1 in 10 of UK’s top restaurants are pubs

The awards are designed to celebrate the “highest calibre of restaurants”, with critic-led opinions and thousands of diner votes used to create the list.

The Kinneuchar Inn, Kilconquhar, Fife & Angus, is the first pub featured on the list in 14^th​ place. The 17^th​ century site offers an a la carte menu with produce primarily sourced from the nearby Balcaskie Estate and a handful of other local growers.

Next, the Greyhound in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire ranks in 21^st​ place. Husband and wife team Daniel Crump and Margriet Vandezande-Crump are at the helm of the gastropub.

In 24^th​ spot is 15^th​ century North Yorkshire site the Angel at Hetton, which won a Michelin star within its first year of opening.

Celebrating pubs

Canterbury-based pub the Forwich Arms in Kent comes in at 31^st​ place. Hay-smoked chalk stream trout with Celtic mustard and citrus hollandaise is an example of a dish from the seasonal menu which showcases the county’s best ingredients.

Named after author George Orwell, Henley-On-Thames pub Orwells in Oxfordshire comes in at 50^th​ place. SquareMeal claimed the site mixed “gastropub charms with some really creative, seasonal British cooking.”

Next comes the Masons Arms in Knowstone, Devon. The hatched inn features cuisine ranging from £30 to £49.

Chef-patron Stosie Madi’s pub the Parkers Arms is featured in the list’s 66^th​ spot. The gastropub in Newton-in-Bowland, Lancashire offers a three course, daily changing menu for £45. The pub is renowned for its pies which are most often served at lunch.

Seasonal flavours

Co Down, Newtownards pub Balloo House ranks at 88^th​. The Northern Irish pub has been serving guests for more than 400 years, and its menu prioritises “pared-back punchy classics” that offer diners “exquisite flavours teamed with cosy and familiar comfort food,” according to SquareMeal.

Following this comes chef Adam Handling’s pub the Loch & Tyne in Old Windsor, Berkshire. Co-chef proprietors Steven Kerr and Johnny McNeil join Handling at the pub to serve a hybrid of Newcastle and Scotland’s finest dishes – a nod to the owners’ childhood homes.

The last gastropub on the list is Sculthorpe Mill in Fakenham, Norfolk, which takes 96^th​ place. The country pub is packed full of “character and charm” alongside fresh seasonal menus, wrote SquareMeal.

Celebrity chef Tom Kerridge’s pubs – the Hand and Flowers and the Coach, both in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, missed out on spots in this year’s rankings, despite stealing 26^th​ and 49^th​ place in last year’s list.