A local bar is saying ‘cheers’ after being nominated among the top 50 of UK’s best gastropubs.
Big 7 Travel has named the top pubs serving luxury, restaurant-level dishes from across the country and The Pheasant, located in Hightown, has been placed at number 43.
It is “the perfect destination for a hearty feed”, as described by Big 7.
General Manager, David McComish, told JMU Journalism: “I’m over the moon to be named and I know my head chef and my team are too.
“Predominantly, my team have been together four years with the additions of few people, so for them it’s hard work over four years and to get put in the top 50 is great. It shows all the work they do, day in and day out.”
Mr McComish explained how they were unaware of the reviewer coming into their pub.
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He said: “Normally if you know there’s a critic in you will go the extra mile, so knowing that someone came in without us knowing is probably better in my opinion, because we didn’t change a thing or the way we were doing it.”
He has only recently been appointed General Manager in the last six months, but has worked there since he was 16. He wants to make the pub the best in the area.
He said: “That’s one of my ambitions, I want to fill the pub all the time and make it the place to be.”
The pub is owned by Mitchells & Butlers, who have different brands like Sizzlers, Harvester and Miller and Carter. The Pheasant is categorised as a premium country pub; one of 127 owned by the company in the country, ranging from Scotland all the way down to London.