Top 50 Gastropubs
Three pubs named ‘Ones to Watch’ in Top 50 Gastropubs
Cornish pubs the St Tudy Inn, in Bodmin, and the Port Gaverne Hotel, in Port Isaac, as well as the recently reopened Grantley Arms in Wonersh, Surrey, were tipped as being pubs with a bright future at the awards, which took place on Monday 25 January at the Hermitage Road Bar & Kitchen, in Hitchin, Hertfordshire.
The Publican’s Morning Advertiser food writer Daniel Woolfson said: “These three pubs are all doing exciting things within the world of pub food and, despite being relatively new businesses, they are already well respected in and beyond their local areas.”
Last year, Dominic Chapman’s Berkshire pub the Beehive, in White Waltham, and celebrity chef brothers Chris and James Tanner’s Kent gastropub the Kentish Hare, in Tunbridge Wells, were named as ones to watch.
Both entered into the Top 50 List this year coming in 14 and 33 place respectively.
Woolfson added: “Last year, our predictions were eerily accurate so we’re expecting big things from these pubs in 2017.”
The St Tudy Inn
St Tudy Inn chef-owner Emily Scott made her name at the popular Harbour Kitchen, in Port Isaac, before selling it to revered chef Nathan Outlaw in 2013.
She opened the St Tudy earlier this year, with an eye to creating a relaxed eating and drinking environment and showcasing the area’s producers and suppliers.
Sample dishes: artichoke with white bean and rocket salad; monkfish with saffron, cream and rocket; chocolate mousse with baked quince.
The Port Gaverne Hotel
The Port Gaverne Hotel sits in the secluded fishing village of Port Isaac and offers a seasonal menu, heavily featuring local seafood that is often served on the day it has been caught. Owner David Barnard created several successful restaurants before taking on the Port Gaverne.
The kitchen is headed up by head chef James Lean, who previously worked as sous chef at Michelin-starred restaurant Outlaw’s at The Capital, in Knightsbridge, London.
Sample dishes: spiced tamarind chicken wings with spring onions and coriander; confit duck leg with puy lentils, purple sprouting broccoli and marmalade gravy; sticky toffee pudding with butterscotch sauce and praline ice cream.
The Grantley Arms
Chris Frederick and Richard Cryer took on the Grantley Arms last year, giving it a complete refurbishment and enlisting chef Matt Edmonds, who previously worked at Searcys at The Gherkin, in London, to head up the kitchen.
Frederick has said he wanted the pub to become a central part of village life again as well as a destination dining spot.
Sample dishes: compressed pear with walnuts, parsley, prune and Barkham blue cheese; hay-smoked Saddleback pork fillet with black garlic, braised cheek and artichoke; South Down pheasant with haricot beans, onion and purple sprouts.
To see who made this year’s Estrella Damm Top 50 Gastropubs list and who won the specialist category awards, visit www.top50gastropubs.com.
Top 50 Gastropubs 2016 was sponsored by headline sponsor Estrella Damm in association with Nestlé Chef, Appletiser and Schweppes and Berkmann Wine Cellars
