Estrella Damm Top 50 Gastropubs 2022: Michael Wignall, The Princess of Shoreditch and The Loch and The Tyne celebrated, The Unruly Pig comes out on top

Tanwen Dawn-Hiscox

Tanwen Dawn-Hiscox

Deputy Editor

The Estrella Damm Top 50 Gastropubs celebrated its awards 2022 yesterday, giving the top spot to The Unruly Pig in Suffolk. 

The fire-struck Star Inn at Harome nonetheless made the third spot, with Stosie Madi's Parkers Arms in second, and The Unruly Pig, with chef Dave Wall leading the kitchen, topped the 2022 list for the first time.

Adam Handling's The Loch & The Tyne in Old Windsor was the highest new entry, coming straight into the 27th position, while The Bull & Last was the highest climbing establishment. The Angel at Hetton scooped the fourth spot, and Michael Wignall was given the Chef of the Year award, while The Princess of Shoreditch, led by head chef Ruth Hansom, was given the title of Newcomer of the Year.

The Blue Boar Pub, located inside the Conrad London St James, of which the food offering was created by Sally Abé, was named One to Watch.

Six London pubs made the Top 50 - just one more than Yorkshire, who placed six sites - with Oisin Rodgers' The Guinea Grill in seventh position, Fulham’s Michelin-starred Harwood Arms in 15th and in 16th, Highgate’s  Red Lion and Sun.

Created in 2009, The Top 50 Gastropubs recognises the quintessentially British pub, with the aim of celebrating the best public houses in the UK. The list is voted for by hospitality professionals including gastropub and food operators, journalists, industry leaders and chefs.

Voters are then broken down into six geographical regions to give sites across the country an equal chance to shine. Meanwhile, special awards are given on the basis of shortlists, with establishments visited by the panel of judges.

The 10 Top Gastropubs:

1) The Unruly Pig, Woodbridge, Suffolk

2) Parkers Arms, Clitheroe, Lancashire

3) The Star Inn, Harome, York

4) The Angel at Hetton, Hetton, Yorkshire

5) Freemasons at Wiswell, Clitheroe, Lancashire

6) The Sportsman, Seasalter, Kent

7) The Guinea Grill, Mayfair, London

8) The Fordwich Arms, Canterbury, Kent

9) The Mariners, Rock, Cornwall

10) The Hand & Flowers, Marlow, Buckinghamshire

View the full list of the UK's Top 50 Gastropubs for 2022

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Tanwen Dawn-Hiscox

Tanwen Dawn-Hiscox

Deputy Editor 24th January 2022

Estrella Damm Top 50 Gastropubs 2022: Michael Wignall, The Princess of Shoreditch and The Loch and The Tyne celebrated, The Unruly Pig comes out on top