Shepherd Neame Pub is the Best in Britain

The Sportsman in Seasalter has been named as the best gastropub in Britain for a second year in a row at the Estrella Damm Top 50 Gastropubs Awards.

The pub, run by brothers Stephen and Phil Harris, picked up the title at an awards lunch on Monday, January 25, after receiving the most votes in an industry poll organised by leading pub industry magazine the Publican’s Morning Advertiser.
 
Around 3,000 votes were cast to determine the Top 50 by industry experts including top chefs, pub company bosses, pub guide editors and food writers.
 
The Sportsman, which has held a Michelin star for eight years, serves high quality food in a low-key, cosy pub environment. It has climbed steadily up the Top 50 Gastropubs list since entering in twelfth place in 2010, and claimed the top spot for the first time last year. The Sportsman also took second place in the National Restaurant Awards 2015.

Head chef Stephen Harris makes full advantage of the history and agriculture of the pub’s rural location near the seaside town of Whitstable, churning his own butter, making his own salt, baking his own bread and using only the finest, freshest produce from local farms and fishermen. He said:

We are very happy to have received this award for a second year running, particularly as it is voted for by industry experts. It is well-deserved recognition for our dedicated team of staff, as they work so hard throughout the year.