Open for Business!

Every week we are bringing you the latest pub and bars openings from around the UK. If you see somewhere you like, give it a follow and you can receive news, offers and events from them. Who doesn’t want an excuse to pop in for a pint?

The Waiting Room, Durham

Durham Train Station has been given a new lease of life thanks to this lovely little alehouse on Platform 2. The Waiting Room is set in…you guessed it, a former waiting room! Dating back to 1872, the restored decor boasts original Victorian fireplaces which were previously hidden behind boarding. The bar serves a selection of real ales, cider, perry, and distilled gins – so those train delays won’t be quite as disappointing as they used to be.

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The Greyhound, Sydenham

It’s always sad when a pub closes down, so we do love a good comeback story – and they don’t get much better than this! Following a long period of closure, the pub was illegally  bulldozed back in 2012, causing Lewisham Council to take the developers responsible to court. But after sustained pressure from local campaigners, The Greyhound is open once again, 10 years after shutting (and rebuilding) its doors, offering a place to enjoy, drink and dine for the Sydenham community. Cheers to that!

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The Beech House, Amersham

This brand new bar and restaurant will undoubtedly prove a big hit when the warm weather arrives in Amersham, Buckinghamshire. The Beech House offers an open-air terrace with al fresco-style seating in front of the glass-fronted bar area. Inside there is industrial style decor with several areas for diners and drinkers to enjoy, some open and some a little more private. There is a Mediterranean inspired menu and a wide-selection of drinks ranging from cocktails to cask ales. The perfect summer venue!

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The Snug, Carnforth

This tiny platform pub at Carnforth Station, Lancashire, has been given a big make-over after suffering leaks which caused rotten floors and damp walls. The popular local which won CAMRA Pub of the Year in 2013 and featured in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017, is now back and open for business. Don’t be fooled by the 330ft square ft structure, there is plenty of choice when it comes to the drinks selection. The bar stocks a number of locally sourced beers, a selection of ciders and more than 20 kinds of gin!

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Jam & Rye, Highbury, London

Hidden away in the basement of the Famous Cock pub in Islington is this 1920’s themed jazz and cocktail bar. Jam & Rye opened in February following a £600,000 refurbishment to the premises. The bars parent company Stonegate Pub Company describes the venue as. “A posh-meets-creative vibe, the sounds of local jazz musicians paired with table-served exquisite cocktails, is a likely destination for the area’s celebs to escape from 5pm every day, and all day on what’s down to be some memorable Sundays.”

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The Bell on the Green, Devizes 

The opening of this Wiltshire venue on Thursday evening, saw a traditional pub transformed into a modern sports bar after receiving a £150,000 revamp. Seven TV screens, two pool tables and a host of local teams, including darts and skittles, will no doubt make The Bell on the Green the go-to destination for sports fans in Devizes. There is also an updated menu offering pizzas (made in the kitchen’s brand new pizza oven), burgers and hotdogs – proper game-day food!

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If you know of a pub opening that you would like us to feature in our blog, do let us know! You can email us at [email protected] or leave your suggestion in the comments.

Cheltenham Festival 2018

“The highlight of the Jump season with an atmosphere that will make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.”

The famous festival is back, with the best of British and Irish-trained horses heading to Cheltenham Racecourse for the four-day event kicking off Tuesday 13th March.

Television coverage will be provided by ITV Racing, with the first of seven races going off each day at 1:30pm, and the last at 5:30pm. There will be a total of 28 races throughout the week, the crowning glory being Friday’s Gold Cup.

Click here to view pubs showing ITV.

Click here to view pubs in Cheltenham. 

