The BEST gastropubs in the UK: London’s only Michelin-starred boozer takes the top spot but almost half of the top 50 are in the North
- Michelin-starred Harwood Arms in west London has been named the best Gastropub in the UK for 2020
- The list is compiled by beer company Estrella Damm and is judged by a panel of 400 industry experts
- Highest climber this year went to The Angel at Hetton in North Yorkshire, which rose 39 places from 50 to 11
A Michelin-starred pub in west London has been named the best Gastropub in the UK for the first time.
The Harwood Arms in Fulham topped the 2020 Estrella Damm list of the UK’s best 50 Gastropubs, by impressing more than 400 gastropub owners, food critics and other industry experts.
Led by head chef Sally Abé, and owned by Australian-born Brett Graham, the upmarket drink establishment rose four places to the top spot, beating out former number one The Sportsman in Seasalter, Kent, which has now taken second place.
The winner is the only Michelin-starred pub in the capital, and one of just seven London boozers on the list.
Its owner Brett Graham also owns the two Michelin-starred restaurant the Ledbury in nearby Notting Hill.
Before taking the top prize, Ms Abe commented: ‘In the past couple of years there’s been a shift away from super fine dining.
‘People want to come in big groups and have a beer, to relax and not worry about the rules. For that reason, I think the gastropub has a bright future’.
The menu is full of British delicacies, including Cornish monkfish with watercress, brassicas and seaweed, Braised jowl of Tamworth pork with carrot, black pudding and pale ale and roast sirloin of 45 day Blue Grey beef with Yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes, cauliflower cheese.
This year half of the top-ranking diners are from the south, while there are two in the Midlands, 18 in the north and just one in Wales.
The highest climber this year went to The Angel at Hetton in Skipton, North Yorkshire, which rose 39 places from 50 to 11.
Chef-Patron Michael Wignall and his wife, Joanna got a Michelin star last year after taking over the pub in 2018.
Michelin-starred pub The Harwood Arms in Fulham, west London, has been named the best Gastropub in the UK for the first time. Pictured the top 10 in the UK: 1. The Harwood Arms, London 2. The Sportsman, Kent 3. The Freemasons at Wiswell, Lancashire 4. The Star Inn, Harome, North Yorkshire 5. The Coach, Buckinghamshire 6. The Compasses Inn, Kent 7. The Parkers Arms, Lancashire 8. The Pony & Trap, Bristol 9. The White Swan at Fence, Lancashire 10. The Guinea Grill, London
1. The Harwood Arms, London
The Harwood Arms in Fulham, London, has topped the 2020 Estrella Damm list of the UK’s best 50 Gastropubs, by impressing more than 400 gastropub owners, food critics and other industry experts
West London’s Harwood Arms in Fulham has been awarded the best gastropub in the country.
Speaking about Ethe choice, awarding company Estrella Damm said: ‘Eating at the Harwood Arms is a cosy affair that won’t break the bank… unless you let the extensive wine list carry you away, that is.
‘The Harwood Arms prides itself on being ‘not your average gastropub’, and menu highlights have included the likes of roast fallow deer with pumpkin, pickled walnuts and Brussels sprouts; braised jowl of Tamworth pork with crushed turnip, roast apple and mustard; and Cornish monkfish with smoked eel, red wine and salsify.
Head chef, Ms Abe was also announced as chef of the year for 2020.
She said: ‘My career as a chef started in London at the Savoy Grill in 2007, before I progressed to Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant and then the Ledbury, where I spent five years cooking under Brett [Graham]’.
‘After that, I took a break from the kitchen and worked for a website called Great British Chefs and did a lot of food writing. This gave me a bit of time to reflect on what I wanted to do in my career and that’s when I decided I wanted to get back into the kitchen.
‘When Phil Howard opened Elystan Street in Chelsea, I went there as a sous chef for nine months, and Brett offered me the job here as head chef.’
2. The Sportsman, Kent
Last year’s top spot, the Sportsman in Kent dropped to second place in this year’s list. It was also named the best Gastropub in the UK in 2015, 2016 and 2018
Last year’s top spot, the Sportsman in Kent dropped to second place in this year’s list. It was also named the best Gastropub in the UK in 2015, 2016 and 2018.
Chef-patron Stephen Harris focuses on ‘terroir’ meaning the menu should reflect its surrounding geography, history and produce including food grown in the land surrounding the pub.
Self-taught Harris abandoned a high-flying career in the City to open his ‘grotty boozer by the sea’ and makes his own salt from the sea.
