London brewer and pub operator Fuller, Smith & Turner is delighted to announce that The Queen’s Head, Farnham has been awarded the company’s top accolade in its prestigious annual Pub of the Year Awards, The Griffin Trophy.
The Queen’s Head is a fabulous traditional pub in the heart of Farnham. It not only offers first class real ales, fine wine and a modern twist to its food, but is renowned for having the best bar staff in town. The atmosphere is relaxed in the day – opening for coffee from 9am – becoming a touch more lively in the evenings.
The Griffin Trophy awards recognise the best of the best from Fuller’s estate of over 360 pubs across the South of England. Nominated pubs are put through two rounds of rigorous judging by a panel of experts from across the business.
John Hersey and Ellie Bedford, who have managed the pub on behalf of tenants Robert Masterton and Jessica Spencer-Smith since 2010, have enhanced the pub’s reputation in the local community, making The Queen’s Head a hub of the town’s social scene.
John and Ellie were awarded the first prize at a presentation in the Boardroom at The Griffin Brewery on Tuesday, November 29, 2011. The first prize is a holiday to the tune of £5,000 and the coveted Griffin Trophy itself, on which their names join those of past winners dating back to the 1970s.
On presenting The Griffin Trophy to The Queen’s Head, Michael Turner, Chairman of Fuller’s, said: “The Queen’s Head was victorious in the Outstanding Achievement category in the awards last year, and the team have shown fantastic dedication and a commitment to excellence and improvement that is truly remarkable.
“The Queen’s Head is the epitome of what a local pub should be all about. The décor is stylish and sophisticated, but warm, providing customers with a perfect home from home in which they can enjoy great food, terrific cask ales and wonderful wines all in a cosy, intimate space and congenial atmosphere.
“John and Ellie have the highest standards in everything they do, and it is done with such effortless style that you’d think running a pub was the easiest job in the world. I’m extremely proud to have the Fuller’s name above the door and they are extremely deserving winners of The Griffin Trophy.”
John and Ellie said: “We’re delighted to accept this award on behalf of the whole team from The Queen’s Head. Having won the Outstanding Achievement award last year we knew it would be tough to come back and show enough improvement to win one of the main categories this year.
“However, with a combination of tireless effort, a great team behind us and a determination never to settle for second best we were happy that we’d given ourselves a chance of winning again this year.
When Michael read out the pub’s name we couldn’t believe it. We can’t wait to get back to the pub to show off the trophy to our customers, after all, it’s them that we do this for.”