Best Town Pub (Sponsored by Molson Coors )

Bull & Swan, Stamford, LINCS

This historic pub, a former coaching inn dating back to the 1600s, combines old-world charm with modern flair.

Recently refurbished and under new ownership, the Bull & Swan offers a welcoming environment with a focus on community, sustainability, and high-quality food and drink.

The spacious outdoor area, recently upgraded with a bar, seating for 148, and room for 200 standing, is a centrepiece of the pub.

Best Pub for Dogs

No. Twenty9 Bar and Restaurant, Burnham Market, Norfolk

In the heart of the bustling market town of Burnham Market is situated No.Twenty9 – an elegant venue primed for locals and tourists exploring the glorious north Norfolk coast.

This is a truly impressive establishment blending the charm of the Caribbean with British sophistication, and particularly focused on its dog offer.

Upon entering the venue, dogs are clearly an integral part of the business and openly welcomed from the immensely attentive team.

On site, guests will find its very own dog boutique called Eric & Dolly’s – named after the owners’ beloved dogs, offering everything you can think of to spoil your four-legged friend.

Best Pub for Entertainment

The Trafalgar Tavern, Greenwich, London

The Trafalgar Tavern has something to entertain all demographics and age groups with a regular fixture of varied entertainment hosted at the ornate and impressive riverside pub.

Overlooking the Thames in London’s Royal Greenwich, the Trafalgar Tavern is adorned with a striking and fascinating amount of maritime artwork from the owner’s private collection.

As well as show-stopping décor, the pub also offers guests the chance to enjoy live music three times a week, a weekly quiz, regular food and drink tasting sessions, supper clubs, cinema nights, history talks with a focus on the area’s history plus comedy nights and even wedding fairs.

Best Pub for Families

Almondsbury Creative, Bristol, South Gloucester

This unique venue in Almondsbury, near Bristol, which husband and wife team Garth and Beccy Jackson saved from closure five years ago, has risen from the ashes of an old social club, to become a vibrant family-friendly venue at the heart of its local community.

Almondsbury Creative, which is based at a sports and social centre, even has its own in-house entertainment team to help bring magic and sparkle to its extensive range of kids events which include themed brunches (previous events have included Barbie & Ken and The Grinch), a Summer Carnival featuring mascots/ characters, super slides, giant water fight and teddy bears’ picnic; a Family Fright Fest, Halloween Nerf War and Kids’ Valentine Ball.

Best Pub for Food (Sponsored by Booker Makro )

Hinds Head, Bray, Berkshire

Being a pub in the affluent town of Bray, Maidenhead, means your drinks have to be great but your food has to be outstanding – and that is exactly true of the Hinds Head.

This Berkshire pub, which is part of world-renowned chef Heston Blumenthal’s group, stands out despite this being an extremely strong list of finalists for the category of Best Pub for Food in this year’s Great British Pub Awards.

The pub is smart from the outside but inside is where it shows off classical touches and rooms of historical note.

Best Pub Garden (Sponsored by Diageo )

Myrtle Tavern, Leeds, West Yorkshire

The Myrtle Tavern, located in a conservation area in Leeds, has transformed its outdoor space into a unique garden with every corner packed with something for everyone.

Originally just a car park and field, the garden now features a two-tiered layout with various attractions and a strong focus on family-friendly experiences.

The upper tier of the garden is primarily an evening space, featuring a recently constructed lodge with panoramic views of the nearby cricket pitch, accommodating up to 120 people.

Best Pub to Watch Sport (Sponsored by TNT Sports )

The Gardeners Arms / Murderers, Norwich, Norfolk

The road signs welcoming visitors to Norwich bill it as a “fine city” – and the twin-named Gardeners is top of the tree among its many fine pubs.

Though it’s bagged the top award to watch sport, the Gardeners – whose alternative local moniker references a dark chapter in its Victorian history – is a great all-round package: an historic building, traditional charm, 200 years of heritage, live music, pub quizzes, home-cooked food and a dazzling array of local casks ales, including one brewed just for the pub.

The Gardeners’ warren of rooms and alcoves, along with its investment in an array of TV boxes, means multiple sports can be screened at any one time, and the sound can be turned up without imposing on those who want to opt out. Sound bars adjacent to screens give greater clarity for those who do want to audibly tune in.

Best Sustainable Pub

The Pig's Head, London

Monitoring waste, growing produce and only working with sustainable suppliers were just a few of the ways the Pig’s Head in Clapham, south-west London impressed the judges.

The pub has a strict philosophy when it comes to suppliers, only working with those who meet their high credentials at the heart of the business.

With its own organic kitchen garden in Kent, the Pig’s Head works primarily with regenerative farms to purchase whole native-breed animals that are butchered on site to ensure a true farm to fork ethos.

