Pubs congratulated for improving service by The Good Pub Guide as it names 2013 award winners

03-Sep-2012 - Last updated on 08-Apr-2024 at 14:55 GMT

The Cock in Hemingford Grey, Cambridgeshire is The Good Pub Guide's 2013 Pub of the Year

The 2013 edition of The Good Pub Guide has named The Cock in Hemingford Grey, Cambridgeshire its Pub of the Year in a year that has seen less complaints made about service than ever before and a more positive outlook from publicans.

Village pub and restaurant The Cock, run by Oliver Thain and Richard Bradley and part of restaurant and event dining group Cambscuisine, was picked after inspectors felt it catered so well for a range of customer needs.

"This well run, pretty pub is just the sort of place that pub-lovers return to again and again as it cleverly manages to appeal to both drinkers and diners. An outright winner," said the Guide.

Other winners of the awards, announced in conjunction with the release of the 2013 edition of the Guide, included The Restaurant Group-owned Brunning & Price, named Pub Group of the Year and The Chase at Upper Colwall, Herefordshire, winner of the Newcomer of the Year award.

Unfailingly good service

In the editor's report Guide co-editor Fiona Stapley congratulated pubs for improving service levels, which the guide berated two years ago, and she also echoed comments made by Good Food Guide consultant editor Elizabeth Carter last week about pubs catering so well for diners now.

"We have had fewer complaints from readers about service this year than we can ever remember in the Guide's history," she said. "What's more, in our anonymous inspections of pubs, we have found unfailingly good service, always with a good welcome. This is a first for us."

She added: "People are choosing to spend weekends away in country pubs and customers like to eat out in pubs as opposed to restaurants because the atmosphere is more informal - and the food is just as good, if not better."

The Guide also found that publicans had a more positive outlook and were more welcoming than ever before to dogs and cyclists.

"Although it is extremely hard work, for the first time in over 10 years most landlords and landladies have been more upbeat," said Stapley.

The guide, published by Ebury Press, is available today. This year's guide includes 4,700 pubs, 252 of them new entries this year.

The full list of 2013 winners are: