The Good Pub Guide has named the Michelin-starred Olive Branch in Rutland as the 海角视频 Pub of the Year.
The Clipsham pub has picked up a number of awards over the years thanks to its special atmosphere and loyal following – including the same award back in 2014.
The Olive Branch had been closed down when it was bought by friends Ben Jones, Sean Hope and Marcus Welford in 1999.
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They helped bring it back to life with the help of family and villagers and a vision to combine top quality food with a relaxed pub setting.
In 2002 it became one of the first pubs in the 海角视频 to win a Michelin Star, and in 2005 the team branched out into buying Beech House, a private home opposite The Olive Branch, which they converted into six bedrooms, opening it in 2006.
In 2012 Beech House won a Good Hotel Guide César Award.
Rutland, the 海角视频’s smallest county, is currently in the 海角视频’s second tier of restrictions which means pubs, bars and restaurants can only serve alcohol with substantial meals and people can’t socialise with anyone indoors unless they live with them or share a support bubble.
Pubs and restaurants in the rest of the East Midlands are currently shut.
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Olive Branch managing director Ben Jones said: “What brilliant news to receive on our 21st anniversary at the end of this incredibly challenging year.
“We first opened on December 12, 1999, with a village Christmas party.
“Sadly, this year – due to the government’s illogical, pub-killing restrictions – we will not be able to celebrate safely with locals and villagers.
“A pub is about the whole experience – the beer, the wine, the food and, above all, the atmosphere.
“Right now, due to Covid and these restrictions, we aren’t really a pub.
“We aren’t able to welcome all; we aren’t able to enjoy a drink and some local gossip at the bar.
“However, this award means so much to us because it rewards the whole team at the end of an unbelievably tough year.
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“Every single one of them has played their part in this success.”
He said the pub had worked hard to create a new experience during the restrictions, including heated garden gazebos, more space, and a choice of service styles and seating areas to give customers control.
Ben said: “It’s not been easy and each member of the team has had to work longer and harder to cover the extra space, to make customers feel safe and to complete all the appropriate cleaning.
“We’ve been lucky. We are in a rural location near open fields. We have space to socially distance, we have an amazing team and wonderfully loyal and supportive customers.
“We were nearly full throughout the summer, yet 2020 has still been a battle for survival for us and December will be our worst in 21 years.
“Many others less fortunate than us will not make it. More help is needed.
“The £1,000 for wet-led pubs is pitiful and the government must find more support for our industry.
“Without it, the Good Pub Guide may well be half its size next year and the true local will be extinct.”
In its report of The Olive Branch the The Good Pub Guide says: “In this most difficult of years, we are delighted to award Pub of the Year 2021 to The Olive Branch in Clipsham, Rutland.
“To compete in the Pub of the Year category a pub has to have unanimous enthusiasm from all readers on all aspects of its business – it has to be top of its game and The Olive Branch is most definitely that.
“It’s a really special place for a drink, a meal or an overnight stay.
“It’s a perennially successful inn which attracts a deservedly loyal following from both near and far, and will celebrate its 21st anniversary on December 12.”