Award presentations
Category: Awards
Pub of the Year (North Sheffield)
The Gardener’s Rest on Neepsend Lane has been voted Pub of The Year for Sheffield North by the Sheffield & District branch of CAMRA. This is the third time this friendly well-run community-owned pub has won the award and in 2019 they were also Sheffield & District CAMRA’s overall Pub of The Year.
The pub has been through many changes in the last couple of decades. After extensive flood damage in 2007, the pub finally reopened in 2009, and steadily built back it’s reputation and customer base under the guidance of previous owner Eddy Munnelly, who sadly died earlier this year. A tribute to Eddy appears on the News page of the Sheffield CAMRA website.
A turning point in the Gardeners’ history came when Eddy decided to retire in 2016. Keen to keep the pub in all its glory, a group of regulars formed the Gardeners Rest Community Society and took over the running of it. A subsequent share issue saw nearly 400 investors raise enough money to buy the pub outright in 2017. As they say – “more than a pub, a community hub”.
8 handpulls on the bar serve a regularly changing line up of great real ales, as well as real ciders, often from small independent breweries and producers.
Regular live music has been a feature of the pub for some time, featuring local musicians as well as drop-in sessions for anyone who wants to join in. There are also occasional art exhibitions in the main bar; frequent beer festivals; a bar billiards table in the snug; and possibly the quirkiest beer garden in Sheffield.
We will be presenting the award on Tuesday 20th June at 9pm. Everyone is welcome to join us to celebrate and the pub has kindly agreed to provide sandwiches!
Pub of the Year 2023 (Kelham Island and Overall)
Our annual competition sees all the pubs that have won a Pub of the Month award over the past year along with those pubs awarded a place in the current Good Beer Guide put out for our members to vote for their favourites. The best two in each region of our branch area then get subjectively judged to pick regional and overall winners – and here they are!
- Sheffield Kelham Island – Kelham Island Tavern
- Sheffield City Centre – Sheffield Tap
- North Sheffield – Gardeners Rest, Neepsend
- East Sheffield – Chantry Inn, Handsworth
- South Sheffield – Sheaf View, Heeley
- West Sheffield – Rising Sun, Nether Green
- District (Derbyshire) – Red Lion, Litton
Overall winner: Kelham Island Tavern
- Second place was Sheffield Tap
- Third place was Chantry Inn
The Kelham Island Tavern has now been put forward into the Yorkshire entry round of the national competition whilst the Red Lion has been put forward into the North Derbyshire entry round.
Cider Pub of the Year
This is a separate competition, the winner is selected from member nominations by a vote at the March branch meeting and recognises venues offering and championing proper cider. The winner this year is the Cider Hole. This has now been put forward into the Yorkshire entry round of the national competition.
Congratulations to all the winners, we’ll be arranging presentation events at all the pubs over the coming months, keep an eye out for features in Beer Matters magazine and on our website with more about them!
Pub of the Year 2023 (South Sheffield)
The Sheaf View at Heeley has been voted as CAMRA Sheffield & District Pub of the Year 2023 (Sheffield South) by our members.
The 19th century pub, near Heeley City Farm became a real ale oasis since reopening as a free house in 2000. The walls and shelves are adorned with breweriana and provide an ideal background for good drinking and conversations.
The pub changed ownership becoming part of the Trust Inns estate (along with the Blake Hotel) in 2022. Day to day management however has remained unchanged. They now provide eight casks ales, 4 from Neepsend Brewery and 4 guest ales. A wide range of Belgian and other continental beers, an incredible selection of malt whiskies and traditional cider are also available.
They also have occasional events such as their Spring Time Vegan Beer Festival held over the 1st May Bank Holiday this year.
This is a popular local pub and especially so on Wednesday quiz nights and Sheffield United match days.
The Sheaf View has now won the Sheffield South Pub of the Year award 4 times (every time it has been awarded since the area awards were started in 2019)
We are presenting their award on the evening of Thursday 18th May, all are welcome to join us there from 8pm for a beer or two!
The Sheaf View can be found at 25 Gleadless Road, Heeley, Sheffield S2 3AA. Buses 20, 24, 25, 43, 44 and X17 stop nearby on London Road by the railway bridge / Ponsfords furniture store. Car park also available.
Pub of the Year 2023 (East Sheffield)
The Chantry Inn (400 Handsworth Road, S13 9BZ) has been voted as Sheffield and District CAMRA East Area Pub of the Year for 2023 and third overall in the city wide competition.
This historic pub which was built around 1250 is uniquely one of only four pubs in the UK set in consecrated grounds being within the grounds of St Mary’s parish church in Handsworth.
It comprises of three different rooms each with some original and unique features including real fireplaces, beamed low ceilings and even the bell pushes used in previous days to order the ale. There are also claims of various tunnels and passageways from the cellar to the church.
It has had a varied past originally being a chantry and safe house for nuns, then a washhouse and a school before being a pub for much of the later years from the early 1800’s.
Chantry Brewery acquired the pub in early 2019 and undertook a tasteful restoration and deliver real quality beers. There are always 5 cask ales on tap from Chantry brewery with a rotating special including Steelos, Kaldos, Full Moon alongside the regulars of New York pale, Iron and Steel bitter, Special Reserve and Diamond Stout. There are also changing keg beers available often from Tiny Rebel or Beavertown as well as real cider and Chantry brewery’s own Helles lager.
Their recent special Parkgate 200 has been on the members bar at the Houses of Parliament in London ensuring our elected leaders get to taste the excellent Chantry Ales.
