The awards are designed to celebrate the “highest calibre of restaurants”, with critic-led opinions and thousands of diner votes used to create the list.
The Kinneuchar Inn, Kilconquhar, Fife & Angus, is the first pub featured on the list in 14th place. The 17th century site offers an a la carte menu with produce primarily sourced from the nearby Balcaskie Estate and a handful of other local growers.
Next, the Greyhound in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire ranks in 21st place. Husband and wife team Daniel Crump and Margriet Vandezande-Crump are at the helm of the gastropub.
In 24th spot is 15th century North Yorkshire site the Angel at Hetton, which won a Michelin star within its first year of opening.
Celebrating pubs
Canterbury-based pub the Forwich Arms in Kent comes in at 31st place. Hay-smoked chalk stream trout with Celtic mustard and citrus hollandaise is an example of a dish from the seasonal menu which showcases the county’s best ingredients.
Named after author George Orwell, Henley-On-Thames pub Orwells in Oxfordshire comes in at 50th place. SquareMeal claimed the site mixed “gastropub charms with some really creative, seasonal British cooking.”
Next comes the Masons Arms in Knowstone, Devon. The hatched inn features cuisine ranging from £30 to £49.
Chef-patron Stosie Madi’s pub the Parkers Arms is featured in the list’s 66th spot. The gastropub in Newton-in-Bowland, Lancashire offers a three course, daily changing menu for £45. The pub is renowned for its pies which are most often served at lunch.
Seasonal flavours
Co Down, Newtownards pub Balloo House ranks at 88th. The Northern Irish pub has been serving guests for more than 400 years, and its menu prioritises “pared-back punchy classics” that offer diners “exquisite flavours teamed with cosy and familiar comfort food,” according to SquareMeal.
Following this comes chef Adam Handling’s pub the Loch & Tyne in Old Windsor, Berkshire. Co-chef proprietors Steven Kerr and Johnny McNeil join Handling at the pub to serve a hybrid of Newcastle and Scotland’s finest dishes – a nod to the owners’ childhood homes.
The last gastropub on the list is Sculthorpe Mill in Fakenham, Norfolk, which takes 96th place. The country pub is packed full of “character and charm” alongside fresh seasonal menus, wrote SquareMeal.
Celebrity chef Tom Kerridge’s pubs – the Hand and Flowers and the Coach, both in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, missed out on spots in this year’s rankings, despite stealing 26th and 49th place in last year’s list.