The menu is also one of the most affordable on the list, with tasting menus starting at £55 and a la carte dishes mostly under £30.
3. The Freemasons at Wiswell, Lancashire
Estrella describe The Freeemasons as an ‘elegant Lancashire gastropub’ which serves ‘outstanding dishes’. Freemasons opt to make their menu all about contrast, with experimental dishes and twists on the traditional
Estrella describe The Freeemasons as an ‘elegant Lancashire gastropub’ which serves ‘outstanding dishes’.
Freemasons opt to make their menu all about contrast, with experimental dishes and twists on traditional.
Options on the menu include foie gras with beer vinegar, blackberry and smoked eel; roast loin and kofta of Nidderdale lamb with BBQ gem lettuce, miso aubergine, mint and yoghurt; as well as butter-poached native lobster tail with crispy claw wontons, wild blueberry, coastal herbs and black pepper sauce.
In the past, their desserts have included rice pudding baked with vanilla, blackberry, sake and buttermilk ice cream; Amalfi lemon meringue pie; and dark chocolate with banana, black sesame and yuzu.
THE TOP 50 GASTROPUBS IN THE UK
1. The Harwood Arms, London
2. The Sportsman, Kent
3. The Freemasons at Wiswell, Lancashire
4. The Star Inn, Harome, North Yorkshire
5. The Coach, Buckinghamshire
6. The Compasses Inn, Kent
7. The Parkers Arms, Lancashire
8. The Pony & Trap, Bristol
9. The White Swan at Fence, Lancashire
10. The Guinea Grill, London
11. The Angel at Hetton, Hetton
12. The Hand & Flowers, Marlow
13. The Staith House, North Shields, Tyne and Wear
14. The Marksman, London
15. The Rat Inn, Hexham
16. The Cornish Arms, Tavistock, Devon
17. The Fordwich Arms, Canterbury, Kent
18. The Crown at Burchetts Green, Maidenhead, Berkshire
19. The Hardwick, Abergavenny
20. The Boat Inn, Lichfield
21. The Red Lion & Sun, Highgate, London
22. The Drapers Arms, Islington, London
23. The Mariners, Rock, Cornwall
24. The Pipe and Glass Inn, Beverley, east Yorkshire
25. The Beehive, Maidenhead, Berkshire
26. The Black Bull, Sedbergh, Cumbria
27. The Olive Branch, Clipsham, Rutland
28. The Kentish Hare, Bidborough, Kent
29. The Unruly Kid, Woodbridge, Suffolk
30. The Broad Chare, Newcastle
31. The Swan, Bampton, Devon
32. Tim Allen’s, Flitch of Bacon, Little Dunmow, Essex
33. St Tudy Inn, Bodmin, Cornwall
34. The White Horse, Brancaster Staithe, Sussex
35. Canton Arms, Stockwell, London
36. The Oxford Blue, Windsor, Berkshire
37. The Scran & Scallie, Edinburgh
38. The Anchor & Hope, Waterloo, London
39. The French House, Soho, London
40. The Longs Arms, Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire
41. Shibden Mill Inn, Fold, Halifax
42. The Wild Rabbit, Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire
43. The Charlton Arms, Ludlow, Shropshire
44. The White Post, Yeovil, Somerset
45. The Gunton Arms, Norwich, Norfolk
46. The Royal Oak Paley Street, Maidenhead, Berkshire
47. The Bell, Langford, Surrey
48. The Cadeleigh Arms, Tiverton, Devon
49.The Dog at Wingham, Canterbury
50. The Five Bells Inn, Clyst Hydon, Cullompton, Devon
4. The Star Inn, Harome, North Yorkshire
Described as ‘the perfect country pub’ by Estrella, the Star Inn has been in the Top 50 gastropubs for the last 5 years. The pub allows diners to choose from an extensive à la carte menu or from an extensive tasting menu with optional matched wines
Described as ‘the perfect country pub’ by Estrella, the Star Inn has been in the Top 50 gastropubs for the last 5 years.
Chef-patron Andrew Pern describes his dishes as the epitome of his ‘rich man, poor man’ style with his signature being a seared foie gras teamed with rich black pudding, doused in a sticky scrumpy cider reduction.
The pub, which is Yorkshire through and through, allows diners to choose from an extensive à la carte menu or from an extensive tasting menu with optional matched wines.
