Les Routiers lifts lid on winners

Les Routiers has announced the winners in its 2004 pubs and inns awards.

They were revealed on Monday at the launchof the Les Routiers in Britain Pubs and InnsGuide 2005.

The national winner of the 2004 Dining Pub of the Year was the White Horse at Frampton Mansell in Gloucestershire.

It uses all local ingredients on its menu, with meat fresh from Chesterton Farm butchers and bread baked daily on the premises.

The Bell at Skenfrith, Wales, was the national winner of the Inn of the Year award.

The Clachaig Inn at Glencoe in the Highlands won the 2004 Real Ale award.

The pub's range includes six Highland microbrewery ales.

The title of Wine Pub of the Year went to the Crown in Southwold, Suffolk.

As well as the national winners, winners were also selected in each category for various regions: Scotland, the north, Wales, Central and East Anglia, London and the south-east and the south-west.

There was no national winner for the local food supporters' category, but regional winners were the Plockton Hotel, in Plockton, Scotland; the Appletree Inn, in Marton, North Yorkshire; the Felin Fach Griffin, in Brecon, Powys; the Kings Head, in Bledington, Oxfordshire; the Cabinet, in Reed, Hertfordshire; and the Tradesmans Arms, in Stokenham, Devon.

This category is new for this year and reflects the growing trend of pubs using more local produce on menus.

Local produce is also given a big focus in the guide ­ for the first time it features food producer maps showing where a pub sources its produce.

Since last year, Les Routiers now publishes two guides ­ one on pubs and inns, the other on hotels, restaurants and B&Bs.

There are 260 pubs in the Les Routiers in Britain Pubs and Inns Guide 2005, including 36 new entries.

The guide, which members pay to be featured in, costs £12.50.