CAMRA announces National Pub of the Year finalists

The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) has announced the four finalists in the running to be named best pub in Britain.

They are: the Royal Oak Inn, Wantage, Oxon; the Crown Hotel, Worthington, Greater Manchester; The Royal Oak, Rusper, West Sussex and the Kelham Island Tavern, Sheffield, South Yorkshire.

Throughout 2009, CAMRA members have been visiting thousands of pubs across the UK, considering factors such as welcome, service, atmosphere, customer mix, décor and quality of the real ale before deciding the National Pub of the Year winner.

Julian Hough, CAMRA's pubs director, said: "This is a really strong year for the competition, with four outstanding community pubs vying for the national title."

The winner will be announced in mid-February 2010.

Paul Hexter, licensee at the Royal Oak in Wantage said: "I've been promoting real ale for the 26 years I've been at the Royal Oak."

The Oxfordshire pub is described in the Good Beer Guide 2010 as "a mecca for the discerning drinker".

Daniel Prince, of the Crown Hotel, which holds around four mini beer festivals a year, said: "With a lot of hard work we've turned this pub around from what it was a few years ago. Selling good beer is good business."

The Royal Oak at Rusper, is described in this year's Good Beer Guide as "a lovely, isolated, low-beamed, narrow free house that is well worth finding." Licensee Sarah Blunden, said: "Our pub is about people as well as beer and I think we have the best of both."

The Kelham Island Tavern, last year's winner, has "an impressive 10 permanent handpumps include two that always dispense a mild and a stout/porter," according to the Good Beer Guide. Licensee Trevor Wraith said his formula was "keeping our staff well-informed and passionate about their beer".