GBPA: inspiration from three 2016 winners

Entries are now open for the 2017 event​, and The Morning Advertiser​ (MA​) is looking for the best pubs in the country to compete across 17 categories to claim the overall title of being named Great British Pub of the Year.

Ed Bedington, editor of MA​, which organises the event, said: “We’re calling on all pubs across Great Britain to enter the awards. This is a great opportunity to have a look at what you’re doing and benchmark yourself against the best in the business.

“Last year’s winners have all gone on to experience great success since winning their titles, so what are you waiting for? Get your entries in now!”

Below we talk to three of last year's winners to show what winning could do for you.

Best Spirits Bar/Pub: ​Spoken, Devon 

The venue in Exmouth, Devon, caught the judges’ eyes as a winning spirits pub due to its wide and sophisticated range. Although its range is vast, the venue is welcoming, offering a selection of drinks appealing to everyman.

Spoken’s cocktail menu is small but perfectly formed, with many classics represented as well as cocktails original to the site. But don’t be fooled by the light-looking list, bar staff have been trained to create as many cocktails as you would find in a high-end London cocktail bar and they can do it just as well too.

George Nightingale says: “Winning the award in 2016 has helped us market the business in a totally different way than we were able to previously. It motivated the staff considerably and gave them a real sense of pride being associated with a nationally recognised business. The foundations this is giving us for our very own spirits company have been invaluable and the contacts created, priceless. I would encourage everyone to enter and take part.”

As well as winning the overall prize, Spoken was shortlisted in the cocktail of the year award – sponsored by Diageo – designed to showcase the skills of bar staff.

Best Food Pub: Freemasons at Wiswell, Lancashire​

Accolades have come thick and fast for Steve Smith and wife and business partner Agnieszka Tyczka since winning the Great British Pub Awards food category last year.

Not only did Freemasons at Wiswell, Lancashire, climb five places to number four in this year’s Estrella Damm Top 50 Gastropubs event, but it made a repeat entry into the Good Food Guide 2017​ as well as acquiring a raft of other accolades.

Of his win, Smith said: “Winning Best Food Pub at the Great British Pub Awards was fantastic for the Freemasons. We strive to give our customers an unforgettable experience when they dine with us and this award goes to show that all our hard work is worth it!

“Awards help spread the word, and winning this has put the pub in front of a lot of potential customers, many of whom take industry recognition seriously and have been in to see what we’re like off the back of winning the award. While we’re serious about providing fine dining at the Freemasons, we’re equally serious about being a pub – something we never want to forget.”

The pair aren’t ready to rest – as well as plans to add a number of boutique hotel rooms to the pub, Smith aims to create a private-dining venture called Mr Smiths at the back of the Freemason’s kitchen where private parties can host functions with bespoke tasting menus.

Best Sports Pub: Famous Three Kings, Fulham, west London

Being named the best in the country comes as a shock to some. Not so for Paul Eastwood, manager of the Famous Three Kings in Fulham, west London, the pub named as the best in the country for sport at the 2016 Great British Pub Awards.

“I was quietly confident just because of the sheer ability to show so many different sports and teams,” Eastwood says.

He does have a point. The Stonegate site is decked throughout with top-quality AV equipment, meaning that the pub can show 12 to 13 different things at once and has six different sound zones.

Last year’s success is not something that Eastwood and his team have been keeping quiet about. The pub is located on the A4, also known as the main road into London from the west, and now has the Great British Pub Awards logo in the window, as well as a chalkboard outside the pub. As a result, anyone now heading into London from the west knows they are heading past the reigning best sports pub in the country.

The triumph at the 2016 awards has proved as much of a success inside the pub as outside. “There’s probably less major sport this year, yet we are £7,000 a week up year on year,” Eastwood says.

He adds that after 2016, the team at the pub is “desperate” to win again at the Great British Pub Awards. So will 2017 see a famous second victory for the Famous Three Kings?

Operators can enter online here​ for the first round of judging.