A self-declared "grotty, run-down pub by the sea" has been named Britain's best gastropub.
The Sportsman near Whitstable in Kent - whose chef-owner, Stephen Harris, writes a weekly column for Telegraph Food - won the Estrella Damm Top 50 Gastropubs Awards for the second year in a row.
Harris, a former financial advisor who taught himself how to cook, opened The Sportsman in Seasalter in 1999 and has won rave reviews for his unpretentious, seasonal dishes, largely created from local ingredients. Typical dishes include slip sole with garlic butter and poached oysters with pickled cucumbers.
James Lowe, the chef-owner of celebrated London restaurant Lyle's, describes Harris's achievement at The Sportsman as "incredible".
“It’s not that easy to get to, and it’s not the prettiest of pubs nor the prettiest of places," he says. "He has just worked really hard, with a small team, for years and years. It’s great to see him recognised, because what he does is nothing to do with obsessions over new openings, hype, trends or social media. His food is incredibly simple."
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Harris, who has written for The Telegraph since July 2015, says of his win: "I thought 2015 was my moment in the sun - I really didn't expect to win again. I'm incredibly chuffed, particularly because this award is voted for by chefs, restaurateurs and food writers. It's nice to be recognised by them."
Two Yorkshire pubs took second and third place respectively: The Pipe & Glass Inn in Beverly, East Yorkshire and The Star in Harome, North Yorkshire.
Overall, more pubs in the north of England were included in the list than ever before, occupying over 20 per cent of the spots.
Nicholas Robinson, food editor at the pub trade magazine The Publican’s Morning Advertiser, which organises the event, said: “Being from the north of England myself, it’s great to see so many gastropubs I’m familiar with voted on to the list.
“Great food doesn’t just happen in the south of England or London, but right across the country and it’s pertinent that we recognise that.”
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The list of winning pubs in full
- The Sportsman, Seasalter, Kent
- The Pipe & Glass Inn, Beverly, East Yorkshire
- The Star, Harome, North Yorkshire
- The Coach, Marlow, Buckinghamshire
- The Pony & Trap, Chew Magna
- Freemasons Arms, Wiswell, Lancashire
- Harwood Arms, Fulham, London
- The Hardwick, Abergavenny, Wales
- The Kingham Plough, Kingham, Oxfordshire
- The Masons Arms, Knowstone, Devon
- The Marksman, Hackney,London
- The Butchers Arms, Eldersfield, Gloucestershire
- The Rat Inn, Hexham, Northumberland
- The Beehive, Maidenhead, Berkshire
- The Treby Arms, Plymouth,Devon
- Gurnards Head, Zennor, Cornwall
- The Greyhound on the Test, Stockbridge, Hampshire
- Gunton Arms, Norwich, Norfolk
- The Anchor and Hope, Waterloo, London
- The Red Lion & Sun, Highgate, London
- The Bull & Last, Highgate, London
- The Crown, Maidenhead, Berkshire
- The Jugged Hare, Barbican, London
- The Beckford Arms, Gifford, Wiltshire
- The Crown at Bray, Maidenhead, Berkshire
- The Plough at Bolnhurst, Bolnhurst, Bedfordshire
- The Cornish Arms, Tavistock, Devon
- The Broad Chare, Quayside, Newcastle-on-Tyne
- The Wild Rabbit, Kingham, Oxfordshire
- The Feathered Nest, Country Inn, Nether Westcote, Oxfordshire
- The Staith House, Low Lights, North Shields
- The Empress, Victoria Park, London
- The Kentish Hare, Bidborough, Kent
- Journeys End Inn, nr Kingsbridge, Devon
- The Fishpool Inn, Delamere, Cheshire
- Red Lion Firehouse, Pewsey, Wiltshire
- The Royal Oak Paley Street, Maidenhead, Berkshire
- Canton Arms, Stockwell, London
- The Nut Tree, Murcott, Oxfordshire
- The Wellington Arms, Baughurst, Hampshire
- The Olive Branch, Rutland, East Midlands
- Old School Bar & Kitchen, Mount Hawke, Cornwall
- Parlour, Kensal Green, London
- Shibden Mill Inn, Halifax, West Yorkshire
- The Lickfold Inn, Petworth, West Sussex
- The Stagg Inn, Kington, Herefordshire
- The Truscott Arms, Maida Vale, London
- The Parkers Arms, nr Clitheroe, Lancashire
- The Bridge Tavern, Newcastle, Newcastle-upon-Tyne
- The Lord Clyde, Kerridge, Billington
Recipes from Britain's best gastropub, The Sportsman