Three of the best for The Inn Collection Group with Pub & Bar county titles
The Inn Collection Group are celebrating after a trio of its inns have been named the best pubs in their counties by the respected on-trade title Pub & Bar Magazine, as part of the 2024 annual awards programme.
The Bull’s Head Inn, The Harrogate Inn and The Swan Grasmere have been named as the best pubs in Gwynedd (as one of Wales’ eight preserved counties), North Yorkshire and Cumbria respectively after being entered into the judging process by the Newcastle-based Pubco.
Entering its sixth year, The National Pub & Bar Awards celebrates the very best venues, people and service standards across the modern on-trade.
Receiving a record number of entries for 2024, the internal judging panel of the magazine have considered everything from perfect service and product range to aesthetic design and entertainment schedules.
Awarding Pub of the Year titles in each county of the UK, the winners will now go on to the National Pub & Bar Awards in London this June, where 15 regional winners and an overall champion will be revealed at a glamourous, cinematic-style awards ceremony.
Bought by the group in November 2022, Beaumaris’ The Bull’s Head Inn dates to the 15th century and retains all the character it has acquired over the last 550 years.
From its listed bar decorated with an array of memorabilia including antique weaponry and reputedly the town’s original ducking stool to a newly renovated lounge, The Bull boasts plenty of comfy spots all get cosy by open log fires.
Popular with both locals and visitors, the bar has earned a widespread reputation for excellent hand-drawn real ale and for regular live music.
General manager Paul Garth said: “The Bull is a well-established part of Beaumaris and we’re delighted to be named the best pub in Gwynedd.
“We are proud to be a pub that is as much for its locals as for visitors and we have our regulars like the Bass Boys who are here with us every week.
“It’s great news for The Inn Collection Group and we’re enjoying being part of such a good company. We have already seen investment with our new lounge and six new guest rooms and we’re looking forward to going from strength to strength.”
Opening after a multi-million-pound renovation in July 2023, The Harrogate Inn and more specifically Barking George has quickly established itself as a destination venue in the North Yorkshire spa town.
With opulent, Instagram-able surroundings, there is a sense of grandeur far removed from Barking George’s previous incarnation whilst its new outdoor terrace is the perfect spot from which to look out onto the hustle and bustle of Crescent Gardens.
With a well-stocked bar serving a wide range of drinks including an extensive cocktail menu, Barking George’s Friday Night live music offering proves a particularly popular starting point for revellers.
General manager Henry White said: “We’re naturally delighted to have picked up the award for North Yorkshire. To be named best in a county where there is some serious competition is humbling.
“Since opening in July, it has been great to see the bar establish itself and the team settle into providing a welcoming place for people to come and we’re looking forward to our first full summer this year.”
The Swan, Grasmere completes the trinity of winners for The Inn Collection Group and has enjoyed an impressive 12 months after reopening following refurbishment back in April 2023.
Proving as popular for food and drinks as a place to stay since reverting to a traditional coaching inn-style venue, The Swan served more than 41,000 meals in the last 12 months and a staggering 14,000 pints of Madri.
It has also been striving to make a difference in its local community, donating £4000 to good causes in the Lakeland village.
General manager Nellie Buxton-Brown said: “It has been quite a week for The Swan, celebrating our first year back and now finding out that we’ve been named the best pub in Cumbria.
“It is quite an accolade to be recognised by Pub & Bar Magazine and we will be proudly wearing our winner’s badge and working hard to keep the standards that have seen us get that award.”
Tristan O’Hana, editor of Pub and Bar magazine: “These pubs represent all that is great about the modern on-trade. You can only imagine the fantastic variety of operations we have discovered through the judging process – it’s been an absolute pleasure to investigate just how all of these incredible operators run their businesses… What’s great about the Awards is that all the attendees of the Grand Final are already winners – they’re the best in their county.”