Five pubs in Suffolk and Essex have been named among the regional winners in the 2014 Great British Pub Awards.

They include the Packhorse Inn at Moulton, near Newmarket, which has won the Best Food Pub title for East Anglia and East Midlands just 10 months after opening in its current form.

There were also two other winners in west Suffolk, with the Bull Inn at Barton Mills, near Mildenhall, picking up the Best Freehouse award and the One Bull in Bury St Edmunds collecting the Best Wine Pub title.

In Essex, the Griffin in Halstead received the Best Cask Beer Pub award and the Victory in West Mersea was recognised as having the Best Bar Team.

The Packhorse is part of Chestnut Inns, owned by former banker Philip Turner, which is about to open its second pub, the Rupert Brooke, at Grantchester, near Cambridge.

“As a relatively new entrant into the pub world I am just so thrilled to have this affirmation that what we are doing at The Packhorse Inn is hitting all the right notes,” said Mr Turner.

“As we get ready to open our second pub in the Chestnut Inns family it has given the team a huge confidence boost.”

Chris Lee, who manages the inn with his wife Hayley, and was previously head chef at the Bildeston Crown, added: “This is our first major award at the Packhorse Inn and it does feel good to know that ‘my’ food is recognised as amongst the best food to be had in pubs in the region.

“It was a big leap moving on after 10 years at our previous inn and taking on the challenges of setting up a new business, not knowing whether it would work or not. But right now, it feels really good to know that we are getting it right and it is down to the great team, not just the kitchen, here in Moulton.”

Other winners in the East Anglia and East Midlands region include the Jolly Sailors at Brancaster Staithe in Norfolk (Best Family Pub). the Gardeners Arms in Norwich, also known as the Murderers (Best Sports Pub and Best Pub Loos), the Star in Bishop’s Stortford (Best Managed Pub), the White Horse at Tilbrook, Cambridgeshire (Best Partnership Pub) and the White Horse Inn at Barton, Cambridgeshire (Best Community Pub).

The Great British Pub Awards are organised annually by sector publication the Publican’s Morning Advertiser. The national winners, chosen from among the regional award recipients, will be announced on September 11.