Kentish Express Ashford & District
Pair toast success as pub comes out top in ale awards
Joy for duo as This Ancient Boro gets gong
The owners of This Ancient Boro in Tenterden are toasting success after being given a Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) award.
Ray Pratt and his business partner Sarah Cleaton opened the doors of the pub in East Cross just 18 months ago and have already built up a loyal following.
Customers have choice of nine types of real ale together with a wide selection of ciders, wines and gins.
The Ashford, Folkestone and Romney Marsh (AFRM) CAMRA branch named the watering hole their pub of the year and Ray said: “The award will really put us on the map as far as real ale is concerned.
“It’s a close-knit community of drinkers and people take CAMRA awards seriously.”
The accolade comes after This Ancient Boro got a surprise visit from KentOnline’s Secret Drinker who raved about what he discovered in the cosy East Cross hostelry.
He was impressed by “rows of beautifully presented kegs” as well as the “great selection of ales and ciders on offer” together with the fact “there’s no pool table, no darts, no jukebox, TV screens.”
The Secret Drinker also praised the variety of ales on offer and complimented ale brewed in Tenterden: “I had the Cream Ale from Tenterden’ s Old Dairy Brewery.
“At 4.5% it was pale, very creamy and not overly powerful, but maintained plenty of flavour,” he gushed.
Roy said: “I was really chuffed when I saw the review as I’d read some on other pubs and the Secret Drinker was not so obliging in his comments.
“We’ve had a lot of new people come in on the strength of that review.”
Sarah said: “Getting the CAMRA award is just brilliant and we were very busy the day after the Secret Drinker review came out.”
Michael Line, secretary of (AFRM) CAMRA said: “The award is judged on beer quality, ambience and adherence to CAMRA standards and is always a close-run thing.
“This Ancient Boro will now go forward to the regional final.”
Roy, the former landlord of The Swan in Wittersham and The Six Bells in Woodchurch, said: “We are a quirky pub and we don’t encourage people to talk on their mobiles as we want them to have conversations with each other.”