Lancashire pubs earn national titles

The Inn at Whitewell has been named Pub of the Year and the nearby Assheton Arms has earned the title of Dining Pub of the Year in this year's Good Pub Guide.

The Inn at Whitewell sits within the Forest of Bowland area of natural beauty. The Good Pub Guide noted its 'olde worlde' charm with log fire, piano and extensive wine list.

Owner Charles Bowman said: “We are chuffed to bits to win this award and it means a lot to us. We've been an entry in the Good Pub Guide since its inception and we are thrilled to win."

Just ten miles away, the Assheton Arms sits at the foot of Pendle Hill. The pub is part of the Seafood Pub Company, which took over in 2012 and added rooms in 2015. It has since won Lancashire Tourism Pub of the Year and Ribble Valley Tourism Team of the Year.

Robert Broadbent, general manager of the Assheton Arms, said: “We’ve been named by the Good Pub Guide as Lancashire’s top dining pub year after year, but to be recognised as Britain’s best is something else.

"I think it’s the food and the setting, it’s the whole package really. I love the pub, and Downham. Customers who come here are spellbound by the beauty. We have to do the location justice and maintain our reputation with good old hospitality while always striving to improve.”

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