Twenty of the region’s top pubs have toasted their successful entries into the Good Pub Guide 2017.
The latest guide released yesterday featured pub-lovers scouring the length and breadth of the country to find the top watering holes, assessing price, quality of products, availability, and atmosphere among other criteria.
And twenty from Suffolk and north Essex were considered among the best, with those included each honoured with the official label of ‘Good Pub Guide Approved’.
In east Suffolk, a handful along the coast including Cross Keys in Aldeburgh, The Crown and Harbour Inn, both in Southwold, The Bell in Walberswick and The Eels Foot in Leiston made the list.
Thrilled staff at The Ship Inn in Dunwich, which was also recognised, put the success down to the hard work of staff and support of customers.
Duty manager Shane Cabel said: “It feels good, and feels like the hard work that the team do gets recognised.
“We are extremely busy and we seem to be getting busier year after year. We only have to look on review sites to know our work doesn’t go unnoticed.”
Elsewhere in east Suffolk, The Bell in Middleton, The Maybush in Waldringfield, The Crown in Woodbridge, The Crown in Westleton, The Sibton White Horse and The Greyhound in Pettistree were all named in the guide.
In west Suffolk, The Plough in Rede, The Black Lion in Long Melford, The White Horse in Whepstead and The Old Cannon in Bury St Edmunds were thrilled to be included in this year’s edition.
Charlie Gorzelak, events and marketing assistant at The Old Cannon, said: “We’re delighted to be in the Good Pub Guide 2017. The whole Cannon team work so hard every day of the year to make the Cannon a great place to drink, eat and watch our beer being brewed.
“People are always surprised to learn that the brewing vessels in our bar aren’t just for decoration. We’re very happy to be recognised as one of Britain’s best pubs.”
Fresh from being recognised in the CAMRA Ipswich Pub of the Year award earlier this summer, the Fat Cat in Ipswich was the only pub in town to be entered in the guide, while the Butt and Oyster in Chelmondiston was the only pub in the Shotley peninsula to be featured.
The 20 pubs were completed by The Crown in Stoke-by-Nayland and The Swan in Stratford St Mary, both in north Essex close to the Suffolk border.
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