The Melton town and village pubs in the 2026 Good Beer Guide

The iconic annual book – complied by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) to indicate excellence in the hospitality industry – also lists a number of pubs in local villages as well.

Melton pubs listed for the 2026 guide are The Boat Inn and Anne of Cleves, which are both on Burton Street; The Kettleby Cross, on Wilton Road; and Round Corner Brewing, at the Stockyard on Scalford Road.

Ali McQuillan, the manager at The Kettleby Cross, commented: “I am delighted we have been recognised for the quality of our 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.”

The Kettleby Cross is running an international beer festival from October 1 to 12, with a range of 25 ale, all priced at £2.15 a pint.

The Black Horse, at Grimston, is also recognised after it reopened in January last year as a community-owned pub and has continued to flourish.

Carol Davis, secretary of The Black Horse Community Group Ltd, said: “We are delighted that our community-owned pub has been included in the new edition of the Good Beer Guide.

“It is testament to our tenants, Simon and Tania Henson, who are consistently meeting customer expectations.”

Other local village pubs listed are the Anchor at Nether Broughton; the Anchor at Plungar; The Windmill Inn at Redmile; The Stilton Cheese Inn, at Somerby; and the Pharmacie Arms at Syston.

On the new guide, Ash Corbett-Collins, CAMRA chairman, said: “Each edition of the Good Beer Guide is a collectible snapshot of beer and pub culture that year.

"This year’s Guide is a testament to the remarkable resilience of publicans, continuing to achieve excellence and choice for consumers despite a backdrop of sky-high tax bills and a lack of action from government.”

CAMRA is concerned that 36 pubs which featured in last year’s book have since closed and there has also been a sizeable number of brewery closures, including the high profile Banks’s in Wolverhampton.

One of the Melton Mowbray pubs recognised in last year’s guide was Charlie’s Bar, on King Street, but it sadly had to close on New Year’s Day when landlords Melton Borough Council decided to sell the property rather than grant a new tenancy lease to owner Charlie Donovan.

A positive is that there are 900 new entries in the 2026 Guide, showing that pubs are beating the odds in tough economic conditions.

Mr Corbett-Collins said the Chancellor’s upcoming autumn budget will be critical for the industry, adding: "Consumers want decisive action to get independent beers onto bars and allow pubs to thrive.

"The Chancellor needs to use the upcoming Budget to slash the tax burden on pubs, including VAT, duty and National Insurance contributions.”

Go online at https://shop1.camra.org.uk/ to buy a copy of the 2026 Good Beer Guide, which is sponsored by Midland Snacks Traditional Pork Scratchings and endorsed by Cask Marque.