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

The UK’s pubs are the unofficial home of the roast dinner and British food culture more generally - did your local gastropub make the list?
The Unruly Pig with chefs Dave Wall and Karl Green, as well as TV presenter host Angellica Bell (images: Top 50 Gastropubs)The Unruly Pig with chefs Dave Wall and Karl Green, as well as TV presenter host Angellica Bell (images: Top 50 Gastropubs)
The Unruly Pig with chefs Dave Wall and Karl Green, as well as TV presenter host Angellica Bell (images: Top 50 Gastropubs)

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.

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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.

The list was decided by 400 gastropub owners, food critics and industry experts (image: Top 50 Gastropubs)The list was decided by 400 gastropub owners, food critics and industry experts (image: Top 50 Gastropubs)
The list was decided by 400 gastropub owners, food critics and industry experts (image: Top 50 Gastropubs)

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.

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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.

The Unruly Pig in Woodbridge, Suffolk, was praised for its ‘locally sourced, unfussy, seasonal menus’ (image: Top 50 Gastropubs)The Unruly Pig in Woodbridge, Suffolk, was praised for its ‘locally sourced, unfussy, seasonal menus’ (image: Top 50 Gastropubs)
The Unruly Pig in Woodbridge, Suffolk, was praised for its ‘locally sourced, unfussy, seasonal menus’ (image: Top 50 Gastropubs)

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.

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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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