The West Yorkshire pub struck gold in the Freehouse category of the awards in 2015 before going on to win the title of Great British Pub of the Year.
Owner Simon Heaton said ‘‘Winning the award was a turning point for the Shibden Mill Inn, resulting in increased business from the fantastic free publicity. It certainly put us on the map!”
As the name suggests it was originally a corn and spinning mill, before being converted into a country pub in 1890. Known locally as a hidden gem, it is located opposite the millstream that provided water for the mill and today is a scenic attraction, along with nearby country walks.
Destination pub
Back inside the pub the attractions are manyfold including Cask Marque-accredited regional ales, making it a destination pub for beer lovers. There’s also an array of wines with interesting gins and whiskies.
Shibden Mill’s own kitchen garden supplements and complements what the pub says are the finest and the freshest ingredients from local and specialist suppliers.
It is currently The Good Pub Guide‘s Country Dining Pub of the Year for Yorkshire and has also been award two rosettes by the AA. The AA says achieving a rosette is a huge achievement and something not to be underestimated.
Two rosettes are given to the best local restaurants, which aim for and achieve higher standards, better consistency, greater precision cooking and obvious attention to the selection of quality ingredients.
Marrying history with modern day
The pub also offers private dining facilities in its wine loft or mill room.
On the accommodation front, the pub offers 11 individually styled, luxurious guest rooms that, it says, marry 17th-century history with modern-day comforts.
No wonder then, that it is also one of the winners in Yorkshire’s tourism Oscars, the White Rose Awards.
The deadline for entry for this year's John Smith's Great British Pub Awards is 18 May, and you can enter online here: www.greatbritishpubawards.co.uk.