Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) Hull & East Yorkshire Branch NEWS RELEASE

The Wellington Inn and the Hop & Vine are voted the Best Pubs in Hull

Issued 8th February 2008

The Wellington Inn and the Hop & Vine have been named joint winners of the Hull Pub of the Year 2007 Award by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) – Hull & East Yorkshire Branch.

CAMRA members voted for their Hull Pub of the Year 2007 after carefully considering the following criteria: Community Focus, Atmosphere, Campaigning, Quality of Beer, Style/Decor, Service and Welcome and Value for Money. For the pub to be eligible for the competition the licensee had to be present since the 1st January 2007.

The Wellington Inn on Russell Street in Hull is owned and run by Richard & Janette Gant.

Winning the 2007 award completes their hat trick of wining the award, having been joint winners in 2005 and wining it outright in 2006.

It is described in the new 2008 CAMRA Good Beer Guide as: "a back-street free house, established in 2004 in a former Hull Brewery pub dating from 1861. Refurbished to a high standard, it features a walk-in cooler stocking over 100 European bottled beers. Up to six guest beers are available, mainly sourced from Yorkshire independent breweries, and two or more draught ciders, perry and Lindesfarne fruit wines add to the variety."

The Hop & Vine on Albion Street is also a free house run by tenants Stewart Campbell & Janet Rowan. They are the 'new kids on the block' having only taken on the bar in November 2006.

The Hop & Vine is a small cellar bar serving up to three constantly changing guest beers from microbreweries in oversize lined glasses. Two real ciders (with one of them often a perry) are also available and the bar is rare outlet for Budvar Dark and Pilsner Urquell. A good range of Belgian bottled beers completes the beer range. An interesting menu of freshly made sandwiches, paninis, salads and snacks are available until 10.00 pm.

Branch Chairman, Alan Canvess, will present the award winners with framed certificates on the evening of Saturday 9th February.

The Falcon on Falkland Road in Hull, owned by Admiral Taverns and run by tenants Keith French & Michaela Thurston, was runner up in the competition. The other finalist in the competition was the George Hotel on Land of Green Ginger in Hull.