Golden Heart scoops pub of year award

Good food, good beer and the occasional surprise has helped Gloucestershire pub the Golden Heart become the Good Pub Guide's Pub of the Year.

The Brimpsfield venue is described by licensee Catherine Stevens as a "very old-style traditional pub", but there's nothing traditional about some of the meat on offer. Ostrich, emu and kangaroo have appeared on the menu, alongside classic, locally-sourced dishes.

Trade are the road-side pub, held on a private lease, is split 70/30 in favour of food. Typical prices are £5.25 for starters, £10 for mains and £4 for desserts. Ales cost around £2.30 to £2.40,

The Guide describes the Golden Heart as "a place of some genuine character, with good beers, affordable food, and a welcoming atmosphere".

Other winners this year are: Tom Cobley, Spreyton, Devon (beer); Lord Poulett Arms, Hinton St George, Somerset (dining); Woods, Dulverton, Somerset (wine); Tally Ho, Barkway, Hertfordshire (new pub); Square & Compass, Worth Matravers, Dorset (unspoilt pub); Six Bells, Chiddingly, East Sussex (bargain pub); Groes, Ty'n-y-groes, Wales (inn); Jerusalem Tavern, London EC1 (town pub); Royal Oak, Fritham, Hampshire (country pub); Port Charlotte Hotel, Port Charlotte Isle of Islay (whisky); George of Stamford, Stamford, Lincolnshire (hotel bar); Brewery Tap, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire (own-brew pub). Mark and Sue Watts of the Rising Sun, Swanmore, Hampshire, are licensees of the year.