Stone has a richly deserved reputation for its quality pubs.
Lots of them are listed in the national 2016 Camra Good Beer Guide. And now Stone pubs have come out on top in the Camra Heart of Staffordshire 2015 pub-of-the-year awards.
The Heart of Staffordshire branch covers a large area, almost as far as Newport in the west to Uttoxeter in the east, Stone to the north and Penkridge in the south.
Following an online vote of members, the rural pub of the year award has been retained by The Green Man at Milwich. The popular pub was also named branch pub of the year.
A mix of community spirit, great real ales, food and live music makes The Green Man a wonderful village pub. Not to mention landlord Rod Webb and wife Ruth, who celebrated 25 years at the helm in October.
The pub hosts a duck race and music festival every summer, has a golfing society, quiz nights and lots more, including lots of live music. This Saturday (28th November), Stone band CID are playing at The Green Man from 9pm, with Lost The Plot playing on 19th December, Stone Cold Soberish on Boxing Day and The Formula – who played A Little Bit of Stone’s fifth birthday party in September – on New Year’s Eve. The pub’s Christmas quiz night, meanwhile, is on 22nd December.
The Brushmakers at Oulton was named as runner-up in the rural pub category. And again proving that longevity is key to success, landlord Mark Byrne also celebrated 25 years at his village pub earlier this year.
In the urban category, The Swan Inn in Stone was named pub of the year, with Lymestone Brewery’s The Borehole, which only opened in March, coming second.
The winning pub in each category was then judged by committee members – using the Camra guidelines – to decide an overall winning pub, with The Green Man unanimously voted branch pub of the year. It will now be entered into the Staffordshire-wide pub of the year competition in 2016.
[box type=”info” align=”aligncenter” ]The presentation of the branch and rural pub of the year award will be made at The Green Man at 8.30pm on 10th December, with The Swan getting their award at the same time on the 17th[/box]
