The New Flying Horse at Wye has been named Pub of the Year in the Shepherd Neame Pub Awards, which were held at Canterbury Rugby Club on Wednesday (May 24).
Licensee Joe Mullane (pictured, right, with wife Jane and Shepherd Neame Chief Executive, Jonathan Neame) took on the country inn two years ago, reinvigorating its nine rooms and creating an innovative menu using fresh, local ingredients, including from the pub’s own vegetable patch. The New Flying Horse is also renowned for its extensive selection of 58 wines, winning the Shepherd Neame Wine Pub of the Year award in 2022.
Joe, who runs the pub with his wife Jane, was also celebrating his 60th birthday on the night. He said: “We are a hospitality business – it is about bringing people together. There is one thing we have done right – and that is build an incredible team, they are amazing. They love the pub as much as we do. We are so thrilled to receive this award, which is a fantastic recognition of everyone’s hard work.”
Seventeen of the independent family brewer’s pubs and hotels across Kent, London and the South East were honoured at the ceremony, which celebrates exceptional standards across its 300-strong estate. There were also five individual awards, including for the first time, Apprentice of the Year.
Shepherd Neame Chief Executive Jonathan Neame said: “These awards are about celebrating excellence in our people, recognising their extraordinary hard work, dedication, and creativity, from those who are just joining the industry, to those who have been working hard for their customers for, in some cases, decades.
“We know that the hospitality industry is facing unprecedented pressures at the moment, and so it is more important than ever that we come together to congratulate and celebrate our pub teams for the amazing work they do, day in, day out, for our customers.”
Full list of winners:
- Apprentice of the Year: Winner – Sally Carter. Highly Commended – Lewis Weygang
- Chef of the Year: Winner – Peter Baldwin, Fish on the Green. Highly Commended – Will Shenow-Brady, The Dove
- Best Beer Offer: Winner – The Mermaid Inn, Bishopsbourne. Highly Commended – The Duke of Wellington, London
- Best Wine Offer: Winner – Three Mariners, Oare. Highly Commended – The Bell Hotel, Sandwich
- Best Food Offer: Winners – Bucks Head, Sevenoaks. Highly Commended – The Stag Inn, Hastings
- Best Accommodation Offer: Winner – Marine Hotel, Tankerton. Highly Commended – The Bull, Newick
- Heart of the Community: Winner – Flying Horse, Smarden. Highly Commended – Horse and Groom, Belgravia
- Outstanding Contribution: Karen Barrett, Walnut Tree, Aldington
- Customer Service Pub of the Year: The Parrot, Canterbury. Highly Commended – The Barn, Tunbridge Wells
- Tenanted Pub of the Year: Winner – Hampton Inn, Herne Bay. Highly Commended – The Bear, Faversham
- Managed Pub of the Year: Winner – Oak on the Green, Bearsted. Highly Commended – The Vine, Tenterden
- Shepherd Neame Pub of the Year: New Flying Horse, Wye