Tuesday 13th March – Champion Day

13:30: Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle 2m ½f

14:10: Racing Post Arkle Challenge Trophy Steeple Chase 2m

14:50: Ultima Handicap Steeple Chase 3m 1f

15:30: Unibet Champion Hurdle 2m ½f

16:10: OLBG Mares’ Hurdle Race 2m 4f

16:50:National Hunt Steeple Chase Challenge Cup (amateur and novices)

17:30: Close Brothers Novices’ Handicap Chase 4m

Wednesday 14th March – Ladies’ Day

13:30: Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle Race 2m 5f

14:10: RSA Steeple Chase 3m ½f

14:50: Coral Cup (handicap hurdle) 2m 5f

15:30: Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase 2m

16:10: Glenfarclas Cross Country Steeple Chase 3m 6f

16:50: Boodles Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap 2m 1½f

17:30: Weatherbys Champion Bumper 2m ½f

Thursday 15th March – St Patrick’s Day

13:30: JLT Novices’ Chase 2m 4f

14:10: Pertemps Network Final (handicap hurdle) 3m

14:50: Ryanair Steeple Chase 2m 5f

15:30: Sun Bets Stayers’ Hurdle 3m

16:10: Brown Advisory & Merriebelle Stable Plate (handicap steeple chase) 2m 5f

16:50: Trull House Stud Mares Novices’ Hurdle 2m 1f

17:30: Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup Handicap Steeple Chase 3m 2f

Friday 16th March – Gold Cup Day

13:30: JCB Triumph Hurdle 2m 1f

14:10: Randox Health County Handicap Hurdle 2m 1f

14:50: Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle 3m

15:30: Cheltenham Gold Cup Chase 3m 2½f

16:10: St. James’s Place Foxhunter Steeple Chase Challenge Cup 3m 2½f

16:50: Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle 2m 4½f

17:30: Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Handicap Chase 2m 1½f

One Million Beers…

“We could tell you how good our craft beer is. But sometimes you just have to let it speak for itself. So we are buying the world’s biggest round. We’re about to take one giant gamble for better beer. This is all or nothing. We are putting it all on the line.”

Yes, you read that right, BrewDog are buying the world’s biggest round, and you’re invited! The craft brewer is giving away one million pints of their famous Punk IPA between now and 28th March. All you need to do is apply for your voucher and hit your nearest BrewDog bar. What’s not to like?

Get your free pint of Punk IPA by signing up here.

Find your nearest BrewDog venue here.

The National Pub & Bar Awards 2018

Reckon your local is the best boozer in the country? Of course you do! Well, you’re in luck because the annual quest to find the UK’s top spot is on with the return of the National Pub & Bar Awards.

The competition will see winners crowned at a dazzling red carpet celebration at BAFTA on Wednesday 23 May 2018. Accolades will be handed to winners from each of the 94 counties, as well as 15 regional winners and one overall national winner during the ceremony.

The awards are open to all pubs and bars throughout the UK and can be entered by proud publicans or nominated by loyal customers. A win offers priceless national exposure to winners – not to mention bragging rights and a cracking night out.

Last year The Botanist in Sheffield took the top prize, with Chris Hill, CEO of The New World Trading Company, commenting,  “The 2017 National Pub & Bar Awards was a surreal and incredible evening, the impact of this accolade cannot be overstated. Now over a year old, The Botanist continues to go from strength to strength, helped in no small part that the staff, and customers, know it is the best pub in the UK!

So, if you reckon yours is the best bar none (boom boom!) you can find out more details and enter via the Pub & Bar website. The closing date for entries is Friday 16 March 2018.

And if you fancy sizing up the competition, you can view last year’s winners here. You can also follow the National Pub & Bar Awards on Twitter.

The National Pub & Bar Award Winners 2017

These are the 94 pubs from across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland selected as the best in their county in the 2017 National Pub & Bar awards. A winner was selected from each region before an overall winner was crowned as National Pub & Bar of the Year 2017.

