CAMRA’s Yorkshire Pub of the Year award

The George & Dragon, Hudswell, North Yorkshire, has been named CAMRA’S ‘Yorkshire Pub of the Year 2016’. The pub is located 3 miles west of Richmond, on the border of the beautiful Yorkshire Dales. It is owned by Hudswell Community Pub Limited, which was formed in 2010 to buy, refurbish, and re-open the only pub in the village. It has achieved this and gone on to develop the pub as a hub for a wide range of activities and services. Stuart Miller has been running the pub since 28th July 2014. He is supported by an excellent team including his father Keith and his brother Sam, who are both outstanding chefs. It is described in the new CAMRA Good Beer Guide 2017 as: “At the heart of the village, this homely multi-roomed country inn has a large beer terrace offering fantastic panoramic views over the Swale Valley.” Copper Dragon Best Bitter and Rudgate Ruby Mild, are the beers that are available on a regular basis. Three regularly changing guest beers, sourced mainly from within the Yorkshire region, are also always available. To celebrate the pub’s first appearance in the Good Beer Guide since it reopened, a regional launch of the Good Geer Guide 2017 will be held in the pub tomorrow (15th). CAMRA National Director and George & Dragon shareholder Ken Davie will be available for interviews in the pub from 1pm onwards. The Runner-up in the competition was The Sportsman in Huddersfield, which is run by John Fletcher. The pub is owned by Beerhouses; a small Dewsbury based pub group that owns five pubs. It is described in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide 2017 as: “This 1930s pub has won a CAMRA English Heritage Conservation Pub design award. Eight handpumps include one serving a Mallinson’s beer.” CAMRA’s Yorkshire Regional Director, Kevin Keaveny, said “The results of this year’s competition highlight the success that can be achieved by an enthusiastic community company and a small wellmanaged pub group.” The licensee of the George & Dragon will be presented with a framed certificate at 2.00 pm on Saturday 19th November by Kevin Keaveny, CAMRA’s Regional Director. The licensee of The Sportsman will be presented with a framed certificate at 2.00 pm on Saturday 12th November by Peter Goddard, CAMRA’s Deputy Regional Director. The eighteen nominations for this year’s prestigious title were visited by individual members of a judging panel over a four month period. Each nomination was scored against strict criteria that included an emphasis on the Quality and Choice of Real Ale, Style/Decor, and Service and Value. THE FINALISTS Barnsley – Crown, Elsecar Bradford – Hop, Saltaire Cleveland – Downe Arms, Castleton Darlington – Crown Inn, Manfield Doncaster – Doncaster Brewery Tap, Doncaster Halifax & Calderdale – Firehouse, Sowerby Bridge Harrogate – 10 Devonshire Place, Harrogate Heavy Woollen – New Inn, Roberttown Huddersfield – Sportsman, Huddersfield Hull & East Yorkshire – Butcher’s Dog, Driffield Keighley & Craven – Talbot Arms, Settle Leeds – Kirkstall Bridge Inn, Kirkstall North West Yorkshire – George & Dragon, Hudswell Rotherham – Beehive, Harthill Scarborough – Sun Inn, Pickering Sheffield – Kelham Island Tavern, Sheffield Wakefield – Robin Hood, Altofts York – Rook & Gaskill, York