The finalists, spread across 16 categories including Community Pub of the Year and Cask Ale Pub of the Year, have all won a regional award within their category.
Now in their fifth year, the awards see the introduction of three new categories, Best Green Pub, Best Turnaround Pub and Best Poker Pub, helping the list to highlight the diversity of Britain’s pubs.
Last year’s overall Great British Pub of the Year 2009 was the Pen-y-cae Inn in Powys near Swansea, which was also crowned the Best Gastropub and Best Pub in Wales.
A British institution
The PMA Team, editor of BigHospitality’s sister title The Morning Advertiser, which runs the awards, said: “Despite the recession, the pub retains its place at the heart of our lives, a British institution that is loved by the millions of people who visit it every week to eat, drink and socialise.
“The last few years have been hellish ones for our industry, but, as the entries to this year’s awards show, many pubs have proved resilient, thanks to the hard work, talent and passion shown by licensees across the country. All our finalists thoroughly deserve their place on the shortlist.”
To reach the finals, pubs had to pass a paper judging round before a visit from an industry expert. The category winners, plus the Great British Pub of the Year 2010 will be announced on 9 September at a ceremony held at Hilton on Park Lane.
The finalists in the Great British Pub Awards 2010 are:
Cask Ale Pub of the Year
Sponsored by Greene King
Falcon, Clapham, London
Red Lion, Bletchingley, Surrey
Dove Street Inn, Ipswich
Old Hall Inn, Chinley, Derbyshire
Station Inn, Whitby
The Taps, Lytham St Anne’s
Fortescue Hotel, Plymouth
Lion Inn, Trellech, Monmouthshire
Cellar of the Year
Sponsored by Innserve
Red Lion, Barnes, London
The Yacht, Bexleyheath, Kent
Tram Depot, Cambridge
Chesterfield Arms, Chesterfield, South Yorks
The Ings, Guiseley, North Yorks
Swan Hotel, Newby Bridge, Cumbria
Farmers Arms, Combe Florey, Somerset
Hen Dberwen, Sketty, Swansea
Community Pub of the Year
Sponsored by Mitchells & Butlers
Three Compasses, Hornsey, London
County Arms, Winchester
The Harrow, Hornchurch, Essex
Railway Tavern, Aby, Lincs
Shoulder of Mutton Inn, Kirkby Overblow, North Yorks
Bowerham Hotel, Lancaster
Halsey Arms, Pulham, Dorset
Creative Outdoor Area of the Year
Sponsored by JTI and the Save our Pubs and Clubs Campaign
The Avalon, Balham, London
Selborne Arms, Selborne, Hampshire
White Horse, Brancaster Staithe, Norfolk
The Falcon, Hatton,
Saddle Inn,Lea, Lancs
Entertainment Pub of the Year
Sponsored by Filmbank
Roxy Bar & Screen, Borough, London
Ibex Inn, Chaddleworth, Berks
The Brickmakers, Norwich
Library Bar, Lincoln
Redhouse, Sheffield
Lass O’Gowrie, Manchester
Family Pub of the Year
Canbury Arms, Kingston
Swiss Cottage, Shoreham-by-sea, West Sussex
White Horse, Ramsden Heath, Essex
Butchers Arms, Greens Norton, Northants
Cross Keys, Holbeck, West Yorkshire
Ring O’Bells, Christleton, Cheshire
The Flagship, Paignton, Devon
Pen-y-cae Inn, Pen-y-cae, Powys
Food Pub of the Year
Sponsored by Makro
The Ship, Wandsworth, London
Broad Leys, Aylesbury, Bucks
The Victory, West Mersea, Essex
White Houses, Retford, Notts,
Old Silent Inn, Stanbury, West Yorks,
Wilton Arms, Bolton, Lancs
The Swan, Southrop, Gloucestershire
We Three Loggerheads, Loggerheads, Denbighshire
Freehouse of the Year
Sponsored by Marston’s
The Wiremill, Lingfield, Surrey
Kings Head, Letheringsett, Norfolk
Nags Head, Malvern
Ye Old Sun Inn, Colton, North Yorks
Sun Hotel & Bar, Lancaster
Montague Inn, Shepton Montague, Somerset
We Three Loggerheads, Loggerheads, Denbighshire
Gastropub of the Year
Sponsored by Budweiser Budvar
Somerstown Coffee House, Camden, London
Grouse & Ale, High Wycombe, Bucks
Crown Inn, East Rudham, Norfolk
Waggon & Horses, Halam, Notts
Butchers Arms, Hepworth, West Yorks
Spread Eagle, Sawley, Lancs
Montague Inn, Shepton Montague, Somerset
Green Pub of the Year
Sponsored by SteriBev
The Nightingale, Balham, London
Anchor Inn, Nayland, Essex
Bluebell Inn, Tissington, Derbyshire
Battlesteads, Wark-on-Tyne, Northumberland
Miners Arms, Nenthead, Cumbria
Maypole Inn, Thurloxton, Somerset
Live Music Pub of the Year
Sponsored by Gaymers
Hootananny, Brixton, London
The Horns, Watford, Herts
The Brickmakers, Norwich
The Pavilion, Bridlington, East Yorkshire
Ring O’Bells, Marple, Cheshire
Riflemans Arms, Glastonbury, Somerset
Managed Pub of the Year
Sponsored by Kopparberg Cider
Camden Eye, Camden, London
Little Brown Jug, Tonbridge, Kent
Quart Pot, Wickford, Essex
Great Stone Inn, Birmingham
Old Bridge Hotel, Holmfirth, West Yorks
The Woolpack, Weston-super-Mare
Newcomer of the Year
Sponsored by Punch Partnerships
The Kenton, Hackney, London
Phoenix Tavern, Faversham, Kent
Hume Arms, Torksey, Lincs
Alice Hawthorn Inn, Nun Monkton, North Yorks
Freemasons Country Inn, Wiswell, Lancs
Kings Arms, St Just, Cornwall
Poker Pub of the Year
Sponsored by Redtooth
Little Mester, North Anston, South Yorks
Magic Lantern, North Shields, Tyne & Wear
Poachers Cottage, Newcastle upon Tyne
The Queen, Mosborough, South Yorks
Brownlow Arms, High Marnham, Notts
Ock ‘n’ Dough, Wellingborough, Northants
The Oakwood, Eastwood, Essex
Tenanted/ Leased Pub of the Year
Sponsored by Enterprise Inns
Canbury Arms, Kingston-upon-Thames
Fighting Cocks, Horton Kirby, Kent
The Windmill, Orton Waterville, Cambridgeshire
Red Lion, Hunningham, Warwickshire
Cross Scythes, Totley, South Yorks
Royal Oak, Appleby, Cumbria
Tyacks Hotel, Camborne, Cornwall
Turnaround Pub of the Year
Sponsored by Carlsberg
Camden Eye, Camden, London
Fighting Cocks, Horton Kirby, Kent
Kings Head, Letheringsett, Norfolk
The Crown, Asfordby, Leics
Bamburgh Castle Inn, Seahouses, Northumberland
Parkers Arms, Newton-in-Bowland, Lancs
Kings Arms, St Just, Cornwall
Nant Inn, Buckley, Flintshire