Ye Old Sun Inn is a village pub just outside York. Ashley McCarthy has just bought the pub from Enterprise Inns, having leased it from the company previously. The pub has a lounge and drinkers' bar and a dining area as well as its own deli shop.
It has to be stressed that this award was won by a pub that was tied until very recently, once again proving that tied pubs can win through despite the odds.
McCarthy's experience in a previous year's awards for Publican of the Year helped him to realise that changes needed to be made to his business. He had to force himself to take a 'step back' and restructure staffing rotas so that he and his wife Kelly could take a day off a week, eat as customers in their own pubs and develop plans for the future. These have included buying the pub and taking on the lease of another.
But it was for their commitment to the principles of local food that Ye Old Sun has been recognised this year. Dishes showcase the produce to be found in Yorkshire, from Whitby fish to local jams and pickles. Traditional food is presented in an imaginative manner. For example, a game terrine starter of rabbit, venison, pigeon and pheasant is served with juniper, herbs and a fruit chutney.
Menus change on a monthly basis but specials can change daily. This allows McCarthy and his team to take full advantage of seasonally-available ingredients.
Everything the pub serves is sourced from Yorkshire. The pub uses only small producers and promotes them on its menus.
Examples include Grimsby haddock, battered to order; pigeon breast from the nearby Ledston Estate; Trio of Acaster strawberries, served in July and Colton village plum crumble in September.
Suppliers are featured on the menu; but in addition, the pub's own deli shop acts as a showcase for many of the ingredients used in the food served in the pub. It takes only a few thousand pounds a year, but is an excellent marketing tool. Customers take home ingredients that they have just eaten. They make their own dishes from these, which may cost the pub some revenue, but this is made back as customers talk about the pub and the deli to their friends.
Customer service is a real strength here, too. Diners are treated with a warmth and friendliness which allows staff to tempt them into that extra glass of wine or dessert.
The pub's current wet/dry split is 32/66, though this may change when McCarthy implements plans to change one of the pub's two bars back into a drinker's area.