Cumbrian pub named one of the finest in the UK

Friday, 13 August 2010

An Eden pub has been named one of the finest leased premises in the UK. The Royal Oak at Appleby made the shortlist in the Great British Pub awards. Licensees Kyle Macrae and Janice Hunter will be joined at the awards ceremony on September 9 by Alison Clark, from The Miner’s Arms in Nenthead, which was listed in the greenest pubs category.

Mr Macrae, who, with Miss Hunter, has been at the pub for more than four years, said: “We’ve worked hard to create a pub that customers want to visit. “We’re grateful to our team of fantastic staff who have put us into the finals for this top award.”

Both pubs have already taken the north west regional titles in their categories, and will be facing other pubs from around the UK at the awards.

Among the measures introduced at The Miner’s Arms are wood-burning stoves instead of normal boiler and radiator systems, environmentally-friendly products for cleaning and washing, and low-energy fridges. Solar panels could also be on the way.

Mrs Clark, who has been at pub for 22 years, said: “Making the pub more environmentally-friendly has been important from the start. We’ve always recycled the waste and made a conscious effort to limit our energy use.

“I try to encourage everyone in our community to go ‘green’ and make them aware of the benefits, in terms of the planet and in cutting costs.”

Paul Charity, editor of Morning Advertiser which runs the awards, said: “Despite the recession, the pub retains its place at the heart of our lives, a uniquely 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.”

First published at 14:14, Friday, 13 August 2010
Published by http://www.cumberlandnews.co.uk