The Pony & Trap wins Best Food Pub at Great British Pub Awards

Josh Eggleton’s pub, The Pony & Trap in Chew Magna near Bristol, has been crowned Best Food Pub at the Great British Pub Awards.

The awards, organised by Publican’s Morning Advertiser, were presented at a sports-themed ceremony last night at the Hilton Park Lane, London.

Commenting on his win, Eggleton told BigHospitality: "Winning this award is a bit of a shock really, I didn't expect to win. But it's great, amazing and fantastic to be here celebrating the pub industry. I wish more people would get involved in it.

"I think that creating great pub food takes a lot of time, effort and dedication. You have to pour everything into it and let it be an expression of yourself."

The Pony & Trap was also ranked third best gastropub at the Budweiser Budvar Top 50 Gastropub Awards, which crowned Tom Kerridge’s Hand & Flower last January.

Last night also saw The Grafton in Kentish Town, London, win Sky Great British Pub of the Year 2014. Enterprise licensees Susie Clarke and Joel Czopor were praised for their modern business that still remains true to traditional pub values.

The Grafton also won in the Best Partnership Pub category.

The 2014 Great British Pub Awards winners are:

Best Freehouse: Cartford Inn, Little Eccleston, Lancashire

Best Community Pub: The Grange, Ealing, London

Best Managed Pub: Woolly Sheep Inn, Skipton, Yorkshire

Best Partnership Pub: The Grafton, Kentish Town, London

Best Turnaround Pub: Bell at Stow, Stow-on-the-Wold, Gloucestershire

Best Newcomer: Matt Samuel, Pig on the Hill, Westward Ho!, Devon

Best Food Pub: Pony & Trap, Chew Magna, Bristol

Best Entertainment Pub:  Anchor, Wingham, Kent

Best Family Pub: Fighting Cocks Pub and Riverside Restaurant, Horton Kirby, Kent

Best Spirits Pub: The Office, Brighton, East Sussex

Best Wine Pub: One Bull, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk

Best Cask Beer Pub: Rat & Ratchet, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire

Best Cider Pub: The Apple, Bristol

Best Cellar: The Red Lion, Barnes, London

Best Bar Team: The Botanist, Trinity, Leeds

Best Pub Loos: Broad Leys, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire

Best Sports Pub: Bar Sport, Maidenhead, Berkshire

Click here for more information on the Great British Pub Awards 2014.