Is it the quality drinks, dining with a difference, the warm welcome or the attractive surroundings that make Ye Olde Bridge Inn a winner? We took a trip out to the countryside to see what the Oxton pub offers after it was crowned Nottinghamshire's best pub in the 2023 National Pub & Bar Awards.
Clearly it's combination of all four and more that make the pub a champion. Having a children's playground and being a dog-friendly ale house guarantees that there's something for everyone, whether you're seven or 70 - a factor that led to the pub being named 'best for families' at the Great British Pub Awards last October.
Owner Hannah Lloyd is thrilled with both accolades for the rural pub, that she's poured her heart and soul into since taking over at the end of 2018. "It was amazing. I was very excited when they sent me the email," she says about the latest win.
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Asked what makes the village pub stand out from the crowd, Hannah says: "I'd like to say everything. We treat our business as a place we would personally want to go to." That said, the mum of a lively toddler, called Bowen, is so busy running the business, she doesn't have time to enjoy sit on the other side of the bar and appreciate it as a customer with her friends.
With 90 seats inside and a further 200 outside on the terrace and beer garden it's a huge operation on a busy day, requiring organisation with military precision. For customers wanting drinks, there's four lagers on draught and six ales, some local and some rotating, changing every month or six weeks.
Currently on tap there's Purity Longhorn IPA, Blue Moon's Belgian White, and Everards limited edition Amberella. Gin lovers, wine aficionados and cocktail connoisseurs won't be stuck for a tipple either.
In winter around 65 per cent of customers visit for food - and it's not just standard pub grub. Next week the menu will be changing and diners can look forward to honey chorizo con judiones, a Persian sabzi platter with deli meats and gooey feta, Picanha steak and Bengali-style fish, coated in gluten-free batter, and chips. There's also pub classics including burgers, Whitby scampi, steak pie and traditional fish and chips.
Hannah sits down with head chef Steven Elliot to devise the menus. "We talk about what flavours we love at the moment as well as what is on-trend, alongside the pub classics."
To make the menu inviting to everyone, consideration is given to vegetarian and vegan customers and anyone with gluten or dairy allergies. Recently the pub has started to open at 10am on Saturdays for breakfast and, of course, it wouldn't be Sunday without a roast - a 28 day matured sirloin of beef is amongst the locally sourced meats.
Because it's a family-friendly pub, the children's menu features all the favourite such as sausage and mash, pizza and chicken goujons.
One of the biggest hits of the year has been the cosy dining pods in the garden for small groups. With heating, faux fur throws, your own personal playlist, LED lighting strips and a waiter call button, they've gone down a storm.
"The pods have done really well. We've got three. They've been so successful this year we could definitely have had more. They are moving over to a secret garden around the side next month so they will have their own little entrance and path leading up to them for the summer and we're going to do pizza and prosecco hampers in them. Maybe next winter we'll put in an additional three," says Hannah.
It's a pub for all seasons. In winter there's two real fires roaring away and when it's hot, people can't wait to soak up the rays in the large outdoor area. Parents can keep an eye on their children in a play area with a wooden playhouse, slide, climbing frame, swings and sunken trampoline. "We're just installing a big new canopy for the shade. Last year it was so sunny we needed more shade," adds Hannah.
The pub was given an extensive makeover after being taken over, meaning it was closed for four months. "When we changed things and knocked things around we were very constrained. It's not listed but we are in a conservation area so there are certain things we can and can't do.
"We had a bit of a tough ride. It wasn't in the best condition when we first acquired the building, so we had a four-month closure to renovate it and change all the kitchens and back of house."
The interior in the bar rooms and restaurant was completely transformed to give a tasteful modern look with country chic. Wooden and stone flooring, wooden tables, green upholstered booths, and a plethora of plants on the windowsills create a natural botanical feel.
After around six months of trading Covid hit, with on-off opening. And when the pub was finally able to reopen after lockdown, Hannah returned to work with five-day old baby Bowen. She couldn't have done it without the support of her husband, business consultant Benjamin, her family and a solid staff team.
Her brother Ben Stirland and father Paul Stirland are a major part of the business, helping to keep everything in tip top condition. Hannah says: "We're a good team. They are super hands on from plumbing, to building things, to renovating, moving things... everything you can imagine.
"And it's continuous. When you are a busy hospitality venue you get a lot of traffic so we're always having to fix things such as painting. Ben spends a few tines a month going round repainting. It's just keeping everything nice and presentable, you want it to be like your home."
Despite taking over in 2018, last year was the first full year of trading. "We are getting there. It's been hard graft. We've had lots of obstacles but we are doing everything we can to make it the best it can be," says Hannah, whose mum and grandfather ran pubs while she was growing up.
While studying for a business degree and an MA in marketing, she also worked in hospitality, at events such as Cheltenham, rugby matches and private dinners, so she already had a good steer on the industry when she took over the pub where she used to work part-time as a 15-year-old.
She believes the key to running a successful pub is to make it appealing to a wide a demographic as possible. "We want to appeal to lots of people and I think lots of people have different needs and requirements so I hope when they come here they come for that nice experience.
"A lot come for birthdays and baby showers, to enjoy themselves for family occasions, which for me, is amazing. When we took the building on, it wasn't the kind of place someone would come for their birthday so now if someone spends a special occasion with us I feel like for us that's a huge reward."
There's more to come now planning permission has been granted to modernise stables at the side of the pub with a new bar, function area, toilets, baby changing and improved disabled access to make it a community hub for workshops and events. Work is set to start in October and Hannah hopes to unveil the new-look building around this time next year.
Ye Olde Bridge Inn, one of 94 county winners across the country, will now go through to the East Midlands final of the National Pub & Bar Awards w here it's up against The Admiral Hornblower, Rutland, The Griffin Inn, Leicestershire, The Red Lion at Peak Edge, Derbyshire and The Tollemache Arms in Northamptonshire.
One of the winners from the 15 regions will also be crowned the overall champion at a glittering awards ceremony in London on June 28.
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