Ruislip & Eastcote & Northwood Gazette
Famous bar is officially the best pub for watching sport
FULHAM WATERING HOLE SCOOPS THE TITLE IN THE GREAT BRITISH PUB AWARDS
THE Great British Pub Awards announced a whole host of winners from across the country in a plethora of categories. Sixteen awards were given in total, which saw just one London venue take home an accolade.
Run by The Morning Advertiser, the awards have been going for more than two decades, aiming to give recognition to the best and brightest pubs up and down the country. They looked at venues for all different types of occasions, including the best pub for families, dogs, food, entertainment - and of course, football.
The champion of champions was given to The Gun Inn in Findon, West Sussex, which also clinched the Marston’s Pub of the Year. Owner Sally Harries, a former art teacher turned licensee, was praised for putting her own unique flair on the 17th century pub, with its “quirky modern twists without compromising its historic character”, reported the Morning Advertiser. The publication said staff are encouraged to bring their own ideas for the pub’s events calendar.
Fulham’s The Famous Three Kings took home the crown for the Best Pub to Watch Sport award after a jampacked summer of incredible sporting action. Their website listed all the matches you can expect to find in the coming weeks, including the hotly anticipated Women’s England vs USA match, Premier League games, rugby union, and even NFL. Inside the West London pub you’ll find massive flat screens where you can enjoy the action while playing pool or sit down and enjoy a tipple.
They’ve also released a new set of menus, covering everything from dinners to drinks to brunch. Find dishes to share such as “The
Crowd Pleaser” (eight chicken wings, garlic bread, onion rings, southernfried chicken goujons, halloumi, skewers and cheesy BBQ beef burnt endstopped-nachos in a beet tortilla bowl, with cucumber slices and dips); small plates of tacos, stone-baked pizzas and pizza cones – whatever they may be; and a burger list as long as you like.
Other winners on the night included the Tamworth Tap in Staffordshire (Best Pub Garden), Ye Olde Bridge Inn, Oxton, Nottinghamshire (Best Pub for Families), The Shibden Mill, Halifax, West Yorkshire (Best Pub for Food), and The Bellflower, Garstang, Lancashire for the best pub to take your furry friends to.
Ed Bedington, editor of The Morning Advertiser, said: “This isn’t about Michelin stars or spit and sawdust boozers, these awards recognise vibrant, superb businesses from every spectrum of the sector that form the heart of the communities they serve.
“We aim to shine a spotlight on how much pubs do for the local areas and how many of us had our first job in a pub where we learnt key skills? These venues also provide a spot for otherwise lonely people to have company and how many grassroots sports teams are supported and hosted at their local?
“Pubs have not had an easy time of it in the past couple of years and that certainly shows no sign of getting easier anytime soon either but, despite this, we still see superb businesses that do so much for so many and are a beacon of hospitality and inclusivity in these uncertain times.”