THE BEST OF THE BEST 2021

It’s always exciting to discover brilliant pubs and our new entries this year are spread across Britain.

TOP TEN NEW PUBS

Our Top Ten New Pubs are the Pointer in Brill (Buckinghamshire), Three Hills in Bartlow (Cambridgeshire), Fox & Barrel at Cotebrook (Cheshire), Baiting House at Upper Sapey (Herefordshire), Five Bells at Brabourne (Kent), Kings Arms at Great Stainton (Northumbria), Swan in Ascott-under-Wychwood and Chequers in Churchill (both in Oxfordshire), Queens Arms in Corton Denham (Somerset) and the Boat at Erbistock (Wales).

Graham Price, co-owner of the Boat at Erbistock, is also the co-founder of Brunning & Price and knows a thing or two about excellent pubs. A lovely l7th-century golden-stone inn with top-notch attributes, the Boat at Erbistock is our New Pub of the Year 2021.

TOP TEN VALUE PUBS

To produce good, interesting food at keen prices, rather than just cheap, standard fare, is not easy, but our Top Ten Value Pubs manage it. They are the Drake Manor in Buckland Monachorum (Devon), Digby Tap in Sherborne (Dorset), Red Lion in Preston (Hertfordshire), Church Inn at Uppermill (Lancashire), Butcher & Beast in Heighington (Lincolnshire), Dipton Mill Inn at Diptonmill (Northumbria), Rose & Crown in Oxford (Oxfordshire), Queen Victoria at Priddy (Somerset), Blue Boar in Aldbourne (Wiltshire) and Crown & Trumpet in Broadway (Worcestershire).

For their very popular food using their own pork and honey, Drake Manor in Buckland Monachorum is Value Pub of the Year 2021.

TOP TEN DINING PUBS

Exceptional food cooked by first-class chefs using the best local, seasonal produce can be found in these Top Ten Dining Pubs. They are the Punch Bowl at Crosthwaite (Cumbria), Wellington Arms in Baughurst (Hampshire), Stagg in Titley (Herefordshire), Olive Branch at Clipsham (Leicestershire & Rutland), Martins Arms in Colston Bassett (Nottinghamshire), Swan in Swinbrook (Oxfordshire), Unruly Pig at Bromeswell (Suffolk), Red Lion in East Chisenbury (Wiltshire), Shibden Mill in Halifax (Yorkshire) and Bunch of Grapes at Pontypridd (Wales).

‘Inspired’ and ‘impeccable’ are just two words used by our readers to describe the wonderful meals at the Unruly Pig at Bromeswell, which is our Dining Pub of the Year 2021.

TOP TEN LICENSEES

At the heart of every special pub, be it a simple tavern or stylish dining pub, are landlords and landladies that are the driving force behind these gems. This year’s Top Ten Licensees are Philip and Lauren Davison from the Fox in Peasemore (Berkshire), Alex Clarke who owns both the Black Bull in Balsham and the Red Lion in Hinxton (Cambridgeshire), John Vereker of the Bell at Horndon- on-the-Hill (Essex), Claire and Jim Alexander of the Ebrington Arms in Ebrington (Gloucestershire), Jeannette and Anthony Goodrich of the Rose & Crown in Snettisham (Norfolk), Paddy Groves from Woods in Dulverton (Somerset), Colin and Teresa Ombler of the Bell in Welford-on-Avon (Warwickshire), Nigel Stevens of the Wyvill Arms in Constable Barton (Yorkshire), Judith Fish of the Applecross Inn in Applecross (Scotland) and the Key family of the Nags Head in Usk (Wales).

For long-term dedication and unwavering support and love for their pub, their staff and their community, Jeanette and Anthony Goodrich of the Rose & Crown in Snettisham (Norfolk) are Licensees of the Year 2021.