County pubs declared best of their kind in UK

Two Gloucestershire pubs have been declared the best of their kind in the country.

Following a few years of closure, the refurbished Dr Foster scooped the the Best Town Pub title at the Great British Pub Awards 2026, two years after reopening on Gloucester Docks.

Meanwhile, The Plough Inn at Prestbury won Best Family Pub, which owner Emma Gibbon said was a bonus for her team as hospitality had been a "tough industry" to work in.

The pub awards are selected after an unannounced in-person visit. Elsewhere in Gloucester, The Coach and Horses finished as a finalist in the Community Pub of the Year category.

Dorian Kirk, founder of ART Hospitality which runs the Dr Foster, said the team at the pub "deserve this more than anything".

"I always feel Gloucester doesn't get the best rap with things like this, so it's nice to shine a light on how fantastic the docks is and just Gloucester as a whole," Kirk said.

The award focused on how the pub serves the community, Kirk said, adding he feels it puts on "so much", from charity events to comedy and quizzes.

"With pubs closing, we're so proud that we managed to reopen one, reinvigorate it and get a national award," Kirk said.

"I think it's testament that people still really want community space and it's so vital for us to keep working so hard on them."

The team from the Plough in Prestbury, near Cheltenham, were "humbled" to be at the awards in Leeds on Wednesday, Gibbon said.

"Just because we're a busy pub doesn't necessarily mean that we're a profitable pub," Gibbon said. "It's a tough industry at the moment and we're busy and we're doing really well."

Gibbon said the The Plough's priority is making sure there is something for every generation at the thatched-roofed pub.

"What we want to see is those children, who are dragging their parents to the pub because of the play area at the moment, bringing their own kids in years to come."

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