06-Aug-2008 Ashbourne News Telegraph - Pub pair are ready to prove their greatness
by GARETH BUTTERFIELD
A PAIR of pubs from the Ashbourne area have been nominated as among the best in Britain after being singled out for top industry awards.
The Bluebell Inn, in Tissington, and the Sycamore, in Parwich, have won through regional heats of the Great British Pub Awards and will now go forward to a national final against eight other hostelries in London next month.
Tissington's Bluebell Inn was named best in the Midlands in the Best Food Pub category, It is the pub's second bite at the cherry after it had also reached the national final in 2005.
Landlady Ruth Sampson said: "We got to go down to London to pick up our regional award, so it would be nice to get down there and find out we have won nationally this time.
"It is nice to get some recognition - one of our main aims is to use local produce. We get the majority of our supplies from Tissington, Ilam and Thorpe."
Meanwhile, the Sycamore won the regional Best Community Pub category, after it wowed judges by sacrificing its dining room to give the village a shop.
Landlady Janet Gosling was determined to bring back the village store to Parwich after its only shop closed, and opened her small grocery and newsagent outlet in April.
Janet was on holiday when the chance to apply for the award came round, but luckily her mother, Phylis Gosling, filled out the lengthy application forms - Janet says she is delighted to have gone so far already.
Janet said: "We're very pleased to have been nominated and a bit surprised, but we all have our fingers crossed and are hoping for the best."
The two licensees will be heading to London's Hilton Park Hotel on September 18, to see how they fared.
The competition is organised by licensed trade newspaper The Morning Advertiser.