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If there’s one thing you can’t accuse Britain of being bad at, it’s pub culture. Whether you’re after a classic Sunday roast, a pint after work, or somewhere to watch the football with your mates, there’s always somewhere you can go, usually within a 10-minute walk.
Because we do pubs so well, it’s not easy to name a favourite. The Great British Pub Awards takes on this herculean task headfirst every single year, celebrating the very best in the industry in categories from best food to best for dogs.
Although they are called the ‘British’ pub awards, we must warn you, this year it’s a pretty English list. In fact, it’s entirely English. Sorry, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Upgrade your pub game then we can talk.
Overall, there 16 winners across the country, including the lucky winner of the coveted ‘best pub’ award. That title went to, drumroll please… The Tollemache Arms in Harrington, affectionately known by locals as the ‘Tolly’.
Judges were impressed by the Tolly’s commitment to locally sourced produce and its classic thatched roof, both of which give it a real, ‘quintessential country pub’ feel. The annual garden concert also helped push it over the edge from ‘good’ to ‘great’ and secure it the gold. The Tolly was also named best country pub, so it’s been a pretty good year for the indie Northampton boozer.
Of course, plenty of other great bars were recognised for excellence at their respective crafts. For instance if you’re looking for somewhere to go with the kids, the Almondsbury Creative in Bristol is where you want to be. Alternatively if you’re trying to enjoy the sun, Leeds' Myrtle Tavern has the UK’s best pub garden.
Here’s the full list of winners in no particular order. If you’re brave enough, use this as a year-long pub crawl.
Great British Pub Awards 2024 winners
- Overall Great British Pub of the Year: The Tollemache Arms, Harrington, Northamptonshire
- Best Town Pub: Bull & Swan, Stamford, LINCS
- Best Pub for Dogs: No. Twenty9 Bar and Restaurant, Burnham Market, Norfolk
- Best Pub for Entertainment: The Trafalgar Tavern, Greenwich, London
- Best Pub for Families: Almondsbury Creative, Bristol, South Gloucester
- Best Pub for Food: Hinds Head, Bray, Berkshire
- Best Pub Garden: Myrtle Tavern, Leeds, West Yorkshire
- Best Pub to Watch Sport: The Gardeners Arms / Murderers, Norwich, Norfolk
- Best Sustainable Pub: The Pig's Head, London
- Best Community Pub: The Swan, Windsor, Berkshire
- Best Country Pub: The Tollemache Arms, Harrington, Northamptonshire
- Best Pub for Beer: Tamworth Tap, Tamworth, Staffordshire
- Greene King Pub of the Year: The Cott Inn, Dartington, Devon
- Admiral Taverns Pub of the Year: The Royal Oak, Brandon, Warwickshire
- Marston's Pub of the Year: Griffin, Loughborough, Leicestershire
- Stonegate Group Pub Partners Pub of the Year: The Gloucester Old Spot, Bristol
- Punch Pub of the Year: The Red Lion, Cranford, Kettering
You can read more about the victors, as well as check out an interactive map of the country with all of them highlighted, on the Great British Pub Awards’ website here.
Pubs according to Time Out
None of the winners taking your fancy? We have our own rankings you might prefer. Here’s our favourite pubs in the UK, some seriously stunning boozers you might never have heard of, and the best beer gardens to bid summer farewell from.
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