Best nation pub within the UK named with easy cause it caught judges eye

A stunning pub in Northamptonshire won Best Country pub in this year’s Great British Pub Awards.

Stroll into winning The Tollemache Arms in Harrington and you will find yourself in a thatched 17th century building. The pub website said its owners tried to “perfect the pub” and make it the “place for every occasion, somewhere everyone felt at home and that place you called your local”.

This passion has seen licensees Joe Buckley and Flo Pearce, who took on the pub in 2015, rewarded for their efforts. Flo told the BBC it was a “fantastic and beautiful pub”.

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Judges were impressed by investment in training staff
(Image: The Tollemache Arms)

‘The Tolly’ has annual music and drinks events held in the beer garden. Judges were impressed by recent investment and its use of local suppliers.

The Morning Advertiser, which organised ceremony at Manchester’s Victoria Warehouse, said there was “considerable investment” into training the team at The Tolly “to deliver the best experience to guests”.



Judges said The Tolly is ‘run by two dynamic operators that have turned it into a site to be proud of’
(Image: Morning Advertiser)

Ed Bedington, editor of The Morning Advertiser, said: “We’re delighted to be revealing the best pubs in the UK. 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.

“Our Great British Pub of the Year, the Tollemache Arms, showcases a quintessential British pub – a place for every occasion and everyone – run by two dynamic operators that have turned it into a site to be proud of.”



Joe and Flo took over the pub in 2015
(Image: The Tollemache Arms)

There were several other awards handed out at the event, including the Heston Blumenthal-owned pub the Hinds Head in Bray, Berkshire. Unsurprisingly, Heston’s pub brought home the prize in the Best Food category.

Other prize winners included:

  • Best Sustainable Pub – Pig’s Head, Clapham
  • Best Pub for Entertainment – Trafalgar Tavern, Greenwich
  • Best Pub for Sport – Murderers (Gardeners Arms), Norwich
  • Best Pub for Dogs – No.Twenty9 Bar and Restaurant, Norwich
  • Best Pub for Beer – Tamworth Tap, Tamworth
  • Best Pub Garden – Myrtle Tavern, Leeds
  • Best Pub for Families – Almondsbury Creative, Bristol
  • Best Town Pub – Bull & Swan, Stamford
  • Admiral Taverns Pub of the Year – The Royal Oak, Brandon
  • Greene King Pub of the Year – The Cott Inn, Dartington
  • Marston’s Pub of the Year – The Griffin, Loughborough
  • Punch Pub of the Year – The Red Lion, Cranford
  • Stonegate Group Pub Partners Pub of the Year – The Gloucester Old Spot, Bristol

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