Congratulations to all involved with the Chantry Inn including the brewery and the pub manager Terry and his partner Alison. The area pub of the year award presentation is planned for the evening of Tuesday 30th May from around 8pm onwards and all are welcome to join the celebration.
Pub of the Year 2023 (Cider)
Congratulations to Mike Pomranz and all at the Cider Hole (unit 1.3, Krynkl, Shalesmoor, S3 8UL) for being voted the Sheffield and District CAMRA ‘Cider Pub of the Year’ 2023.
Since 2006, Mike has been writing about beer professionally, appearing in a wide array of publications including Time, People, Travel + Leisure, VinePair, and Playboy. He joined the staff of Food & Wine Magazine in 2014 and soon expanded into covering cider. He first experimented with making cider in 2015 and became a Certified Cider Professional in 2017.
In 2016, Mike moved from Brooklyn, New York, to Sheffield, where he continued his interest in cidermaking, focusing on using locally-collected garden apples. In 2020, he launched Quality Ferments and began importing cider and other alcoholic beverages from around the world.
Then, on 17th September 2021, The Cider Hole opened – an urban microcidery, bar, and bottle shop – where he makes and serves his own Exemption Ciderhouse cider along with over 60 other hand-selected canned and bottled ciders, craft beer and natural wine. In June 2022, Mike organised the first Sheffield Craft Cider Festival.
Last October he led a tutored tasting at the Sheffield CAMRA Steel City Beer Festival and more recently led a similar event at the national CAMRA Members’ Weekend.
Please join us for this well-deserved presentation on Saturday 27th May at 15:00. This is likely to be the last day of opening for the Cider Hole as Mike will shortly be moving into bigger premises on Orchard Square: The Old Shoe, a joint venture with the Bear (Abbeydale Road, S7 1FE), will offer 20 taps, three cask lines and a wide selection of artisan ciders, cans and bottles. It will also become the new home of Exemption Ciderhouse.
Pub of the Month March 2023
The Dog & Partridge (56 Trippet Lane, S1 4EL) has been voted as CAMRA Sheffield & District Pub of the Month March 2023.
This pub which dates back to 1796 has a unique frontage including the pub name and “Gilmours Windsor Ales & Stouts”. It also has some modern wall graffiti art outside on Bailey Street.
It compromises of four different rooms each with some original and unique features including real fireplaces in both the snug and rear room. The snug is largely unaltered retaining features including bell pushes from their table service days together with the original door and fixed seating.
The central bar has a range of cask and keg beers – four rotating cask beers often include offerings from Stancil, Abbeydale and other local breweries including a stout.
Conor who took over as landlord in 2012 has recently become free of any brewery ties. This popular pub has regular events including a weekly quiz, weekly folk evening and shows major sport events on the TV screens.
Congratulations to all involved with the Dog and Partridge including Conor and his team. The pub of the month award presentation is planned for the evening of Tuesday 14 March and all are welcome to join the celebration and perhaps enjoy the usual pub quiz from 7pm beforehand.
Pub of the Year 2023 voting
This is last year’s form. Please us the Pub of the Year 2024 form.
Voting is now underway for the 2023 Pub of the Year and all CAMRA Sheffield & District members are able to vote for their favourites from the shortlist of eligible pubs in Sheffield and surrounding parts of Derbyshire.
The voting process remains the same as in previous years, with members either selecting up to ten pubs in order of preference or selecting ten and then ranking them in the list below. The winning pubs will be announced during our AGM in April.
Please vote using the form below before the deadline of 7 February 2023.
Award presentations
Fagan’s
The next CAMRA Sheffield & District Branch Meeting will take place at Fagan’s on Tuesday 6 December. During the evening, we will be presenting, the licensees, Tom and Barbara Boulding, with a Special Award in recognition of their contribution to the Sheffield Beer scene.
Originally known as the Barrel, Fagan’s dates from circa 1790 and is one of the oldest pubs in central Sheffield. Past owners include Thomas Rawson and Company, from 1946, Gilmour’s Windsor and from 1954, Joshua Tetley. It is currently managed by Star Bars and Inns. This traditional three-roomed pub retains much of an early 1950s refit. This merits inclusion on the national CAMRA Pub heritage listings: this is a pub with Special National Historic Interest. In August this year, this Good Beer Guide pub was included on the South Yorkshire Local Heritage List.
In the past 100 years, there have been three long-standing licensees: locally-born and ex-Bomber Command, Michael Joseph (Joe) Fagan ran the pub from 6 July 1948 until 17 September 1985 becoming Tetley’s longest serving landlord. On his retirement, aged 64, the pub was renamed, and a new sign was erected. This was replaced, in 2008, with a sign which shows an image of Joe against an RAF bomber. Joe died only a few weeks after passing on the tenancy to ex-teacher, Thomas Patrick (Tom) Boulding and his wife, Barbara.
For over 37 years, Tom and Barbara have carefully managed Fagan’s. Décor-wise, every picture tells a story: visitors to the pub, local happenings, the story of Joe. Entertainment-wise, (probably) the most-stretching pub quiz in the city and (almost every evening) traditional live music. Atmospheric and welcoming, this is a traditional pub and proud of it: good solid pub-food and three well-kept cask beers (Landlord, Moonshine and Tetley’s). Outside, the pub was honoured when, in 2013, local artist, Pete McKee left The Snog on the gable end.
In late November 2022, Tom and Barbara overtook the length of tenure enjoyed by Joe (37 years, two months and 11 days). For their influential and unstinting contribution over many years, they fully deserve this award.
We wish them well in their future ventures.