The finalists are:
Brucan Pubs
Current award title holder Brucan Pubs has had another impressive year with its food offer across Berkshire and Surrey sites.
Brucan’s core values focus around great pubs, great people and great produce and the business, which is led by managing director James Lyon-Shaw and co-founder and HR and recruitment director Nick Solomides, continues to serve up success across all.
The business, which started in 2018, now has five pubs (including a café/farm shop at The Greyhound in Finchampstead), with The White Oak in Cookham, Berkshire its most recent opening. It continues to deliver on the old English meaning of its name of ‘use and enjoy’, with its mouthwatering food menus and carefully curated drinks offer driving consistently strong customer satisfaction levels and loyalty.
Its menu magic comes from a blend of elevated pub classics, enticing la carte dishes and specials that really are special - with chefs crafting imaginative dishes from the very best seasonal ingredients.
Dishes to dine for are delivered through the great skills of its talented chefs, with a-nose-to-tail approach to food preparation, as well as the excellent quality of the produce sourced, which comes from smaller artisan suppliers, regenerative farms and small holdings and day boat fish from British coastal waters.
Brucan’s food offer carefully balances chef creativity and passion and premium quality British produce with profitability, and whilst it is proudly unwavering in the quality and integrity of its ingredients, despite the ongoing cost pressures in the industry, it continues to works hard to keep menu prices accessible and the quality of its offer consistent.
The business is also seeing continuing success with its Bottomless Sunday roasts and set-lunch menus, which help drive regular bookings.
Brucan’s passion for people also stands out, with the flexibility offered, progression opportunities and contagious passion for food among the reasons it has such a long-serving team of Brucaneers.
Cheshire Cat Pubs & Inns
It’s 16 years since Tim Bird and Mary McLaughlin founded Cheshire Cat Pubs & Inns, but for this dynamic duo (who also have extensive pre Cheshire Cat industry experience) ‘This is a journey that never stops’, with these passionate foodies continually learning as they strive to deliver consistently great food which delights guests.
The business, which has delivered another record year for its food offer with sales and profitability, has seven pubs across Cheshire and Staffordshire, with three also offering boutique stays. Its pubs include the Cholmondeley Arms which was crowned the Great British Pub of The Year 2023, and its three venues in the same village of Mobberley – the Bulls Head, the Roebuck and Church Inn.
Individually crafted menus at each pub, celebrate locally sourced ingredients which are cooked with passion and flair by the group’s skilled, dedicated and loyal chefs who deliver mighty menus from some of the smallest kitchens in the industry. A passion for local sourcing is encouraged through initiatives including supplier trips and a ‘Big Green Plate’ challenge, where chef de parties cook a dish from locally sourced ingredients.
The business, which doesn’t taken bookings in most sites, consistently drives footfall across the week through the quality, consistency and accessible pricing of its menus.
Each menu reflects the bespoke and distinctive atmosphere each pubs offers ranging from a bistro style menu at The Roebuck Inn, to wholesome British classics at The Bull Inn and a la carte dishes at The Church Inn.
With its drinks offers as carefully curated as its food, it is unsurprising that food and drink matching nights and special weeks have been one of the success stories of the past year. From whisky, wine, port and rum dinners to ‘Ale and Burgers Week’, ‘Game and Port/Wine Week’ and ‘Beer and Bangers Week’, these events help keep things exciting for both chefs and customers alike.
Its Champions training programme, which focuses on the key passions of the business and includes a Food Champion programme is also reaping strong rewards through the engaging impactful and interactive sessions delivered.
Bundobust
This innovative business, which combines creative, modern Indian street food with craft beer, including from its own brewery, continues to impress ten years on from its first opening in Leeds.
Bundobust was born out of a collaboration between two Bradford boys – Mayur Patel, a chef with generations of Indian food heritage whose family own award-winning restaurant Prashad, and Marko Husak, a craft beer bar owner.
The duo developed Bundobust from pop-ups to now four sites, including Bundobust Brewery at its Oxford road site in Manchester. Bundobust also has a food stand outside Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium and caters at multiple outside events too.
The business, who last year won the ‘UK’s Best Taproom’ at the SIBA Awards, continues to be a positive force for independent hospitality in the North, with its impactful marketing including exciting collaborations with other breweries and local food businesses.
Its excellent value and fresh and vibrant food offer is all vegetarian (75% of the menu can also be made vegan), which is something it quietly gets on with but which also helps deliver excellent GPs.
As well as its exciting main food menu, which includes dishes such as its best-selling Bundo chaat and okra fries, as well as new combo packages for diners to share a range of favourite dishes, regular special campaigns help keep customers returning, such as Indo-Chinese and Indo Mexican.
Impactful event focused specials in the past year include New Year’s Eve brunch, Diwali and the Euros, with customers enjoying dishes such as Vindaloo pie alongside English hopped lager from its brewery whilst watching the games. Sprout bhajis were among dishes impressing customers again at Christmas, while Oktoberfest was celebrated with specials like Desi spiced pretzel pieces.
Its strong financial performance and great team retention were also areas which stood out for praise from judges.
Longbow Venues
It’s been a busy year for independent operator Longbow Venues (making its debut into these awards) which now has five sites in the Peak District, including four with boutique rooms, and exciting plans for more.
The business was started in 2019 by managing director Rob Hattersley with the opening of flagship site The Maynard in Grindleford. It opened two country pubs last year - The Ashford Arms in Ashford in the Water, near Bakewell and The Peacock at Owler Bar, near Sheffield. It has also just opened historic hotel The Peacock at Rowsley.
The seasonally changing menus at the groups’ pubs and hotels aim to showcase the best of the Peak District, with 80% of its ingredients sourced from within a 25-mile radius. Menus offer customers premium but everyday accessible food which keeps them returning regularly and driving an impressive increase in food sales in the past year.
Executive chef Adrian Gagea leads a passionate team of chefs who all collaborate in the menu creation process and deliver a food offer that reflects a balance of tradition and modern flair.
Menus feature dishes that celebrate the Best of British cuisine, with classic favourites like handmade pies, as well as fusion favourites like Dukka-spiced lamb and wasabi duck bon bons.
The menus at Longbow Venues are very inclusive, with an impressive 90% of the menu adaptable for gluten-free diets and a strong focus on imaginative plant-based dishes.
There is a strong people focus at Longbow Venues, with an ethos of ‘people over profits, always’, with the business featuring in The Sunday Times Best Places To Work For 2024. It has a big focus on team development and internal progression through its ‘Longbow Way’ programme, as well as offering its team great flexibility and benefits.
Initiatives including its monthly Chef School sessions, leadership training and mentoring are also helping to ensure team cohesion and stability and ongoing customer satisfaction.
