Meet the winner: Punch Pub of the Year - the Red Lion, Shamley Green, Surrey

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Impressive all round: the Red Lion in Shamley Green wowed the judges in every aspect

If you’re looking for the quintessential English village pub, in the quintessential English village, you should look no further than the Red Lion in Shamley Green.

This Punch-owned operation is a fantastic little gem of a business, and one the locals can rightly be proud of. And it’s not just locals, this is a pub that has such a cracking offer, it’s pulling in the punters from far and wide.

Recently taken on by experienced licensee Sean Young, this is a family operation and he brings a huge amount of experience from a career in managed pub operations across the sector.

Impressive operation

The emphasis is firmly on hospitality in this venue with Sean front and centre as the host of his impressive operation, ensuring no guest feels neglected, greeting everyone with warmth and making them feel welcome.

A strong drinks offer, featuring a good range of cask beer and an impressive selection of wine is backed up with fantastic food offer, with regular specials being lovingly created by Sean and the team to keep the punters coming back.

The picturesque pub and traditional interior leads out onto a stunning, enclosed rear garden with booth seating in the back to enable year-round use. The front of the pub features further seating to allow customers to sit back and soak up life on the nearby village green.

Impeccable standards

Sean has managed to build up an impressive operation in a short space of time, and part of that is down to the creation of the team around him.

He leads a tightly disciplined crew of staff and ensures his impeccable standards are maintained by everyone in the business.

A willingness to invest into that team and provide superb training opportunities also means he’s retaining great people and creating the next generation of hospitality superstars to follow in his footsteps.