Estrella Damm Top 50 Gastropubs Awards

The Sportsman in Seasalter has been named as the best gastropub in Britain for a fourth year at the Estrella Damm Top 50 Gastropubs Awards.
 
The Shepherd Neame-owned pub, run by brothers Stephen and Phil Harris, picked up the title at an awards lunch on Monday, January 28, after receiving the most votes in an industry poll organised by leading pub industry magazine the Publican’s Morning Advertiser.
 
The Sportsman, which has held a Michelin star for 11 years, has previously topped the list in 2015, 2016 and 2018. It has been recognised with numerous accolades in recent years, including winning first place in the 2017 UK National Restaurant Awards.
 
Head chef Stephen Harris makes full advantage of the history and agriculture of the pub’s rural location near the seaside town of Whitstable, churning his own butter, making his own salt, baking his own bread and using only the finest, freshest produce from local farms and fishermen.
 
The Compasses Inn in Crundale was also named 21st on the list, meaning they have now been included three years in a row. Licensees Donna and Rob Taylor took over the Shepherd Neame pub in 2012 and since then it has been awarded two prestigious AA Rosettes, and was named Best Food Pub at last year’s Great British Pub Awards.