South Warwickshire venue is named Shakespeare Camra’s pub of the year
DRINKERS at Thirst Edition in Shipston raised a glass in celebration after the pub was awarded Shakespeare branch of Camra Warwickshire Pub of the Year 2023.
The timing couldn’t have been better as managing directors, David Allsopp and his wife, Jeanette, recently celebrated the fifth anniversary of the micropub’s opening in Church Street. During that time it has stocked more than 1,100 different cask ales and has, according to David, had the most gins on sale in town.
David said: “Camra have been coming for a couple of years but I never thought I’d get pub of the year. I’d say 75 to 80 per cent of what they’re looking for is all about the ale – the variety of ales on offer, the condition, how the ale is looked after and how it tastes.
“My standards are high and I’ve earned the trust of the customers, they know me and ask me for my recommendations which they say are 95 per cent of the time spot on.
“My mantra is ‘all the experts are on the other side of the bar’, so you’ve got to talk to your customers and they have to feel comfortable when they’re in the pub.”
He added that the last five years had been eventful, especially during the pandemic when the pub continued provided a delivery service and sold takeouts at the door.
“This service really built up the profile and interest of the customers and this is why the business has nearly doubled in the last two years; this year is already way ahead of my projected growth,” David said.
