Publican Awards winners announced

The virtual ceremony saw the south west-based Stay Original Company win Best Premium Food Offer and Hippo Inns take home the award for Best Food Offer. 

Greene King was the evening’s big winner with chief executive Nick Mackenzie named Business Leader of the Year for being ‘instrumental in impressively steering his business through choppy waters’ on top of awards for Best Community Pub Operator and Best Tenanted/Leased Pub Company. 

Emma Page of the Yummy Pub Company won the award for Outstanding Industry Contribution for her 'dedication and unstinting support for supplying meals for the homeless throughout the crisis'.

Darwin & Wallace won Best Drinks Offer, BrewDog won Best Sustainable Pub Company and Berkeley Inns won Best New Site for The Meynell Ingram Arms in Burton-on-Trent. 

“Despite the challenge of one of the toughest years on record, pub companies across the UK have continued to excel, and this year’s Publican Awards has honoured those that continued to fly the flag in the face of utter chaos,” says Morning Advertiser editor Ed Bedington.

“This year’s event has certainly been different, going from a gathering of 1,500 in Battersea to an online ceremony in the virtual world, but the ethos remains the same – celebrating excellence and there’s plenty to celebrate.”

“Many companies, having faced the challenges and disasters of 2020 could be forgiven for pulling down the shutters and sitting the crisis out. Our finalists tonight, and many others in the sector, did the exact opposite of that, rose to the challenge and did some amazing things."