National Pub and Bar Awards: Mayfair pub scoops London prize as Surrey venue take top award

A Mayfair pub has scooped the London gong, while a 16th century pub in the Surrey Hills was the big winner at an awards ceremony on Wesdnesday.

The National Pub & Bar Awards 2023 winners were announced at a ceremony at 30 Euston Square.

The Barley Mow in Mayfair picked up the award for best pub in London, while the venue’s Chris Fordham-Smith won Pub Chef of the Year.

The Running Horses in Mickleham, in Surrey, was named best in the UK. Run by Manu Bhatt and Richard Brown, operators of the Little & Large Pub Company, the pub is owned by Brakspear and was refurbished nearly two years ago. It is situated at the foot of Box Hill, which is popular with cyclists and walkers.

“Every single day, we’re trying to put on the best possible experience for all of our guests,” said Brown. “It is so nice to be recognised for the authentic hospitality that every member of our team delivers on a daily basis. That is what matters the most. For this award to acknowledge that is amazing, because we are perfectionists.”

Other winners included The Beech House (Pub Brand of the Year) and BrewDog Waterloo (Bar Brand of the Year), and The Tollemache Arms in Northamptonshire (Heineken UK Sustainable Pub of the Year).

The National Pub & Bar Awards 2023 was sponsored by Heineken, ICRTouch, Kerrymaid, Lamb Weston, Loomis, Majestic Commercial, Mission Foods, Schweppes and Value for Venues.