The award, which is sponsored by Appletiser and Schweppes, was presented by Appletiser brand manager Jennifer Hudson at an exclusive awards lunch and list reveal at the Hermitage Road Bar and Restaurant in Hitchin on 25 January.
It’s not the first time Kerridge has had a taste of the Top 50 Gastropubs list. His two Michelin-starred pub the Hand & Flowers was retired from the list in 2014, after topping it for three years.
Head chef at the Coach
Head chef at the Coach Nick Beardshaw accepted the award and Kerridge was “over the moon” to see his new pub enter the Top 50 Gastropubs list.
The Coach is considerably smaller than Kerridge’s first pub the Hand & Flowers, and the menu consists of a variety of small tapas-style plates and includes a range of dishes cooked on the site’s rotisserie grills.
In keeping with Kerridge’s desire to keep the Coach a local pub at heart, sport is regularly screened.
The pub also offers breakfast and snacks between 8am and 10.30am, including breakfast ‘dogs’ with fried onions and mushrooms (£70); full English breakfasts (£11) and waffles with truffle honey (£6).
Kerridge has, in the past, described the Coach on Marlow High Street as a modern all-day dining-oriented pub that will compete more effectively with high-street coffee shops and casual dining chains.
‘For all to enjoy’
He previously said: “I want the Coach to be a place for people to take pleasure in anything from a drink and a snack through to a full lunch or dinner – it offers something for everyone – it is flexible, a Public House for all to enjoy.”
To see who made this year’s Estrella Damm Top 50 Gastropubs list and who won the specialist category awards, visit www.top50gastropubs.com.
Top 50 Gastropubs 2016 was sponsored by headline sponsor Estrella Damm in association with Nestlé Chef, Appletiser and Schweppes and Berkmann Wine Cellars.