Raise a glass to the best

Tuesday 4th March 2008

It’s official – The Old Spot is the best pub in the entire country. Mark Taylor pops in for a pint and a chat

There must have been a few more sore heads than usual at The Old Spot in Dursley this week. But then, it’s not every week that the local pub is voted the best in Britain.

Last weekend, it was The Old Spot’s annual Valentine’s Beer Festival – complete with its quirky strapline of “buy her a beer she’ll never forget” – but the celebrations had started a couple of days earlier, when licensees Steve and Belinda Herbert were told that their pub had won the prestigious National Pub Of The Year by the Campaign For Real Ale (Camra).

All the criteria that makes a great pub were taken into consideration, including the quality of the beer, atmosphere, decor, customer service, clientele mix and value for money.

Julian Hough, Camra’s pubs director and one of the final judges, said: “It’s a great example of a successful, well-run community pub”.

Martyn Herbert, of Camra’s Gloucestershire branch, said: “The Old Spot is a superb pub that richly deserves this award. Everybody who enters the pub is made to feel welcome, and this creates a wonderful atmosphere which makes you feel a ‘local’ even after just a few minutes.

“To enhance this, you can sample a fine range of well-kept fine ales and good food.”

Named after the Gloucestershire Old Spot breed of pig, The Old Spot Inn is a 100-year-old free house in the centre of Dursley.

Sympathetically restored by its owner Ric Sainty, the pub has an intimate atmosphere enhanced by log fires and brewery memorabilia.

Step through the front door and the main bar is a dusky pink colour with wooden stools on the shiny quarry tile floor. The walls are plastered with old enamel signs advertising breweries and beers, and there is an abundance of pig-related paraphernalia reflecting the pub’s name.

Steve and Belinda took over the pub from owners Ric and Ellie Sainty in 2001.

The Saintys had bought the pub eight years previously when they transformed it from the rundown Fox & Hounds. They wanted to turn it back into a real ale pub that attracted people from all walks of life, whether it was local drinkers from the town or walkers on the nearby Cotswold Way.

In the seven years since they took over, Steve and Belinda have built on the owners’ success and this national award from Camra reflects the hard work they’ve put in.

“I’m overwhelmed at winning the National Pub of the Year award,” says Steve, who has always lived in Dursley. “To be judged the best pub in Britain is a dream come true.

“Being born and bred in Dursley means a lot to me, and to be able to bring this award to this wonderful pub gives me a great sense of achievement.”

But Steve is under no illusions that The Old Spot is anything more than simply a great town centre pub selling a huge range of real ale and locally sourced food. “We’re not exactly the quintessential English pub situated on the side of a beautiful river, are we?,” he laughs.

“Look at us – we’re situated between two garages, the bus station and the public toilets.”

The Old Spot is very much a family-run business. Steve runs the bar and looks after the award-winning real ales, and his stepson Tom and wife Belinda run the kitchen.

It’s hard work, but Steve wouldn’t have it any other way. “I love it and I absolutely adore the pub,” he says.

“Running a pub is really hard work. You’ve got to enjoy it.

“It’s 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and you have to accept that it’s a job that takes over your life.

“When we started, we thought we’d be able to take a day off every week, but we soon gave up on that idea. We get away once a month for a couple of days, and we leave the country and turn the mobile off. We find that’s the only way we can get a break.”

The Old Spot has built up a reputation for its beer, and there are always eight draught real ales on at any time, with more at the weekend. Part of its appeal to Good Beer Guide-carrying aficionados is the fact that Steve concentrates on as many local breweries as possible.

Uley Brewery’s Old Ric (named after the pub’s owner) is the permanent beer, but guest ales come from many other West Country breweries including Cotswold Spring, Severn Vale, Butcombe and Otter, each one served at the correct temperature and in the perfect condition.

“There’s been a resurgence in small local breweries,” says Steve, “and people want to see more local beers. What’s the point in transporting beers halfway across the country when great beers are produced a few miles from the pub?”

In an average week, Steve estimates that between 4,000 and 5,000 pints are pulled at the pub. But it’s not just the beer that draws people to The Old Spot. The pub is refreshingly unpretentious and unassuming, and its friendly staff are part of its success.

“We make sure we employ people with the right attitude,” says Steve, “because Belinda and I can’t be there every day to pull every pint.

“When we’re not there, we know that our staff represent our personality and what we want the pub to portray. We’re very lucky, we’ve got some really good customers who are really supportive.

“We’re busy seven days a week, 365 days a year, and we never have a quiet day, which makes for a really good atmosphere.

“The pub has about 1,000 locals because so many people come through the doors from such a wide range of backgrounds, from students and solicitors to accountants and labourers.

“It keeps it interesting, and it doesn’t categorise the pub so much. It’s just a great place to work.”

And also celebrating The Old Spot’s success is pub dog Jack. “Jack’s one of the most popular members of staff,” laughs Steve. “He gets fed and walked by the locals and he doesn’t pay me any attention anymore because he’s got another 200 people in the bar making a bigger fuss of him.”

The Old Spot, Hill Road, Dursley – 01453 542870