John Russell Fox loses its Crown

John Russell Fox 

Andover Wetherspoons has lost its 'prestigious' crown for the most steps to the pub loo in the town – as measured from the bar – but a twist may lead to an Appeal. 

The John Russell Fox, with its impressive staircase, has been pipped by just one step by the new upstart youngster across the road, the Vicolo Lounge.

The JDW has 27 steps from the bar level to the loos, including the four up to the rear 'eating' area.

Vicolo Lounge

Meanwhile, Vicolo has a total of 28 steps, but here is the twist – the last four of those head back downwards before the small rooms are reached.

It must be said though that the Wetherspoon's staircase carpet really is a winner and its worth the climb upstairs for that alone.

Redbridge

Just to be fair, a question was raised over the nearby Redbridge that also has a trek to the loos. Crampons and ropes were at the ready but unnecessary as they only reached 24.

 

However as with many competitions there are often booby prizes so with the largest of tongues in cheek the Redbridge took the Empty Ketchup Bottle for the stickiest floor/stairs while JDW walked away with the Waste Bin Award for uncleared tables.

So on our reckoning it is CONGRATULATIONS to Vicolo who now hold the coveted Andover Loo Stairs crown.

Are there any challengers?

BUT ... We won't mention the National Winner that has over 100 steps.
Andover pales into insignificance, but it’s still a bit of fun!

Hampshire Pub of the Year, 2026

The Flower Pots Inn, Cheriton

Affectionately called "The Pots", the Flower Pots Inn in the pretty Hampshire village of Cheriton is a friendly traditional style country inn, serving fine beers, excellent food and above all offering a welcome to everyone. 

This pub should not be missed
This is definitely not a pub to miss and has been announced as a worthy winner of the Campaign for Real Ale's (CAMRA) Hampshire Pub of the Year for 2026. It now proceeds in the next round of the competition which leads towards being the national winner. Along with the other nominations, it was visited by a dedicated team of judges several times over the past few months using a detailed and trusted set of criteria ranging from quality of beer and community commitment to standard of service and range of facilities.

Widely recognised as a top pub
As a free house it is unrestrained by the excesses of the national pub companies, and has been a regular entry in the Good Beer Guide – in fact it has been more than regular having been in the last 52 editions, and incredible achievement.

Flower Pots Brewery
Set just off the village centre, the Pots also brews its own beer through the Flower Pots Brewery, which is found in many of the county's better pubs. A wide range of its own beers are also available at its annual beer festival on the end of August Bank Holiday which sees visitors flock from far and wide to enjoy music, food and over 100 different beers.

https://www.theflowerpots.co.uk/

Full results CAMRA Hampshire Pub of the Year – congratulations.

Overall Winner: 

FLOWER POTS INN, Cheriton 

Runner-up:                                   

ANDOVER TAP AT THE LAMB, Andover

Highly Commended Finalists:    

STAR INN, Bentley

JUNCTION TAVERN, Gosport

ALE HOUSE, Cowes IOW 

The annual beer festival with over 100 beers
28th – 30th August 2026

Pub of the Year presentation

Top awards have been achieved by the Andover Tap at the Lamb, as the local Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) announced its Pub of the Year Awards for 2026.
The community-focused pub was voted to be the best pub in the North Hampshire area for both beers and ciders. The awards also recognise aspects such as community support, facilities, service and social inclusivity.

Presentation
A presentation was held at the pub where publican Tim Abram and team were handed certificates for:

• North Hampshire (West area) Pub of the Year 2026
• North Hampshire Overall Pub of the Year 2026
• North Hampshire Cider Pub of the Year 2026
  
  

  

  Publican Tim Abram with his Pub of the Year Awards

Over 200 pubs eligible
Over 200 pubs are eligible for the awards in an area that stretches across the northern reaches of Hampshire including the main centres of Andover and Basingstoke. Hartley Wintney and Odiham are included to the east; Whitchurch, Sutton Scotney and Stockbridge are towards the west; and Tadley and Kingsclere are to the north.

Pride in its service
Tim and his committed team have created a unique community-style pub that prides itself on quality ales, craft beers and ciders. The pub also has a small in house occasional brewery and produces some excellent tasty ales. 

A real social centre
Regular activities are held ranging from the fortnightly themed food nights to brewery visits, silent discos, tasting sessions and charity fund-raising. Last year around £20,000 was raised for the local hospice Naomi House & Jack's Place. This year several thousand has already been raised for the Andover Young Carers charity. Beer festivals are also arranged along with meets for folk evenings and games nights, while the pub is a lively venue for the Andover Rocks charity music event.

The Andover Tap at the Lamb

Onwards and upwards
The pub now progresses in CAMRA's County competition with the final possible accolade being the top pub in the country!

MASSIVE CONGRATULATIONS

Picture of Tim Abram courtesy Ben Tuffin

How do pubs get into the Good Beer Guide?

This is a regular question amongst beer drinkers and pub users – how does a pub make it into the Good Beer Guide, often called the 'Beer Drinkers Bible'? 

There is of course one very simple answer – serve the very best beer in the area, but how is that decided?

The Good Beer Guide, published by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) is now in its 53rd edition, with entries being selected by local CAMRA members through an ongoing beer scoring assessment. This is carried out throughout the whole year. It is totally independent and unlike many other guides no venue can buy its way in.

