Each year, every CAMRA branch selects a Pub of the Year (PotY). This is the first stage in a lengthy competition where winners progress through county and regional stages, with a select few going on to a final shoot-out at national level. The process for selecting a PotY is left up to each individual branch. In South Oxfordshire branch (SOX), we agree a short-list of five at an open branch meeting. The winner is then selected by secret ballot, open to all branch members. Along with a number of other CAMRA branches, SOX excludes the previous year’s winner from taking part.

This year’s candidate list was (in alphabetical order):

• Fleur de Lys, East Hagbourne
• Flowing Spring, Playhatch
• Highwayman, Exlade Street, Checkendon
• Plough, Long Wittenham
• Plum Pudding, Milton

This is a very strong field and inevitably led to a very tight result. However, the winner by a small margin and South Oxfordshire’s 2021 PotY is: the Fleur de Lys, East Hagbourne.

This is a real testament to licensees Darren and Ruth Sargison who have now won the SOX title for the third time. They’ve succeeded in developing a pub that is woven into the fabric of the local community. As well as hosting darts, crib and Aunt Sally, it’s a venue for club meetings, music evenings and seasonal events. And then there are the big set-piece events such as Fleurfest, which is coming up at the end of July.

So our congratulations to Darren and Ruth, and to all the other SOX pubs that have weathered the tough times over the past year. Roll on July 19th!