Pubs across Melton area recognised in the latest Good Beer Guide

Pubs across the Melton Mowbray area are celebrating being recognised in the latest Good Beer Guide.

The Kettleby Cross and Round Corner Brewing in the town are listed in the prestigious annual book published by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA).

The Berkeley Arms at Wymondham announcing their listing in the Good Beer Guide 2027

placeholder image — The Berkeley Arms at Wymondham announcing their listing in the Good Beer Guide 2027

And some of our popular village pubs also make the guide, including The Stilton Cheese at Somerby, The Berkeley Arms at Wymondham and the Plough Inn at Hickling.

Also listed are The Bull at Bottesford, The Wheel Inn at Branston, The Black Horse at Grimston, The Anchor at Plungar, The Windmill at Redmile and The Blue Dog at Sewstern.

The Kettleby Cross pub at Melton Mowbray

On The Kettleby Cross, a CAMRA spokesperson says: “It is our belief that if a licensee serves an excellent pint of real ale, then everything else in the pub, including customer service, quality of food and atmosphere, are likely to be of an equally high standard.”

The pub’s manager, Ali McQuillan, said: “I am delighted that The Kettleby Cross has been recognised for the quality of its real ales by CAMRA members.

“We offer our customers an excellent range of real ales at all times, including those from regional brewers and microbrewers, as well as hosting our own beer festivals.

“Staff at the pub work hard to ensure that the real ales on offer are kept in first-class condition at all times and the pub’s inclusion in the guide highlights this.”

Landlord Chris Dyson and his award-winning piemakers Tara and Shannon Eades outside The Plough Inn at Hickling

The Berkeley Arms posted about its listing on its Facebook page: “High standards and consistency with conditioning as well as a lot of love and passion goes into looking after Ales, it’s all paying off and one day at a time it’s all coming together.”

The Guide, which is endorsed by Cask Marque, is regarded as the definitive guidebook to pubs that serve great cask beer across the UK, and uses an independent, volunteer-led selection process that makes it the authoritative and trusted voice of cask beer drinkers. It features 4,500 pubs, 1,700 brewers and 5,000 beers and there are 812 new entries this year.

In the book, CAMRA has renewed its calls for a formal competition investigation into the global brewers that dominate the UK beer market after a year in which 137 breweries have closed and only 57 new ones have opened.

It is passionate about independently brewed beers being served on as many bars as possible.

Lara Lopes, head brewer at Round Corner Brewing, which is listed in the new CAMRA guide

Ash Corbett-Collins, CAMRA chairman, said: “This year, we released our flagship report, ‘Beer in the UK’, alongside our campaign to expose how ‘Big Beer’ is dominating the UK beer market, and how ordinary drinkers and independent brewers lose out as a result.

"If you agree with us, please join CAMRA, buy the Guide, and find amazing independently brewed beers for yourself.”

The foreword for the 2027 edition is written by Sir Ian Rankin. He, and his fictional detective Rebus, both frequent the Oxford Bar, in Edinburgh, which features on the cover of this year’s Guide.

On what makes the perfect pub, Sir Ian Rankin, writes in the book, said: "We want the beer to be good and the welcome to be friendly.”

Midland Snacks Traditional Pork Scratchings are the sponsor for the 2027 Guide.

Go to https://shop1.camra.org.uk/product/the-good-beer-guide-2027 to buy a copy of the Good Beer Guide 2027.