Northamptonshire village pub Tollemache Arms named best in Britain at annual awards
A quintessential village pub that boasts its own festival, prides itself on sourcing local produce and works with other businesses to promote the area has been named the Great British Pub of the Year.
The Tollemache Arms in Harrington was presented with the overall title at the Great British Pub Awards having been initially named Best Country Pub earlier in the night at Manchester's Victoria Warehouse.
Co-owners Flo Pearce and Joe Buckley and the team from ‘The Tolly’ scooped the top title beating hostelries from across the UK – presented by TV star Ralf Little who struggled to pronounce the pub’s name.
After collecting their crown, the winners partied into the night before returning home to Harrington to be welcomed by regulars sharing their success.
Joe said: “It was an incredible feeling to hear The Tolly called out the first time for best country pub, the competition was incredibly high so we were blown away to win.
"Then to be called out again for the big one, The Great British pub of the year is mind-blowing.
"Winning this is the biggest award in our industry so it shows how much energy and passion our team put into everything they do. It’s a real team effort from our suppliers and producers all the way through to our team.
“We celebrated long into the night in Manchester with lots of other hospitality leaders. Awards like this are a great place to network, talk about what we all do and learn from them.”
Joe and Flo are now preparing for a busy Christmas season and are looking forward to a refit of the pub in January to mark their tenth year in charge.
Flo said: “This is the biggest award. Awards can make us better ourselves. Next is Christmas and then we will be closing in January for a full refit to make it more ‘country’ and even more beautiful.”
Chairman of judges for the awards Ed Bedington said: "These operations are outstanding, and we are extremely proud to be able to shine a light on them and the sector which is such a vibrant part of the UK's culture. I'd urge everyone to visit these incredible pubs."