Vote for the Oxford Mail Best Pub 2022 - here's the shortlist

We asked you to nominate your favourite pub where you are guaranteed a good welcome and know you will enjoy the home-cooked food, hand-pulled ales and in some cases relaxing gardens and outdoor spaces.

Some people perhaps sent in nominations because their favourite pub is the place where they most often meet their best friends.

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A shortlist of 10 pubs has now been drawn up and people will be able to vote for their favourite, using coupons in Oxford Mail.

The shortlist is: The Black Boy, Old High Street, Headington; The White Hart, St Andrew’s Road, Headington; The Brewery Tap, Ock Street, Abingdon; College Oak, Peachcroft Road, Abingdon; The Masons Arms, Quarry School Place, Headington; The Royal Blenheim, St Ebbe’s; The Turf Tavern, Bath Place, off Holywell Street; The Victoria Arms, Mill Lane, Oxford; The Queen’s Arms, Manor Road, Didcot; The White Hart, Godstow Road, Wolvercote.

Oxford Mail editor Andrew Colley said: “I’m delighted these 10 pubs have been nominated and they are all in with a chance of winning.

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“While most of the nominations are for pubs in Oxford it is good to see nominations too for pubs in Abingdon and Didcot.

“Pubs which have been selected are clearly at the heart of their communities and now it’s the important bit - voting for your favourite.”

The pubs competition follows the contest to find Oxford Mail Best Cafe 2022.

Once the votes were cast, the winner was Colombia Coffee Roasters, which has a cafe in the Covered Market and another branch in Banbury Road, Summertown.

The Banbury Road cafe came second, while Restore’s garden cafe off Cowley Road was third.

Mr Colley said earlier: “After seeing some great entries for the Oxford Mail Best Cafe 2022 competition, we are now looking to find the Oxford Mail best pub.”

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The competition is a way of highlighting the county’s excellent pubs at a time when the hospitality industry is under pressure following the pandemic, and as a result of increasing cost of living pressures.

The total number of pubs in the country dropped below 40,000 during the first half of 2022, a fall of more than 7,000 compared with a decade ago, according to the latest research.

Researchers have suggested that while pubs managed to battle through Covid-19, they now face a fresh challenge because of record-high inflation and an energy crisis.

Post your voting coupons to: Oxford Mail Best Pub 2022, Richmond House, Units 1 and 2, Edison Park, Hindle Way, Swindon, SN3 3RB.

The closing date for postal entries is Sunday, August 21, 2022.

Read more from this author

This story was written by Andy Ffrench, he joined the team more than 20 years ago and now covers community news across Oxfordshire.

Get in touch with him by emailing: Andy.ffrench@newsquest.co.uk

Follow him on Twitter @OxMailAndyF