Owned by Richard and Dee Slade, the pub, which was also named Green Pub of the Year in the awards run by BigHospitality’s sister publication The Morning Advertiser, was praised for offering the “very best in food, drink and accommodation”.
It was picked from over 100 short-listed pubs spread across 16 categories.
The first pub to have a carbon-neutral biomass boiler, which has cut heating costs from £22k to £3.5k per year, the Battlesteads also recycles rainwater for its onsite gardens and vegetable patches, and sources all food and drink locally to reduce food miles.
Unexpected result
Accepting their award at a ceremony held at London’s Hilton Park Lance last night, the Slades said: “This is a fantastic result. We never expected to do this well, even though we’re very proud of what we’ve achieved at Battlesteads. Thanks are due to our wonderful staff and customers, without whose support we would not be here tonight.”
In 2005, Richard and Dee sold their multiple Morning Advertiser award-winning freehouse on Tyneside to take on Battlesteads — a bankrupt, rundown B&B pub. Under their stewardship, every aspect of the business has been transformed. Over the past four years, their hard work has been rewarded by a seven-fold increase in turnover.
The PMA Team, editor of The Morning Advertiser, said: “The Great British Pub of the Year award is the ultimate accolade in our industry, given to licensees at the top of their game. Richard and Dee’s exceptional talent, determination and passion put them ahead of the other excellent finalists and they should be very proud of their win.”
The other category winners are:
Best Freehouse
Ashley and Kelly McCarthy, Ye Old Sun Inn, Colton, North Yorkshire
Best Tenanted/leased Pub
Chris and Vanessa Maskery, Fighting Cocks, Horton Kirby, Kent
Best Managed Pub
Belinda Cheeseman, Quart Pot, Runwell, essex
Best Community Pub
David and Kate Deacon, Shoulder of Mutton, Kirkby Overblow, North Yorkshire
Best Creative Outdoor Area
James Nye and Kevin Nobes, White Horse, Brancaster Staithe, Norfolk
Best Cask Beer Pub
Adrian Smith and Karen Beaumont, Dove Street Inn, Ipswich, Suffolk
Best Turnaround Pub
Mahdis Neghabian, Camden Eye, London
Best Poker Pub
Malcolm Siddle and Fiona Cunningham, Brownlow Arms, Newark, Nottinghamshire
Best Gastropub
Tim Bilton, Butchers Arms, Hepworth, Yorkshire
Best Family Pub
Steve Haslam and Jo Drain, White Horse, Ramsden Heath, Essex
Best Live Music Pub
Sophia Yates, Hootananny, London
Best Entertainment Pub
Philip Wood and Jonathan Breeze, Roxy Bar & Screen, London
Best Newcomer
Brad and Molly Atherton, Kings Arms, St Just, Cornwall
Best Green Pub
Richard and Dee Slade, Battlesteads, Wark-on-Tyne, Northumberland
Best Cellar
Craig Hadfield, Swan Hotel, Newby Bridge, Cumbria
Best Food
Paul Stapleton and Gareth Atkinson, Old Silent Inn, Stanbury, West Yorkshire