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Pub of the Month
"Pub of the Month" is an award presented to the landlord or
manager of a public house in the Leicester Branch area in honour of
their dedication to real ale. This can be by innovation, returning
a pub to "cask ale", introduction of "Guest Beers", consistently
high quality beers, sympathetic restoration or any other worthwhile
act that promotes real ale in line with the aims of CAMRA.
Despite its name, the award is not allocated each month but only
after a pub is nominated by a branch member and approved by a
branch meeting. In a similar fashion, there are awards for the
Pub of the Year and Club of the
Year.
Next Presentation:
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Pub Of The Month July 2010 - Syston Social
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On Wednesday 21st
July, we visited Syston by public transport, Syston and
District Social Club to be precise. Opened in August 1972, the
club was formerly an Ind Coope pub, The Bulls Head. Originally
selling Shipstones Bitter and Mild, it has progressed over the
years, with Real Ale being the main feature on the bar.
.

Picture Left,
Ken Renshaw – Right, Mark Newton
Mark Newton is
now the Club Chairman, having been on the Committee for 14
years. He said “I joined on my 18th Birthday” Mark
along with most of his fellow members are passionate about
their beers. Although tied to some degree to Marstons, they
usually have a range of four beers from the Marstons estate,
with a couple of changing Guest Beers from Micro-Breweries. On
the night, along with Banks’s Bitter and Mild, they had two
house beers badged as Syston Social Club, Mild from Jennings
and Bitter as Brakspears (no longer a Brakspears Brewery)
Guests were Howard Town Wrens Nest and Weatheroak Victoria
Works.
Leicester Branch
Chairman Keith Williams presented Mark with our Pub Of The
Month award (we don’t have a club of the year certificate) for
July 2010. Mark thanked Leicester CAMRA and said “It’s an
honour to receive this award; we do our best to provide a good
range of Real Ales for our customers”. He hoped one day to have
the range as that of Sheffield’s Fat Cat and Kelham Island
Tavern. Mark thanked his long standing bar steward, Ken Renshaw,
who joined their Committee back in 1987 and is an important
member of the team. A buffet was declared open, after which we
set off for our bus back to Leicester.
The Syston Social
Club had a major refurbishment a couple of years ago and is now
a pleasant and comfortable place to have a beer with a varied
selection to choose from, given the fast demise of the pubs in
Syston.
K Williams
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Pub Of The Month June 2010 - The Slug &
Lettuce,
Leicester |
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Our June Pub Of
The Month is The Slug & Lettuce, Market St, Leicester. This
pub in the "Slug"chain, under the leadership of Ian Whiley
leads the field in the the promotion of and attitude to real
ale. The pub has gone from two to four handpumps over the last
year, joined LocAle and intends to increase real ale handpumps
to six in the future.

As we campaign
for real ale, it would be much more difficult without the help
and support of the very pubs that sell it. Amongst the many
things we have campaigned for over the years, support for local
breweries and introducing the younger generation to real ale
are two that spring to mind.
For those pubs
that support our aims, together with good quality beer, and may
i also say, sensible prices, we like to show our appreciation
to those pubs concerned.
Ian Whiley has
Managed Leicester’s Slug & Lettuce in Market Street for 6 years
now. He has always wanted to have Real Ale on in his pub,
something he has now achieved. To us in CAMRA, this is another
milestone, as Ian not only sells between four and six Real
Ales, but he also joined our LocAle scheme, promising to always
have at least one locally brewed beer for sale (Brewed within
25 miles of the pub)
With the
traditional style of local pub sadly disappearing and those
remaining, un- attractive to the majority of our young folk
today, the city centre bar is the new drinking place for them.
It is important that real ale is present in these places, in
order to give them the incentive to try it. This is something
that The Slug & lettuce does well, as only a handful of bars
do.
On Wednesday 9th
June 2010, a number of Leicester CAMRA Branch members gathered
at The Slug & Lettuce to reward Ian for his dedication to Real
Ale in Leicester. Branch Chairman Keith Williams explained the
importance of promoting real ale to the younger generation and
the support to local and small Micro-Breweries and presented
Ian with Leicester CAMRA’s prestigious Pub Of The Month award
for June 2010.