But this wasn’t the only food waste reduction policy that impressed judges, many items that would usually be thrown away are repurposed such as potato skins being turned into crisps, and seasonal fruit and vegetables grown in the kitchen garden are pickled and fermented.

Best Community Pub (Sponsored by Coca-Cola Europacific Partners )

The Swan, Windsor, Berkshire

The Swan in Clewer, near Windsor in Berkshire, is so much more than a pub to local people – it’s a wonderful community hub that is making a real social impact in its local area.

Among the many ways the pub helps support local people is through its innovative partnership with The Green Room School, which sees a sixth form college for autistic students operated from the pub.

This partnership, which makes the Swan the only pub in the UK with an on-site school, sees pupils helping with back and front of house service at a weekly ‘Epic Thursdays’ night, as well as a monthly ‘Green Canteen’ night.

Best Pub for Beer (Sponsored by SIBA )

The Tamworth Tap, Tamworth, Staffordshire

Overlooked by Tamworth Castle, the Tamworth Tap offers a wonderful and diverse range of beer with something sure to please all palates.

George and Louise Greenaway first opened the site back in 2017. Initially trading solely as a microbrewery, the husband-and-wife duo soon saw the huge potential for opening the pub and have since expanded the business to include an outdoor kitchen and shop.

Judges were impressed with the Tap’s passion for real ale and brewing as well as the businesses approach to staff training, cellar management and dedication to putting Tamworth on the map when it comes to beer.

Greene King Pub of the Year

The Cott Inn, Dartington, Devon

With its thatched roof, ancient walls and country garden looks, steeped in 700 years of history and nestled in a fold of the Dart valley near Totnes, the Cott Inn is a pub that would make a chocolate box feel jealous.

But it doesn’t rest on the laurels of its quintessential beauty. Lessee Mark Annear and his experienced management team and 90 staff offer the kind of quietly efficient, knowledgeable service and high-quality, good value food and drink that earned them the title of Great British Pub of the Year in 2019.

Since then, the Cott has battled pandemic restrictions and rising costs and come through unscathed, if not even better. The focus of the business has shifted towards its walled garden where a large marquee creates an indoors outdoors and there’s a cosy space-age pod for those intimate occasions.

Admiral Taverns Pub of the Year

The Royal Oak, Brandon, Warwickshire

If you want to drink and eat in a pub that has one of the most determined licensees at the helm – the Royal Oak in Brandon, near Coventry is the place.

Licensee Khara Schrijvers was forced to close the pub at end of 2023 after a spate of floodings. While this hit New Year bookings and devastatingly closed the pub for four months it also marked a new era.

Support from pub company Admiral and a raft of flood defences meant the pub reopened in April 2024 after an investment.

Customers can now enjoy this lovely country eatery which offers a unique dining and drinking experience. The Royal Oak has a beautiful front terrace as well as a bar featuring a wide selection of lagers, traditional hand-pulled real cask ales, wines, spirits and soft drinks.

Marston's Pub of the Year

Griffin, Loughborough, Leicestershire

In the centre of Loughborough, on the edge of the shopping district, the Griffin is targeted at the Leicestershire town’s large student population – and it’s a great example of just how good a student pub can be.

It’s smart, comfortable and the drinks on the bar area a notch up on quality from what you might expect, featuring premium lagers, craft beers and cocktails. And while burgers are always popular, a full menu of pub classics and sharers are on offer.

The effect is that the Griffin is just as welcoming to seasoned locals and, indeed, the whole community as it is to students, keeping trade ticking along through the holidays. In fact, lessee John McCarthy has grown the business in each of the 10 years he’s been at the helm, including through Covid and the cost-of-living crisis.

Stonegate Group Pub Partners Pub of the Year

The Gloucester Old Spot, Bristol

If you are looking for that individual, vibrant pub with quirky charm – the Gloucester Old Spot, in Bristol – could be just what you are looking for.

Located a stone's throw away from Bristol's famous independent Gloucester Road, The Old Spot offers that relaxed setting for a laid-back drinking and dining experience.

Punch Pub of the Year

The Red Lion, Cranford, Kettering

Nestled in the parish of Cranford, Kettering, the Red Lion appears to be a pretty, yet unassuming 18th Century Northamptonshire sandstone pub.

But step inside, or head round the back to its new Garden Kitchen & Bar, and you’ll find this Punch-owned pub has plenty to shout about – from its cosy bar area to its light and airy conservatory restaurant and cigar terrace.

The first of one of four Northamptonshire pubs to open and operate under the Greedy Gordons Pub Group, the Red Lion has built up a stellar reputation – notably for its food – over the last seven years.