PUB OF THE YEAR 2023

Every year CAMRA runs a national Pub of the Year (POTY) competition, with the overall winner announced in January. This competition starts the previous spring with the announcement of the individual winners for each branch.

Last year we took the decision that the branch competition would be run on the same guidelines as the national one, using the same judging criteria. During the year we have asked members to nominate the pubs that should be under consideration for the award, and from those nominations drew up a shortlist of nine pubs that were visited by committee members and scored against the following criteria:

• Quality and condition of product

• Promotion and knowledge of product

• Cleanliness and staff hygiene

• Service, welcome and offering

• Style, Decor and Furnishing

• Community Focus and Atmosphere

• Sympathy with CAMRA aims

• Overall Impression and Value

The nine pubs that were chosen for the shortlist were: BLACK HORSE (Preston), CONTINENTAL (Preston), GUILD ALE HOUSE (Preston), MALT ‘N’ HOPS (Chorley), MARKET ALE HOUSE (Leyland), MASONS ARMS (Chorley), MOORBROOK (Preston), RED LION (Wheelton), and SHEPHERDS’ HALL ALE HOUSE (Chorley).

When we ran this competition last year, there was a clear winner, with all but one of the judges selecting the same pub as winner. This year we had a greater variation of opinion and the result was in doubt until the last score was in, with the BLACK HORSE winning (if you will pardon the racing pun) by a nose from the MALT ‘N’ HOPS

The BLACK HORSE was the last winner of our George Lee Memorial Trophy in 2020, when, due to COVID, it never had the chance to compete in the national Pub of the Year competition. It was runner-up last year, so the award is well merited.

The presentation was held on 26th January. The pub was packed with staff and their family, locals and branch members, as well as representatives from Robinsons brewery; David Bremner (Director of Marketing)

Cordelia Robinson (Licensee Enagement Manager), and Helen Brierley & Ian Shilling (Business Development Managers). Talking to them during the course of the evening, it seemed they were as pleased with the award as the pub was. It is quite unusual for a pub that is tied to a major brewery to win a branch POTY, but of course this is no runof-the-mill tied pub. Going back in time, the pub was owned by Kay’s Atlas Brewery of Ardwick, who were taken over by Robinsons in 1929. The pub is designated as an Ale Shrine and is one of only 7 of the brewery’s pubs allowed to sell guest ales.

In the early days of CAMRA, there were many parts of the country where finding real ale was a challenge, although not so much in the north-west. Robinsons were very much a ‘friend of CAMRA’ with virtually all their pubs selling real ale. The brewery gave their tenants great support during the periods of lockdown, and Dan Taylor from the Black Horse is full of praise for the way they helped.

During the 1960s and 70s, many of the bigger brewers modernised their pub estate, ripping out old fixtures and turning their pubs into one large room. It certainly made them easier to run, but just imagine what we would have lost had the brewery decided to do this here! During the presentation, the branch thanked the brewery for all of these things and Dan and his team for their commitment to both the pub and to real ale.

Some pubs win branch awards and make little of them. You cannot miss the fact the this is our Pub of the Year, with two large banners outside and the awards proudly displayed behind the bar for all to see. Congratulations to Dan Taylor and his team for their stewardship of this great pub, which now goes forward into the next round of judging where it will come up against the other Lancashire branch winners. We wish them well.

ADRIAN SMITH