And it names its eagerly awaited National Award winners.
Covering 14 categories, these include pubs that demonstrate excellence in Beer, Dining, Wine, as well as the coveted Pub of the Year.
For map click here.
PUB OF THE YEAR
Bell & Cross, Holy Cross, Worcestershire
“Everything at this charming place makes sure you come away feeling you’ve had a really special time; super food, staff with a can-do attitude, a delightful old interior and pretty garden. With its strong sense of individuality and must-come-again appeal, the Bell & Cross at Holy Cross is PUB OF THE YEAR.”
BEER PUB OF THE YEAR
Fat Cat, Norwich, Norfolk
“A place of pilgrimage for beer lovers, and open all day, the Fat Cat is run by Colin Keatley with tremendous enthusiasm and energy, bringing happy streams of customers from far and wide to this town pub. For £2 a pint (the lowest price of any of the Norfolk main entries) he sells his own good beer brewed in a nearby sister pub, the Cidershed, and stocks a remarkable range of quickly changing real ales from around the country, has a row of pumps dispensing exotic beers from the Continent, and dozens of interesting bottled beers on sale.”
NATIONAL DINING PUB OF THE YEAR
Cock, Hemjngford Grey, Cambrigeshire
“With the recession breathing down our necks, the appealing pricing of their imaginative set lunches makes the Cock at Hemingford Grey our national Dining Pub of the Year. Excellent, modern food served in a pretty pub with a stylishly simple spotless restaurant, an extensive wine list plus other drinks including four real ales. Service is excellent, and there's a friendly, bustling atmosphere with a good mix of locals and visitors.”
WINE PUB OF THE YEAR
Yew Tree, Clifford's Meane, Gloucestershire
“Unusual dining pub nicely tucked away on the slopes of May Hill. A back room is charmingly laid out as an informal wine shop, with a good range that is fairly priced. It has an excellent scheme where you can have a bottle with your meal for just its shop price plus £5 which is much lower than the usual mark-up and the better the wine, the bigger the bargain. We wish more pubs used this customer-friendly pricing system.”
NEW PUB OF THE YEAR
Potting Shed, Crudwell. Wiltshire
“Opened at the end of 2007 after a complete reworking by the owners of the nearby Rectory Hotel, this friendly place comes straight into the 'Guide' with a star; one of the nicest places we've come across recently. It is very much a proper country pub rather than just another pub/restaurant, with cheerful and interested young staff.”
UNSPOILT PUB OF THE YEAR
White Lion, Barthomley, Cheshire
“What pub designers can’t buy in is the deep-down appeal of genuine character, as in hundreds of our listed pubs. From three dozen or so favourite unspoilt pubs, our choice is the White Lion. This ancient thatched tavern, delightfully unchanging, and with good value bar lunches, is run really well by its welcoming landlady Laura Condliffe. We’d agree absolutely with the reader who called this friendly unpretentious place ‘The epitome of what a pub should be: completely unspoilt and welcoming’.”
BARGAIN PUB OF THE YEAR
Lewes Arms, Lewes, Sussex
“More pubs now qualify for our Bargain Award than ever before. What works brilliantly for both pub and customers is when a pub succeeds not only in keeping prices down, but also in offering good food that’s interesting as well as good value. In this appealing and unusual place, always cheerful and chatty, you’re left surprised at how they can serve such good generous food at such low prices – especially in what’s one of Britain’s more pricey areas.”
INN OF THE YEAR
Bear, Crickhowell, Wales
“The very best inns give you the comfort of a decent hotel, but add the friendly informality of a thriving bar, and often a big dose of real character, making for a memorable stay. Currently top among them, backed by warm endorsements from many happy readers, the Bear in Crickhowell is Inn of the Year. This fine old inn gets top marks for its thoroughly convivial atmosphere and efficient staff.”
TOWN PUB OF THE YEAR
Cafe Royal, Edinburgh, Scotland
“In Scotland, a higher proportion of pubs have been closing than in the South. Here again, good landlords and landladies make all the difference. It’s the publican that makes the difference between a tired and doomed mausoleum and a bustling success. An extreme case in point is the Café Royal in Edinburgh with its stunning listed interior where welcoming manageress Valerie Graham ensures good food and drink, helpful staff and a thriving atmosphere.”
COUNTRY PUB OF THE YEAR
Cross Keys, Upper Chute, Wiltshire
“George and Sonia Humphrey have made their pub a welcoming and relaxing proper country pub, with well liked unpretentious food, good drinks and a fine log fire. They have put in the single magic ingredient that makes the difference between a failing local and a thriving and profitable pub – the enthusiastic, energetic and imaginative commitment with which thousands of other landlords and landladies across the country are ensuring the survival of their pubs.”
WHISKY PUB OF THE YEAR
Fishermans, Ramsbottom, Lancashire
“Bury in Lancashire – whisky capital of the world? We were surprised this year to find a pub selling over 500 whiskies – not some tavern in Scotland, but tucked away on the edge of Bury.
OWN BREW PUB OF THE YEAR
Church Inn, Uppermill, Lancashire
“Pubs brewing their own beer offer big savings, averaging 33p a pint cheaper than comparable pubs selling branded beers. Price champion among them, selling good pints for £1.50 (for that you’d get only half a pint in Surrey) and for its fine range at some exemplary bargain prices, the Church Inn is Brew Pub of the Year. We agree with the reader who described this appealingly unconventional place as ‘an absolute joy’. It’s a lively good value community pub, in a great spot, with own brews from big range, lots of pets, and good food; children very welcome.”
LANDLORD OF THE YEAR
Yew Tree, Lower Wield, Hampshire
“Tim Gray has made the Yew Tree a warm-hearted oasis. He has held down the price of his good local beer so that you save nearly 60p a pint compared with what the average pub in his county charges. ‘Love, care and attention’ is what Mr. Gray says makes a good pub – and he should know. It’s his friendly welcome to all his customers and his hard work and enthusiasm that make this tile-hung country pub so special. Above all, he’s the sort of landlord you remember as rather special.”
BREWERY OF THE YEAR
Donnington, Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire
“Special praise to Donnington, which actually beats the bargain prices of pubs brewing their own beer. Donnington, based at a picturesque ancient watermill, operates in Gloucestershire, not a particularly cheap area, and has some delightful pubs - no less than ten of them in this edition, including two splendid main entries.”
Click for County Dining Award winners 2010
2009 Awards
County Dining Award Winners 2009