We had particularly important business to attend to at our monthly branch meeting last night (13th March): the final opportunity to cast a vote and then the official count-up of all of the votes for this year's South Oxfordshire branch Pub of the Year.

It is with great pleasure to announce the Cross Keys in Wallingford as our Pub of the Year for 2024!

In just the couple of years since Oak Taverns acquired the pub from Brakspear, licensees Dave and Emma Howse have really raised the bar ever higher when it comes to both the quality and variety of their real ale offerings on their 4 hand-pumps.

With three ever-changing ale offerings from around the country (although there is thankfully a slight bias towards LocAle) to accompany the XT-brewed house beer, many of us, myself included, can't wait to discover what is currently pouring on each visit! I feel like I'm reliving my childhood visits to the sweet shop!

Lest we forget, the pub is judged on merits beyond the hand-pumps, with cleanliness, friendliness and community spirit all considered (almost) as important as the beer. Thankfully Dave and Emma score highly in these aspects too, especially in light of the weekly quiz nights and the nightly food van offerings. The fact that the pub is busy every night of the week is testament to the popularity Dave and Emma have built of the pub.

The branch would like to wish Dave and Emma huge congratulations and we will look forward to presenting you both with not only the Pub of the Year but also the Cider Pub of the Year during the beer festival over the Easter weekend.

It would be remiss not to mention the other pubs that were shortlisted for the award, which were the Bird in Hand, Henley; the Black Horse, Checkendon; the Red Lion, Brightwell-cum-Sotwell; and the Spire & Spoke, Watlington, all of which are great pubs at the heart of their communities and serve excellent cask ale.

Pub news:

• Oak Taverns has successfully received licenses for their street vendors in all of their pubs within South Oxfordshire District, though not for the one Vale of the White Horse District pub. We have three Oak Taverns pubs in our branch: George, Sutton Courtenay; Greyhound, Whitchurch-on-Thames; and Cross Keys, Wallingford.
• There has been a change of licensee in: the Ladygrove, Didcot and the Saracen's Head, Henley-on-Thames. We wish both new licensees a successful and prosperous 2024.
• Sadly, the Horse & Harrow in West Hagbourne appears to have finally closed.
• The Baskerville Arms in Shiplake won’t open until March 2024.
• The freehold of the Crown, Stadhampton, is currently for sale.

Brewery news:

• A new craft beer bar, Echoes, has opened in Henley. It is being operated by Phantom Brewing from Reading and is located in Gardiner Place, just off the Waitrose car park. Ten taps are promised, although these are expected to all be keg lines.

The Good Beer Guide 2024 launched on Thursday 28th September, and we marked the occasion with a special event and Award presentation to the Leathern Bottle in Lewknor, which has attained a remarkable 50 entries into the prestigious Guide. This is no mean feat and has only been achieved by less than a handful of pubs across the country.

The Leathern Bottle is a Grade II-listed traditional country pub, spread over three rooms separated by a large open fireplace and the main bar area. It has served consistently good cask ales from Brakspear over many years and also excellent home-cooked food, using locally sourced produce. The pub has been run by Les and Julie Gordon (pictured right with Paul Dixon, our Branch Secretary) since 1998, with Julie’s father Mike, and Lesley, having previously run it since 1980. The pub has always offered a very warm welcome to all, whether locals or visitors from further afield, including walkers from the nearby Ridgeway.

It’s brilliant that we can recognise the best of the pubs that we have in the country, especially in these very difficult times for our hospitality industry, and CAMRA congratulates everyone who has been associated with making the Leathern Bottle such a great pub for the past 50 years.