‘Vital hub of the community’ pub tastes success at Star Awards
The awards were the biggest ever held by the pub company, reflecting Star’s enlarged estate of 2,700 pubs.
Representatives from 90 finalist pubs attended the ceremony, which was hosted by comedian Ed Byrne at the Belfry Resort in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands.
There were 16 awards given for areas ranging from innovation to food and, for the first time, there was also an award for licensees on Star’s managed operator arm – the Just Add Talent agreement.
Outstanding success
Kate Hayden and Paul Warriner took home Star Pub of the Year and the Heart of the Community awards for the Snow Goose in Farnborough, Hampshire.
Star said the pub’s outstanding success as a popular pub combined with its role as a vital hub of the community marked it out from the rest.
Its superb food and drink events and customer service ensure business grows year on year. The judges also commented on Hayden and Warriner’s constant innovation, commitment to the highest standards and creation of an offer that appeals to all ages for a whole range of occasions.
Talent standard
Star Pubs & Bars managing director Lawson Mountstevens said: “This was a special year for the Star Awards as it was also the first anniversary of our acquisition of 1,900 pubs from Punch.
“It has been fantastic to have so many great licensees joining Star Pubs & Bars this past year and to see so many of them represented at the awards – the increased numbers took the level of competition up a notch.
“If the Star Awards is anything to go by, the standard of talent in the leased and talented sector is at an all-time high. It was inspiring to have such superb operators, who are so passionate and positive about pubs, gathered together.”
The winners:
Best Bar Team
Pauline Boswell, the Royal Hotel, Sheffield, South Yorkshire
Live Sports Venue
Kathleen Howard, the Dickens Bar & Inn, Scarborough, North Yorkshire
Heart of the Community
Kate Hayden and Paul Warriner, the Snow Goose, Farnborough, Hampshire
Famous for Food
Howard Egglestone, Tomahawk, Newcastle
Most Family Friendly
Martin and Rowena Sanderson, the Stags Head, Goosnargh, Preston, Lancashire
Best Outdoor Pub
Chris Driver, the Derry, Long Newton, Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham
Pint Perfection
Rick Ellison, the Peak Hotel, Castleton, Derbyshire
Best Cask Pub
Miss Anna, the Strugglers Inn, Lincoln, Lincolnshire
Marketing
Dave and Marion Carr, the Brandling Villa, South Gosforth, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Tyne & Wear
Best Newcomer
Jackie Fairburn, the Hare & Hounds, West Ardsley, Wakefield, West Yorkshire
Most Innovative
Pug Pubs: the Fat Pug, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire
Best Soft Drinks
Mike Reeve, the Weld Blundell, Lydiate, Liverpool, Merseyside
Best Spirits
Eimear and Mark Walsh, the Winchmore, Winchmore Hill, north London
Best Wine
Chris and Murray Booker, the New Inn, Hurstpierpoint, Hassocks, West Sussex
Just Add Talent Pub of the Year
Simon Parish and Simone Kelly, the Musketeer, Banbury, Oxfordshire
Star Pub of the Year
Kate Hayden and Paul Warriner, the Snow Goose, Farnborough, Hampshire
