‘Delight’ as Eight Bells named best pub in North Cotswolds

The Eight Bells in Chipping Campden has been voted as pub of the year by members of North Cotswold Camra.

With nearly 30 years at the helm of the historic pub, landlord Neil Hargreaves, said he was absolutely delighted to have won, adding it is ‘a real reflection of not just the pub but the breweries we choose to use’.

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Mr Hargreaves said: “We are absolutely delighted. We’ve been runners-up a few times and won the award a few years back, but it’s nice to get. We were presented with the award on Monday (March 23) evening. We are delighted because it’s nice to be recognised.

“It’s a real reflection of not just the pub but the breweries we choose to use. They are all local. We use Hook Norton Brewery, Wye Valley Brewery, and North Cotswold Brewery.

“It means an awful lot to win the award because real ale is not a product that is ready when you get it. It has to be finished in one’s own cellar. It’s a reflection of how we manage the cellar and our technique.

“It’s about selectivity, local beers, and local flavours. We steer away from national breweries because using local reduces beer miles. There’s a real commitment by local breweries to get it right, and boy to they get it right.

“Locals and visitors often notice the certificates and are both very supportive and happy to have chosen to drink at a pub that is recognised by a wider audience.

“It’s all about promoting real ales. Real ales are a fairly unique product to the UK, and so visitors from all over the world are very enthusiastic about trying them. A lot of them do a lot of research before they visit, which always surprises me.

The Eight Bells (Image: Daniel Kelly/NQ)

“If you think there are a lot of different varieties of wine, there are as many, if not more, in beers. I find keeping good standards at the bar helps. Keeping it tidy, keeping the pumps polished, and staff being knowledgeable.

“I would really like to extend my thanks to Camra for what they do for the pub business. For campaigning for many, many years. They are very much the unsung heroes, spreading the message everywhere from Downing Street to Chipping Campden about the importance of pubs in the UK.

The building is rumoured to have been built by the same stonemasons who built the nearby Church of St James, and was later used to store its bells, hence the name.

The Eight Bells is open seven days a week, boasting both a beer garden and a sheltered terrace garden, six en-suite rooms, and a ‘very well-established and experienced brigade of chefs’.