Great British Pub Awards 2013: Winners revealed

The pub beat 16 other category winners to scoop the top award, also taking home the gong for Best Freehouse. All of the winners were announced last night at a glitzy Wild West-themed dinner presented by comedian Gregg Davis at Hilton Park Lane in London.

Organised by BigHospitality’s sister title the Publican’s Morning Advertiser (PMA), the Awards attracted hundreds of entries across a range of categories from thriving pubs around the UK. (Scroll down for interactive map)​.

Rob Willock, group editor of the PMA, said: "As is often the case with brilliant operators they make it look so easy but of course it isn't. I couldn't do what you do.

“Being named Great British Pub of the Year is a tremendous achievement and the Red Lion Inn is thoroughly deserving of this accolade.

“It has beaten 800 other awards entrants, and all the other category winners, to be named the stand-out pub of the year. I hope this recognition helps to give the pub a year to remember.”

Run by Tom Gee, the Red Lion Inn, boasts an £800,000-plus annual turnover, with imported brews, beers from its own four-barrel brewery and five boutique bedrooms

Judges of the Great British Pub of the Year award noted that ‘the Red Lion is a shining example of a diverse modern business that remains true to the ideals of a traditional pub’.

In a tough marketplace, the pub has driven wet sales alongside food and accommodation, achieving a combined increase in turnover of 23 per cent in the past year.

Meanwhile, the Best Food Pub award (last year won by The British Larder in Suffolk) went to The Treby Arms in Devon, which is run by the MasterChef: The Professionals 2012 joint-winner Anton Piotrowski.

Great British Pub Awards 2013: Full list​​

• Great British Pub of the Year​ – The Red Lion Inn, Cricklade, Wiltshire
• Best Food Pub​ – The Treby Arms, Plymouth, Devon
• Best Charitable Pub​ - The Longhorn, Walsall, West Midlands
• Best Smoking Area​ - Cheers Café, Bar and Tavern, Fraserburg, Aberdeenshire
• Best Cellar​ - The Farmers Arms Inn, Combe Florey, Somerset
• Best Family Pub​ - South Causey Inn, Stanley, County Durham
• Best Sports Pub​ – Bar Sport, Cannock, Staffordshire
• Best Entertainment Pub​ – The Grafton, Kentish Town, London
• Best Spirits Pub​ – The Rummer Hotel, Bristol
• Best Wine Pub​ – The Harris Arms, Portgate, Devon
• Best Bar Team​ – The Broadfield Ale House, Sheffield, South Yorkshire
• Best Cask Beer Pub​ – The Dove Street Inn, Ipswich, Suffolk
• Best Managed Pub​ – St James Tavern, Piccadilly Circus, London
• Best Freehouse​ – The Red Lion Inn, Cricklade, Wiltshire
• Best Partnership Pub​ – So! Bar and Eats, Harrogate, North Yorkshire
• Best Community Pub​ – The Maypole Inn, Taunton, Somerset
• Best Newcomer​ – The Anchor Inn, Wingham, Kent
• Best Turnaround Pub​ – The George Payne, Hove, East Sussex