Ian said “This
means the world to me, even more than winning the Night Owl
Quiz” he continued to thank Leicester CAMRA for recognising his
efforts and praised Andy Sales and Kelvyn Martin in particular
for their invaluable help and support over the last year. A
buffet was brought out for all to help themselves. The beers on
for the evening were Oakham Inferno and Asylum, Green Jack
Mahseer IPA and the LocAle for the evening, Belvoir Great
Expectations from Old Dalby.
Watch out for the
next Slug & lettuce Beer Festival too, or just call in and
sample a pint yourself.
K Williams
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Pub Of The Month July 2009 - The Old Horse,
Leicester |
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Our July Pub Of
The Month was The Old Horse, London Road Leicester. This
Everards pub is run by Dee and Kevin Shepherdson and has been
for the last 14 years. The pub has recently had a new
conservatory complete with disabled access and has one of the
largest gardens imaginable for a city pub.

Dee and Kevin were
presented with their Pub Of The Month award for July 2009.
Kevin commented that it was totally unexpected but was
delighted to receive it. He also thanked Leicester CAMRA for
recognising his efforts as so did Matthew Creenan, the pub’s
Business Development Manager, who was also present. We finished
the evening with a buffet enjoyed by all.
K Williams
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Pub Of The Month June 2009 - The Harrow Inn,
Thurmaston |
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On the evening of
Wednesday 10th June, as is becoming customary for
such occasions, a hardened band of marauders (Leicester Camra
members) visited The Harrow Inn, Thurmaston, to bear witness to
the proceedings. Since taking over the establishment, Licensees
Nick and Lisa Tanner have made major improvements to the pub,
both to the fabric and also to the products to be found on
sale. When approached, Nick enthusiastically signed up to
support the Leicester CAMRA LocAle initiative and remains a
valued supporter of the scheme.

In a way, the
Harrow has come full circle. For many years, until 1991, it was
a Shipstone’s house. After Shipstone’s closed their Old Basford
Brewery, Nottingham in 1991, one of the brewers (Colin Brown)
was made redundant and set up Belvoir Brewery in Old Dalby.
Some of the beers from his ‘new’ establishment are ‘as near as
you can get to drinking Shippo’s again’ and The Harrow Inn,
proudly, sells Belvoir Bitter and Mild on a regular basis.
After a ‘chin wag
or two’ amongst the gathering, Lisa and Nick were duly
presented with their Pub Of The Month award for June 2009. They
thanked both Leicester CAMRA, for the recognition shown to
them, and also Colin Brown (who had somehow materialised in our
midst – was it by bike, truck or tardis?), for supplying such a
quality product at very competitive prices and for helping to
make the pub the success it has become.
‘Richly deserved,
long may you run’, we’d say!
K.
Williams and Withay |
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Pub Of The Month Jan 2009 - Out of the Vaults, Leicester
On Wednesday 14th
January 2009, a number of Leicester CAMRA Branch Members met at
the former Out of the Vaults, King St, Leicester to present a
posthumous award for the pubs achievements in 2008. The pub was
in decline at the beginning of 2008, but the hard work of Paul
and Daksha and a commitment to real ale and cider saw the pub
do an about turn with all 12 handpumps back in use and a more regular
range of top quality beers towards the end of the year.

The pub had big
problems in November 2008 resulting in it closing in its former
guise and re-launching a week later as Vin Quatre. Paul and
Daksha were joined by Cathal Farragher (Co-hol) formerly of
Kings and a new management team formed.
The
award was presented by Social Secretary Keith Satterly who
nominated the pub. Keith commented that the pub had gone through
a rough patch but had pulled itself back together and is
selling outstanding quality beers. He wished the pub well
as Vin Quatre and hoped it would win more awards.
Pictures. Top Paul, Daks and Co-hol receive
their award, L Pubs Officer Kelvyn Martin, C Keith and Paul
share a joke, R LocAle in Vin Quatre.