5. The Coach, Marlow Buckinghamshire
Masterchef star Tom Kerridges runs the Coach in leafy Marlow. The pub was 2016’s Highest New Entry on the Estrella Damm Top 50 Gastropubs list and Tom has maintained its position in the top five this year
Masterchef star Tom Kerridges runs the Coach in leafy Marlow.
The pub was 2016’s Highest New Entry on the Estrella Damm Top 50 Gastropubs list and Tom has maintained its position in the top five this year.
It sits just down the road from the double Michelin-starred pub the Hand & Flowers, also owned by Kerridge.
The pub like to keep things simple, and say there are no ‘potions and powders’ as the plates aren’t covered in swipes of sauce or gels.
6. The Compasses Inn, Crundale, Kent
A real gem of a country pub’ according to Estrella’s report, the pub owners Rob and Donna Taylor pride themselves on their work ethic. As the pub is in a remote location, it’s known within the industry as one of the gastropub world’s ‘best kept secrets’
‘A real gem of a country pub’ according to Estrella’s report, the pub owners Rob and Donna Taylor pride themselves on their work ethic.
As the pub is in a remote location, it’s known within the industry as one of the gastropub world’s ‘best kept secrets’.
‘It is as rural as rural pubs can get and is very much off the beaten track with little or no mobile phone signal to be found. Yet, we think that adds to the charm of the place – why on earth would you want to look at a phone screen when you’ve got the beautiful Crundale countryside surrounding you?’ Estrella say.
7. The Parkers Arms, Lancashire
Established in 2007, the Parkers Arms food is all based on seasonal and local ingredients, but cooked with an internationally inspired menu. Everything on the menu is made on site, including ice-cream, pastries, jams and chutneys
Established in 2007, the Parkers Arms food is all based on seasonal and local ingredients, but cooked with an internationally inspired menu.
Everything on the menu is made on site, including ice-cream, pastries, jams and chutneys. As the food is hyper-local, the offerings can change from time-to-time.
Chef-patron Stosie Madi and her business partner Kathy Smith took over the pub in 2007 and are hoping to make it the best in the country.
Madi said: ‘The Parkers Arms is a country pub that welcomes everyone and their dog,’. ‘It’s all about food and local sourcing and what grows around here and on our doorstep.
‘Our menu is also ruled by what’s local. We made a decision a long time ago that, if it doesn’t grow in the area or within a 30-mile radius, apart from something like chocolate, vanilla or spices, we don’t want it on the menu.’
8. The Pony & Trap, Bristol
Michelin-starred and known as ‘the perfect country pub’ the Pony and Trap is 200 years old and a local favourite as well as a haunt for travelling foodies. Run by brother and sister duo Josh and Holly Eggleton, all ingredients are sourced from the south
Michelin-starred and known as ‘the perfect country pub’ the Pony and Trap is 200 years old and a local favourite as well as a haunt for travelling foodies.
Run by brother and sister duo Josh and Holly Eggleton, all ingredients are sourced from the south west.
An affordable à la carte menu, includes twists on pub classics as well as high-end options and various tasting menus.
Highlights include stuffed Savoy cabbage with puy lentils, polenta and artichoke; neck, fillet and glazed cheek of Blagdon pork with apple and kale; and hot white chocolate fondant with burnt apple and cinnamon.
9. The White Swan at Fence, Lancashire
Two AA rosettes and a Michelin star, the White Swan is a charming pub in a humble location. Chef Tom Parker offers up a three-course a la carte, or a five-course taster menu.
Two AA rosettes and a Michelin star, the White Swan is a charming pub in a humble location.
Chef Tom Parker offers up a three-course a la carte, or a five-course taster menu and two courses are only £30 while three are £40.
The pub also offers themed nights throughout the year, including a Japanese night.
10. The Guinea Grill, London
One of the country’s oldest pubs, the historic Guinea Grill in Mayfair has survived the plague and the Great Fire of London in it’s 600-year history to become one for the Capital’s most loved haunts
One of the country’s oldest pubs, the historic Guinea Grill in Mayfair has survived the plague and the Great Fire of London in it’s 600-year history to become one for the Capital’s most loved haunts.
Built in 1423, and nestled amid some of the country’s most highly-regarded restaurants, the pub has risen 13 places this year from 23 to 10.
History fans can step into the pubs private dining room, the Boardroom, which comes with an historic tour of Mayfair.
The restaurant also serves scotch beef, known as the Champagne of Beef, amid it’s menu which includes dishes such as crab and crayfish cocktail; beetroot cured salmon, butternut squash and pickled cucumber; and a half dozen rock oysters.
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