To take a closer look at the finalists just click on their name in the list below:

East Midlands

Derbyshire – The Cock Inn, Mugginton
Leicestershire – The Manners Arms
Northamptonshire – 185 Watling Street
Nottinghamshire – The Hockley Arts Club*
Rutland – The Grainstore Brewery Tap

East of England

Essex – Galvin Green Man*
Bedfordshire – The Fancott
Cambridgeshire – The White Hart, Ufford
Hertfordshire – The Fox at Willian
Norfolk – The Crown, Pulham Market
Suffolk – The Turks Head

London

City of London – The Trading House*
Greater London – Four Thieves

North East

Durham – The Copper Mine
Northumberland – The Feathers Inn, Hedley on the Hill
Tyne and Wear – The Botanist*

North West

Cheshire – Cholmondeley Arms*
Cumbria – The Punch Bowl Inn & Restaurant
Greater Manchester – Albert’s Schloss
Lancashire – Derby Arms, Longridge
Merseyside – The Ship & Mitre

Northern Ireland

Antrim – The Northern Whig*
Armagh – The Corner House
Down – Denvir’s Coaching Inn
Fermanagh – The Taphouse
Londonderry – Dormans
Tyrone – Time Bar

Scotland

Aberdeenshire – Cock and Bull
Angus – The Old Brewhouse
Argyll and Bute – Ballygrant Inn & Restaurant
City of Aberdeen – The Tippling House
City of Dundee – The West House
City of Edinburgh – The Caley Sample Room
City of Glasgow – WEST On The Green
Clackmannanshire – The Old Brewery
Dumfries and Galloway – The Steamboat Inn
East Ayrshire – Franklin & Sloane
East Dunbartonshire – The Stables
East Lothian – The Crown and Kitchen
East Renfrewshire – The White Cart
Falkirk – Johnston’s Bar Bistro
Fife – The Ship Inn, Elie
Highland – Applecross Inn
Inverclyde – Old Bank Bar
Midlothian – The Sun Inn
Moray – The Red Lion, Forres
Na h-Eileanan Siar (Western Isles) – Westford Inn
North Ayrshire – The Canny Man
North Lanarkshire – Railway Tavern
Orkney Islands – The Ferry Inn
Perth and Kinross – The Old Mill Inn*
Renfrewshire – Fox and Hounds
Scottish Borders – Allanton Inn
Shetland Islands – Pier Head
South Ayrshire – The Smoking Goat
South Lanarkshire – The Crown Inn, Biggar
Stirling – The Cross Keys
West Dunbartonshire – The Balloch House
West Lothian – The Volunteer Arms

South East

Berkshire – The Crown at Bray
Buckinghamshire – The Swan Inn, Milton Keynes Village
East Sussex – The Bell, Ticehurst*
Hampshire – The King’s Head, Hursley
Isle of Wight – The Taverners
Kent – The Dog At Wingham
West Sussex – The White Horse, Chilgrove
Oxfordshire – The Bull Inn, Charlbury
Surrey – The Park Hatch

South West

Bristol – The Albion
Cornwall – The Port Gaverne Hotel
Devon – The Cornish Arms
Dorset – The Anchor Inn, Seatown*
Gloucestershire – Brewhouse & Kitchen Cheltenham
Somerset – The Lord Poulett Arms
Wiltshire – The Swan, Enford

Wales

Clwyd – The West Arms
Dyfed – The Stackpole Inn
Gwent – The Bell at Skenfrith*
Gwynedd – The Bull, Beaumaris
Mid Glamorgan – Nolton Corner
Powys – The Harp, Old Radnor
South Glamorgan – Tiny Rebel, Cardiff
West Glamorgan – Britannia Inn

West Midlands

Herefordshire – The Bridge Inn
Shropshire – The Boathouse Bar + Grill
Staffordshire – The Fitzherbert Arms
Warwickshire – The George Townhouse*
West Midlands – The Old Joint Stock
Worcestershire – The Swan Inn, Hanley Swan

Yorkshire and the Humber

East Riding of Yorkshire – Pipe and Glass
North Yorkshire – Aldwark Arms
South Yorkshire – The Botanist*/**
West Yorkshire – The Alchemist
Lincolnshire – The Hope and Anchor

* Regional winner

**Overall winner