Phoenix Nights: Celebrating our Pub of the Year 2023
Saturday 20th July was presentation night at the Swan. But not for the first time.
Branch Chairman, Chris Tregellis recalled the night way back in 2009 when as a junior member of the branch committee he was deputised to do the honours. Drinks were drunk and anticipation built back 15 years ago but having been instructed to wait for the York Press cameraman ( yes this was before camera phones) everything was put off as we waited, and waited. By the time he arrived everyone was fully refreshed and speeches and anecdotes were perhaps not as tightly scripted as planned!
Paul Crossman was there in 2009 and the 2024 version seems not to have aged at all, whatever he’s been drinking seems to work. Chris brandished the 2009 copy of the Ouse Boozer by way of evidence. It shows that you should not throw your personal copies away!
The house beer, now brewed by Half Moon, went down very easily on what was a warm night and there was the usual comprehensive array of beers of various styles to choose from. A good showing of members was evident with some even coming from as far afield as Scotland.
Paul was delighted to receive the award and as Chairman of the Campaign for Pubs he appreciated the complementary nature of CAMRA’s consumer-orientated endorsement. The two organisations dovetail nicely. He has had to be a fighter and has had to press for freedom in the Swan. And he has another lease renewal event coming up in a couple of years. CAMRA and the local community will be there to support him and hope one day to return for another well-deserved award, just let’s not wait 15 years this time.
York CAMRA have been choosing a Pub of the Year since 1995. We start to choose this in autumn. Members on our email network are invited to nominate up to three York and three non-York (outside the outer ring road) pubs for the award. Any pub that sells real ale in the branch area can be nominated, except for last two year’s winners (as of May 2022).
A standard, scored survey form is needed for each nomination. From all valid nominations, a shortlist of around six is compiled from those receiving the most nominations. Survey forms are then invited from the full membership over the winter. During this time, social opportunities are organised for all shortlisted pubs and members are encouraged to try them out. All valid survey forms are then collated in mid-February and the result declared in March.
Since 2015 we have also been presenting an award Club of the Year and Cider Pub of the Year.
List of previous Pub of the Year winners
Pub of the Season
Every quarter we select a Town and a Country Pub of the Season. This is done by ballot at our branch meetings. We make a conscious effort to spread the net as widely as possible and we are still finding new pubs that we feel are worth bringing to the drinking public’s attention; we see no point in choosing our own personal favourites again and again. There’s a full list of all the previous winners below.
Shortlists of up to three are agreed from all nominations received at the preceding branch meeting. Any pub that sells real ale in the branch area can be nominated, except any that have won the award in the previous two years. You need to be prepared to briefly address the meeting (or find someone else to do it on your behalf) on why your pub(s) should be chosen. Alternatively, you can submit a written report for the Chair (or another nominated person) to read out to the meeting. We arrange a celebration event at the winning pubs and it is traditional for the nominator to present the coveted framed certificate.
Current Pub of the Season winners
| Season | City Pub Winner | Town & Country Winner |
|---|---|---|
| Summer 2024 | The Golden Ball, Golden Ball | The Greyhound, Riccall |
| Spring 2024 | The Falcon, Micklegate | The Grapes, Slingsby |
| Winter 2023 | The Black Horse, Monkgate | The Wadkin Arms, Osgodby |
| Autumn 2023 | The Waggon and Horses, Lawrence Street | The White Bear Inn, Stillington |
| Summer 2023 | The Fox, Holgate Road | The Feversham Arms, Farndale |
| Spring 2023 | The Last Drop, Colliergate | The Lord Nelson, Nether Poppleton |
| Winter 2022 | The Winning Post, Bishopthorpe Road | The Thompsons Arms, Flaxton |
| Autumn 2022 | The Phoenix Inn, George Street | The Fleece Inn, Bishop Wilton |
| Summer 2022 | The Snickleway Inn, Goodramgate | The Woodman Inn, Bishopthorpe |
| Spring 2022 | The Minster Inn, Marygate | The Doghouse, Selby |
| Winter 2021 | The Ackhorne, St Martin's Lane | The Bay Horse, Burythorpe |
| Autumn 2021 | Not awarded due to Covid-19 | Not awarded due to Covid-19 |
| Summer 2021 | Not awarded due to Covid-19 | Not awarded due to Covid-19 |
| Spring 2021 | Not awarded due to Covid-19 | Not awarded due to Covid-19 |
| Winter 2020 | Not awarded due to Covid-19 | Not awarded due to Covid-19 |
| Autumn 2020 | Not awarded due to Covid-19 | Not awarded due to Covid-19 |
| Summer 2020 | Not awarded due to Covid-19 | Not awarded due to Covid-19 |
| Spring 2020 | Not awarded due to Covid-19 | Not awarded due to Covid-19 |
| Winter 2019 | The Shambles Tavern, Shambles | The Marcia Inn, Bishopthorpe |
| Autumn 2019 | The Knavesmire Hotel, Albermarle Road | The Coach House Inn, Rosedale |
| Summer 2019 | The Volunteer Arms, Watson Street | The Doghouse, Selby |
| Spring 2019 | The House of the Trembling Madness, Lendal | The Market Tap, Pocklington |
| Winter 2018 | The Fox, Holgate Road | The Three Hares Inn, Bilbrough |
| Autumn 2018 | The Gillygate, Gillygate | The Golden Lion, Helperby |
| Summer 2018 | The Wellington Inn, Alma Terrace | The New Inn, Cliffe |
| Spring 2018 | Three Legged Mare, High Petergate | The Lion Inn, Blakey Ridge |
| Winter 2017 | The Swan, Clementhorpe | The Blacksmiths Arms, Lastingham |
| Autumn 2017 | The Ackhorne, St Martin's Lane | The Hare and Hounds, Holme-on-Spalding Moor |
| Summer 2017 | The Slip Inn, Clementhorpe | George & Dragon, West Haddlesey |
| Spring 2017 | Brew York | Bay Horse, Burythorpe |
| Winter 2016 | The Blue Bell, Fossgate | Moors Inn, Appleton le Moors |
| Autumn 2016 | Eagle & Child, High Petergate | Lord Collingwood, Upper Poppleton |
List of previous award winners
The York branch of CAMRA contains many excellent pubs both in the city and in the outlying towns and villages. We are pleased to recognise the best of the best and to recommend their inclusion in CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide and to make specific awards. Currently these are Pub of the Year, Cider Pub of the Year and Club of the Year.
All recommendations are made annually after a fresh review and vote of our full membership. The Pub of the Year award is made after voting and subsequent detailed surveying by our members with an emphasis on real ale and the overall offering made by the pub. The Club of the Year is a similar award but recognises clubs and the Cider award emphasises the provision of real cider.
We appreciate that our branch is blessed with many more pubs and clubs than can be recognised in the Good Beer Guide but in the interests of ensuring wide geographic coverage the editors have limited the number of entries in any one area. Not being in does not mean that a pub is not appreciated and recognised, it’s just that the book can only be so big.
We welcome new branch members to what is a thriving and lively branch so if you are not already a member please consider joining us and playing your part in future awards.
Christopher Tregellis
York CAMRA Branch Chairman.