Angus Reid who runs the Cartwheel in Whistbury Road, Whitsbury, with his wife Sherry, said he was "in shock" at scooping the Marston’s Pub of the Year and Customer Focus Pub of the Year in the 2016 accolades.
'Honour to win'
“The competition was so good, it was quite an honour to win,” he told The Morning Advertiser. “It’s fantastic. The customers are loving it bearing in mind the pub was closed down when we took over three years ago.”
The awards were open to more than 1,400 pubs across the Marston’s estate. Other category winners were:
Horns of Boningale, Albrighton, Shropshire – Pub Restaurant of the Year
Royal Oak, Barton-under-Needlewood, Stafordshire – Cask Ale Pub of the Year
The Pilot, Poole, Dorset – Community Pub of the Year
The Old Bell, Shrewsbury, Shropshire – Turnaround Pub of the Year
Old Post Office, Shrewsbury, Shropshire – Entertainment Pub of the Year
The Fairways, Sheffield, South Yorkshire – Excellence in Standards Pub of the Year
Bax Castle, Horsham, West Sussex – Family Friendly Pub of the Year
'Amazing' team
Reid dedicated the triumph to his "amazing" eight-strong team, which he took for a celebratory night out. “All our regulars know about the award and we’ve got plaques and banners outside to advertise it,” Reid added.
“We’ve changed our Facebook picture from the pub to the award.”