England & Wales’ finest chosen for authenticity, community spirit, top notch rooms and fabulous food
The 10th anniversary edition of Sawday’s Special Places Pubs and Inns of England & Wales, on sale 1 June, comprises over 950 of Britain’s very best pubs with just twelve selected to receive an award in one of four categories: authenticity; commitment to the community; local, seasonal & organic produce; and pubs with rooms.
Sawday’s Guide
In this biggest ever edition of Sawday’s celebrated guide, find more than 200 pubs with handsome bedrooms, thriving locals, lovely old inns, fabulous gastropubs and hostelries of history, character and charm plus twelve of Sawday’s absolute favourites in the annual Pub Awards. These are selected for their authenticity, commitment to the community, local and seasonal produce or for being excellent ‘all-rounder’ inns.
Alastair, Founder of Alastair Sawday’s says “It’s a milestone year for Sawday’s pubs. Not only are we celebrating the 10th anniversary of our guide, we’ve just released a pubs app and for the first time you can browse pubs on our Special Places to Eat & Drink website. Competition for our annual awards has never been fiercer and winners have had to stand out more than ever before. When we congratulate the 12 truly wonderful pubs receiving an award, we mean it. Each has demonstrated creativity, excellence and the flexibility to evolve in a changing and challenging industry.”
David Hancock, Editor of Sawday’s Pubs & Inns of England & Wales, reveals the winners along with why each has been selected:
Pubs with Rooms Awards
- The Swan, Swinbrook, Oxfordshire: “The Swan is everyone’s idea of the perfect country pub – cosy interconnecting rooms oozing elegant country charm, chickens in the garden, and six gorgeous bedrooms in the converted forge and barn.”
- The Lion Inn, Winchcombe, Gloucestershire: “The Lion Inn is relaxed and unpretentious yet the food is Michelin starred, so foodies can savour sublime cooking and stay over in gorgeous contemporary rooms.”
- The Red Lion, East Chisenbury, Wiltshire: “Determination has paid off in spades at The Red Lion, as it now thrives as a modern-day inn, combining its original old-world charm with contemporary comforts.”
Authentic Pub Award
- The Bull’s Head, Mobberley, Cheshire: “At The Bull’s Head, you feel good from the moment you walk in. There’s a big “Hello” from behind the bar, a simple rustic-chic feel and atmosphere, and the whole place feels snug, intimate and calm, plus the food and drink offer is very strong.”
- Royal Oak, Wineham, Sussex: “The Royal Oak is a rare rural survivor in Sussex – a classic ale house that is traditional and unspoilt in every way; head cracking low beams, a huge inglenook with blazing winter fire and rustic furnishings”
- Rugglestone Inn, Widecombe-in-Moor, Devon: “The Rugglestone is a true Dartmoor gem – an unspoilt stone cottage with an old-fashioned parlour, simple furnishings, open fires, beer from the barrel, proper home-cooked pub food and no modern-day intrusions.”
Community Pub Award
- Queens Arms, Litton, Yorkshire: “With many rural pubs closing the Queens Arms is a good news story in the remote Yorkshire Dales. It remains a local offering Yorkshire ales, proper country cooking, a warm welcome to walkers and six comfortable bedrooms.”
- Y Ffarmers, Lanfihangel-Y-Creuddyn, Ceredigion: “The Y Ffarmers is an oasis in the Welsh hills for tip-top Welsh beer, quality pub food and a buzzy community vibe – expect genuine Welsh hospitality, impromptu singing and choral and harp music.”
- The Old Hall Inn, Chinley, Derbyshire “From amazing beer festivals, wine tasting dinners and medieval banquets to parties and live music, The Old Hall Inn thrives as the village hub deep in rural Derbyshire.”
Local, Seasonal and Organic Produce Award
- The British Larder, Bromeswell, Suffolk: “This spruced up village pub is now firmly on Suffolk’s culinary map – seasonal menus change daily and all produce used in the kitchen is sources from in and around Suffolk.”
- The Feathers Inn, Hedley-on-the-Hill, Northumberland: “The Feathers Inn is passionate about food yet they have managed to maintain that rare combination of cracking community local and top dining destination.”
- The Red Lion, Britwell Salome, Oxfordshire: “Foodies have been seeking the Red Lion out since it re-opened in 2012 as a pub. Diners can expect a quirky sense of style, friendly staff, and produce-led, modern British food.”
Sawday’s Special Places Pubs & Inns of England & Wales is on sale on 1 June 2013 from all good bookshops or online directly from Sawday’s priced at £15.99. For more information on the book or any of the places featured visit www.sawdays.co.uk. This year also sees the launch of Sawday’s first ever app! Sawday’s Pubs – Special Places to Eat and Drink, is available now on the App Store. For less than the price for a good pint (introductory offer £2.49) find over 700 handpicked pubs across England and Wales. You can also check out Sawday’s pubs online at www.sawdays.co.uk/pubs.