A large crowd of regulars, Leicester CAMRA
members and members of the Leicester Student Real Ale Society
then listened to Paul make his speech thanking the regulars who
have supported the pub throughout and made a commitment to be
part of LocAle whereby he would always stock at least one beer
brewed locally. There were three LocAle beers on the bar; Bees
Wobble, Belvoir Angels Delight and Oatmeal Stout along with an excellent choice
of Oakham, Beowulf and Leatherbritches beers plus guests from
Kelham Island and Holdens.
The evening was
rounded off with an excellent buffet and a fine performance by
the Leicester Morris Men who devoured Rachel the barmaid at the
end and nearly put her head through the ceiling!
Andy Sales
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Pub Of The Month Sept 2008 - The Windmill,
Brascote
On Wednesday 17th
September 2008, a number of Leicester CAMRA Branch Members were
joined by members of Hinckley and Bosworth CAMRA Branch as we
presented Chris James of The Windmill Brascote with our Pub Of
The Month award.
Chris regularly
serves a range of Local Battlefield Beers from Tunnel Brewery.
On the night, we sampled Let Battle Commence 3,8%abv, Richard
III 4.2%abv and Henry Tudor 5%abv.
The
award was presented to Chris James, who thanked his customers,
Tunnel Brewery, Leicester CAMRA for supporting him and a special
mention to Terry, his cellarman. The evening was rounded off
with an excellent buffet and some complimentary lubrication,
courtesy of Bob Yates from Tunnel Brewery.
Chris is a keen
CAMRA Member and regularly attends Hinckley & Bosworth Branch
activities.
K. Williams
Picture Caption
Left to Right - Terry, Chris and Bob |
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Pub Of The Month May 2008 - The Western,
Leicester
On
21st May, a large number of Leicester CAMRA Branch
and Committee members were gathered at The Western, 70 Western
Road, Leicester. We were presenting Danny Hardwood and Amy Allen
with the Leicester CAMRA Pub Of The Month Award, for May 2008.
The Western was an
Everards tied house, until being leased to The Steamin’ Billy
Brewing Company last November. Since then, under the guidance of
Barry Lount and Billy Allingham, and managed by Danny and Amy,
it has totally changed the pub for the better, now offering a
range of Steamin’ Billy Beers (Brewed by Tower Brewery of
Burton-Upon-Trent), along with Guest Beers from other breweries.
Everards beers too, as they still actually own the pub.
Keith presented their
award, outlining the importance of supporting your local pub,
with 2 pubs a day closing for good, in the UK. Danny and Amy
were pleased to receive recognition from Leicester CAMRA. He
thanked us for the award and hoped to continue to offer the wide
selection of beers and to receive our continued support.
K. Williams
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Pub Of The Month April 2008 - The Chandlers
Arms,
Shearsby
Our April 2008 "Pub Of The Month" is a pub that may
not have survived had it not been for the hard work and
dedication of Stephen and Karen Compton. With country pubs closing at an
alarming rate it is nice to see the Chandlers doing so well and
also supporting LocAle, CAMRAs' push to have local beers in
local pubs. We travelled out by minibus to present the award on
April 23rd 2008 and were joined by many other CAMRA members who
made their own way.
When we arrived at the pub as it was St Georges day, it was so
busy we had to queue on the steps to get in! The pub was very
busy with not only drinkers but diners as well. The pub has an
interesting menu and I will make the effort to get back for a
meal at some point.
On the bar were five beers; Dowbridge Bonum Mild and Acris
Bitter along with Black Sheep Ale, Titanic English Glory and
Milestone Old Home Wrecker. The beers were in very good
condition and sensibly priced considering the extortionate
prices being charged in some other establishments.
Chairman Keith Williams spoke about CAMRA and how important
country pubs are. He thanked Steve for buying the pub in 2006 and turning it round. Keith did say he
thought the pub would not have survived otherwise. Steve was
slightly lost for words but thanked all the locals present for
their support as well as the members from Leicester CAMRA.
