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Pub of the Year

Last Updated: 16/02/2008

MY CONVERSION is complete; I have seen the light. I have also seen the pale, the stout and the porter on my real-ale road to Damascus. And where better to join the band of merry brothers showing reverence to Plastered Nun and Bishop's Finger than in a pub this week voted the best in Britain.

The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), that august body which reveres beer more than most, uses exacting criteria to sort through the best of the nation's 60,000 pubs, from the inns with no chance to the pubs in with a chance. Establishments are judged on beer quality, atmosphere, decor, service, mix of clientele and value for money.

Meet Steve Herbert (pictured) and his wife Belinda, who run the Old Spot (01453 542870/ www.oldspotinn.co.uk), and you'll probably agree with the locals that they are worthy winners of the CAMRA gong. So many pubs have thrown in the towel and given up the fight against supermarket prices, with service suffering. But the convivial couple are bucking the trend and ooze enthusiasm from opening time to stoptap.

Sitting at the gateway to the Cotswolds, the Old Spot started life as farm cottages, and its name is a nod to the county's eponymous breed of pig, many of which were raised in the erstwhile yard. Now the lively chat centres on the pedigree of the beer, as aficionados follow the real ale trail to pore over the provenance of their pints. Walkers also head for the Old Spot, taking a break from the Cotswold Way. With its five separate drinking areas, there's a cosy nook for couples and a couple of bars boasting up to 10 of those quirky ales that keep microbreweries in business. The beer board has a rugby theme at the moment, with ales including Hooker, Dirty Tackle, Bread of Heaven, oh and Sweet Chariot, which at ABV 4.8, may leave you in need of something for to carry you home. As the debate rages over the nation's drinking, it's perhaps time to learn from the likes of the Old Spot, where the atmosphere and ephemera evoke an era more bucolic than alcoholic.
CHRIS MCGINE

Visit the article at The Daily Express Online Reproduced courtesy of The Daily Express. Saturday 16th February 2008.