The Sunray, a pub in Osmington, Dorset, beat off stiff competition from more than 300 hopefuls across the country to win the first-ever Best Dressed Pub title, in association with British Roast Dinner Week.
Stephen Mansbridge and Laura Guntrip, owners of The Sunray, impressed the judges by decorating their pub to celebrate British Roast Dinner Week. As part of their prize, Ashes winning England cricket captain Michael Vaughan visited Stephen, Laura and their team to try the best roast dinner The Sunray has to offer.
Michael Vaughan said: “It’s no surprise that The Sunray won the ‘Best Dressed Pub award’, in association with British Roast Dinner Week and Booker. Its roast dinners were big and it was well deserved.
“In my opinion you need a big plate with lots of beef, cauliflower cheese and Yorkshire puddings. It’s not a roast without them. Oh, and don’t forget the gravy.”
Publicans from across the country were asked to celebrate British Roast Dinner Week, which ran from 30 September to 6 October, by decorating their pubs and serving roast dinners throughout the week, for a chance to be crowned ‘Best Dressed Pub’. In addition to the prestigious title and a visit from Michael Vaughan, Stephen and Laura have also won £250 worth of Booker vouchers.
Increased sales and profits
Stephen says: “I was over the moon to be named British Roast Dinner Week’s ‘Best Dressed Pub’. The whole week worked really well for my business to both increase sales and profits, and this was topped by a visit from Michael!
“We used the week as a chance to shout about our carvery offer. We used to just serve them in the evenings but, thanks to the success of British Roast Dinner Week, we’re now selling more than ever – all day, every day. We used some of the promotional posters from Knorr Gravy and also created our own banners so everyone was aware of our fabulous carvery. But I can’t take all the credit. The news of our ‘round-the-clock’ carveries got people talking and simply brought more customers through the door.”
The decision to serve roast dinners during the week has helped The Sunray generate an extra £800 profit from carveries alone. The pub has also increased its drink sales significantly.
Stuart Hyslop, sales director – catering, Booker, is a keen supporter of British Roast Dinner Week. He said: “It’s fantastic news that one of our customers has won this competition and it’s especially pleasing that it’s had such a positive effect on their business and helped them sell more. Stephen and his team bought all of the roast meats from Booker and I’m delighted they were so well received by his customers.”
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