The evening was completed with a hot pot
that was enjoyed by members of
Leicester CAMRA. Our thanks go to Steve for his
hospitality on the night. It was also noted that the beers were
disappearing very rapidly such was the superb condition of them!
Andy Sales.
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Pub Of The Month February 2008 - The Wheel,
Oadby
Our February 2008 "Pub Of The Month" is a pub that is thriving
in the local community and has introduced a guest beer to
compliment the Bass and Pedigree which are always served in top
notch condition, we travelled by Arriva Bus No 31 on the Oadby
Grange route to The Wheel, 99 London Road, Oadby. The bus stop
is literally outside the front door of the pub and Landlord
Richard Pettit and his wife Carolyn were there to meet us.
There
was quite a large group of regulars there on presentation night
along with members of Oadby & Wigston Borough Council, including
the Mayor. The pub is involved in an enormous amount of sporting
activities and even has Poker nights. It was redecorated about a
year ago and a smoking ban introduced before the main government
ban. Smokers are well catered for with an outside area though.
The guest beer for the night was J. W Lees - John Willies 4.5
sitting alongside the regular Bass and Pedigree.
Chairman Keith Williams spoke about CAMRA and how important
community pubs are. Richard explained how popular the pub is and
his commitment to real ale. He was thrilled to bits with the
award and said that he would dedicate it to his wife who has
been of solid support in the background all the way and his
customers.
The Mayor then spoke again about the community and said he had
not realised how many small independent micro breweries existed.
The evening was completed with an enormous
buffet that was enjoyed by both customers and members of
Leicester CAMRA. Our thanks go to Richard and Carolyn for their
hospitality on the night.
Andy Sales.
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Pub Of The Month September
2007 - The Black Horse, Walcote
For our September 2007 Pub Of The Month, it was a pub with a difference.
We travelled to Walcote, just off the M1 junction 20, to meet
Andy and Mandy Clipston.
About 4 years ago, The Black Horse was due to close following a
successful planning application to convert the pub in to
dwellings, something that is sadly quite common of late. Andy,
being a regular at The Black Horse and a self-employed builder
thought “This can’t happen” so he bought it.
When looking the pub over to asses what work needed to be done, he decided
that it would be easier to knock the place down and start again,
so in May 2006, he did just that.
By 16th
December, he finally re-opened the pub, a few feet further back
from the main A 4304(Formerly A427), but to the same design as
the old one with a few modern improvements. It now sells a dozen
or more beers, mainly from Independent and Micro-Breweries. The
pub is now more popular than ever. Andy and Mandy were presented
with their award and thanked Leicester CAMRA for recognising his
efforts to save a popular pub from closure and supporting him in
his venture as a Publican.
The evening was completed with the Thai curry and rice, which had arrived.
Our thanks go to Andy and Mandy Clipston for their hospitality
on the night. Thai food is regularly served at the pub. It is
only a mile from the M1 Junction 20 and well worth a visit.
K Williams.
Previous Winners:
| Pub of the Month |
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| July 2007 - The
Britannia, Queniborough |
| June 2007 - The
Black Horse, Leicester |
| May 2007 - The
Black Horse, Aylestone |
| April 2007 -
The Fox & Goose, Ilston on the Hill |
| November
2006 - The Swan & Rushes, Leicester |
| May 2006 - The
Shakespeare's Head, Leicester |
| April 2006 -
The Globe, Leicester |
| January
2006 - The New Inn, Enderby |
| October 2005 -
The Bull's Head, Ratby |
| September 2005 -
Out of the Vaults, Leicester |
| July 2005 - The
Griffin, Swithland |
| June 2005 - The
Tudor, Leicester |
| February 2005 -
The Malt Shovel, Barkby |
| August 2004 -
The Bakers Arms, Blaby |
| May 2004 - The
Hat & Beaver, Leicester |
| April 2004 - The Black Horse,
Leicester |
| January 2004
- The Criterion, Leicester |
| August 2003 - The Dog & Gun, Earl Shilton |
| June 2003 - The
Brookside, Barkby |
| February
2003 - The Globe, Leicester |
| January 2003
- The Vaults, Leicester |
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This page last updated: November 28, 2011
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