Top 50 pubs for food UK 2022: Estrella Damm’s list of best gastropubs - as The Unruly Pig, Suffolk voted best

Pubs are the heart and soul of British culture.

The unofficial home of the roast dinner, and hearty food and drink more generally, these informal dining spaces can be found in every corner of the UK.

Indeed, many routinely make the Michelin Guide for the UK and Ireland, which announced its Bib Gourmands for 2022’s best value for money eateries last week.

Over the past decade more and more pubs have come to specialise in food, giving rise to the Top 50 Gastropubs Awards by trade publication The Morning Advertiser.

This year’s winner was the Unruly Pig in Woodbridge, which beat a whole host of top establishments to the gong at a ceremony in Manchester in January.

So what did the judges say about the Suffolk pub - and did your local make it into the Top 50?

Here’s everything you need to know.

What is the Estrella Damm Top 50 Gastropubs list?

For the past 13 years, pub trade magazine The Morning Advertiser has compiled a list of the best gastropubs in the land through its Top 50 Awards.

This year, the event was sponsored by Spanish beer brand Estrella Damm.

It is voted for by more than 400 gastropub owners, food critics and industry experts.

Why did The Unruly Pig win?

The Unruly Pig, which is based in the town of Woodbridge near Ipswich, Suffolk, was crowned the UK’s best gastropub because it is “winsome, warm and witty”, according to the Top 50 judges.

With a menu full of “locally sourced, unfussy, seasonal” food served up by head chef Dave Wall, the establishment was praised for its “maverick” atmosphere.

Owner Brendan Padfield said winning the gong was “a huge honour”.

“There are some very famous chefs and talented operators here and for us to be a small part of this amazing list means so very much to all our team,” he said.

“They can rightly hold their heads up proud yet again as our listing is because of their dedication, loyalty and sheer hard graft".

Full list of Top 50 UK gastropubs:

1. The Unruly Pig, Woodbridge, Suffolk
2. Parkers Arms, Clitheroe, Lancashire
3. The Star Inn at Harome, Harome, North Yorkshire
4. The Angel at Hetton, Hetton, North Yorkshire
5. Freemasons at Wiswell, Clitheroe, Lancashire
6. The Sportsman, Whitstable, Kent
7. The Guinea Grill, London
8. The Fordwich Arms, Canterbury, Kent
9. The Mariners, Rock, Cornwall
10. The Hand & Flowers, Marlow, Buckinghamshire
11. The Beehive, White Waltham, Berkshire
12. The Kentish Hare, Bidborough, Kent
13. The Coach, Marlow, Buckinghamshire
14. The Cornish Arms, Tavistock, Devon
15. The Harwood Arms, London
16. The Red Lion and Sun, London
17. The Pyne Arms, Barnstaple, Devon
18. The Rat Inn, Anick, Northumberland
19. The Broad Chare, Newcastle Upon Tyne
20. The Hardwick, Abergavenny, Monmouthshire
21. The Bull & Last, London
22. The Masons Arms, Knowstone, Devon
23. The Pipe and Glass, Barnsley, South Yorkshire
24. The Longs Arms, South Wraxall, Wiltshire
25. The Swan, Bampton, Devon
26. The White Swan at Fence, Fence, Lancashire
27. The Loch and The Tyne, Old Windsor, Berkshire
28. The Duncombe Arms, Ashbourne, Derbyshire
29. The French House, Soho, London
30. The Moorcock, Norland Moor, West Yorkshire
31. The Shibden Mill Inn, Shibden, West Yorkshire
32. The Pack Horse, Hayfield, Derbyshire
33. Heft, High Newton, Cumbria
34. The Felin Fach Griffin, Brecon, Powys
35. The Five Bells Inn, Cullompton, Devon
36. St Kew Inn, Bodmin, Cornwall
37. The Castle Inn, Castle Combe, Wiltshire
38. The Canton Arms, Stockwell, London
39. The Higher Buck, Waddington, Lancashire
40. The Duck Inn, Pett Bottom, Kent
41. The Hovingham Inn, North Yorkshire
42. The Plough, Coton, Cambridgeshire
43. The Three Hills, Bartlow, Cambridgeshire
44. The Hind’s Head, Bray, Berkshire
45. The Dog at Wingham, Wingham, Kent
46. The Bell Inn, Langford, Oxfordshire
47. The Black Bear Inn, Usk, Monmouthshire
48. The Cadeleigh Arms, Tiverton, Devon
49. The Bailiwick Free House, Egham, Surrey
50. The Cross, Kenilworth, Warwickshire

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