A good handful of branch members together with, it seemed, most of Blewbury turned out on the evening of the 8th August to celebrate the presentation of our Pub of the Season for Summer 2024 award to Annabel Cochrane and John Hunter, owners of the Red Lion in Blewbury (pictured with our branch Chairman, Graham Hards. Photo courtesy of Bob Smith).

Annabel and John took over this lovely old pub in June 2021 and rapidly set about re-establishing it back to its rightful position as a wonderful, charming and, as a result, thriving country pub, at the heart of the local community.

It’s a tricky task getting the balance right on how to pitch the pub to have as wide an appeal as possible both to locals and visitors, and we think that Annabel and John have done a great job in getting this just about right. There is still a cozy and comfortable bar, where anyone can pop in for a good beer and conversation. But there are other rooms which can be used for diners to enjoy a classy menu of top quality, traditional, and locally sourced pub food.

Probably most importantly, the pub also boasts a really lovely garden, complete with the large festival tent and the garden kitchen, the Lionsden, that makes it a great outdoor venue for the summer months.

Close to our heart, of course, is our love of real ale, and the Red Lion has recently been accredited under CAMRA’s Locale scheme, as it always serves at least one beer from a local brewery, from such as Loose Cannon, Rebellion and LoveBeer. This particular evening we were also treated to a rare cask ale, Cell Count, from Tap Social, which ran out in three hours!

Many congratulations to Annabel, John and the team at the Red Lion in Blewbury!