Final selection meetings take place early in each year, using the thousands of scores submitted over the previous year from CAMRA's 140,000+ members.
So to gain entry ensure the pub's beer is in top notch condition.

To obtain the 2026 edition see:
CAMRA Shop

To take part in the Beer Scoring access the CAMRA website and search for a pub/location.
Note you need to be a CAMRA member to add a score.
See: Campaign for Real Ale

Local Pubs in the current edition are here:
https://thehappypint.blogspot.com/2025/09/2026-good-beer-guide-published.html

2026 Good Beer Guide published

The latest edition of the Good Beer Guide has been published this week and a number of local venues have been included. These entries would not have reached this status without the hard work and commitment they give to their customers.

The book, now in its 53rd edition, is completely independent and compiled by local members of CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale using an ongoing quality Beer Scoring system, where members report on the beer quality throughout the year. 

Pubs in the north western area of the Test valley that are listed in the 2026 Good Beer Guide are:

Town Mills, Andover:

Andover Tap at the Lamb, Andover:

The Eagle, Abbotts Ann:

The Welcome Stranger, Kimpton:

The Kings Arms, Whitchurch:

The Prince Regent, Whitchurch:

The Three Cups, Stockbridge:

The Guide, which contains 4,500 of the best pubs across the UK, is the definitive beer drinker’s guide for those seeking the best pints in the nation’s hostelries. 

Meanwhile the 'CAMRA WhatPub' website lists all pubs in the area (and UK) which can be accessed here:
https://whatpub.com/

To purchase the Good Beer Guide
The 2026 Good Beer Guide can be purchased online here:
https://shop1.camra.org.uk/product/good-beer-guide-2026/ 

Andover pub wins 'Cider Pub of the Year 2025'

Congratulations are in order for the Andover Tap at the Lamb for having been voted as North Hampshire Cider Pub of the Year for 2025.

Applause rang out as the coveted award was made to publican Tim Abram on behalf of the local CAMRA group by long standing Andover CAMRA member Martin Bennett.

Anniversary
This year is the 50th Anniversary of the Campaign for Real Ale's commitment to supporting traditional cider within its campaigning activities. In 1975 real cider was first made available at CAMRA Beer Festivals and has remained a core part of the Campaign since.

Presentation to Tim Abram (R) by Martin Bennett (L)

(click picture to enlarge)

Traditional cider is rarely available in the north Hampshire area but the Andover Tap at the Lamb always has a wide selection on the bar to enjoy alongside its cask and craft beers.

Real Cider
Most ciders in pubs are poor imitations, created from essences, extracts and concentrates in large industrial factories then served up by the addition of gasses.
Real Cider should be fermented from the whole fruit of pressed apples, without the use of concentrates or chaptalised* juices. 

Real Cider is what can be found in the Tap; traditional, tasty, and extremely enjoyable.

The Andover Tap at the Lamb will now progress through further rounds of the National Cider Pub of the Year Competition.

* The word ‘chaptalised’ as used in the definition refers to a process where the alcohol level in a cider or perry is increased by the addition of sugar to an unnatural level for storage, before it is diluted with water to the desired alcohol content for sale.

Whitchurch Club wins CAMRA Award.

The Whitchurch Sports and Social Club (WSSC) has been announced as the North Hampshire CAMRA Club of the Year for 2024 and was awarded their certificate last Saturday (1st June) when the organisation held its AGM at the club. 

The Social Club now joins other clubs selected in the Wessex area and will be independently judged over the next six weeks. These are in Corfe Castle, Portsmouth, Salisbury, and Cowes Isle of Wight with the Wessex winner reaching the final sixteen in the UK.

Below:
Local CAMRA Chairman Keith Sturton presents the Whitchurch Sports & Social Club with its Award.

Whitchurch Sports and Social Club is well known for one of the most comprehensive offering of amenities, and events programmes, bringing some of the 'Big Names' to the town holding regular concerts, dinner evenings and discos as well as private bookings. It takes great pride in the quality of its beers and regularly supports local independent breweries.
The premises are also the home of Whitchurch Utd Football Club and also house squash courts and both indoor and outdoor bowling facilities.

North Hampshire CAMRA has nearly 600 local members and selects its award winners by nominations and a detailed judging process that covers such topics as community focus, inclusivity and commitment to customer service. It also runs an online Beer Scoring scheme where members can record pub visits and beer quality which then feeds into its Awards as well as into the Good Beer Guide selection for the area.

It is is part of the national campaign of nearly 150,000 members and is currently planning a local Beer Festival in September in Basingstoke as well as organising a number of social events. It is also updating the online pub guide for the North Hampshire area and is campaigning where pubs are at serious risk of closure.

Below:
Whitchurch Sports & Social Club at Longmeadow, Whitchurch.
North Hampshire Club of the Year 2024

•

Andover Tap at the Lamb receives two Awards

The Andover Tap at the Lamb has received the North Hampshire overall Pub of the Year Award along with the associated Cider Pub of the Year accolade.

At a presentation in the packed Andover pub at the weekend, owner Tim Abram received the certificates from the Chairman of the local Campaign for Real Ale Branch, Keith Sturton.

left to right:
Willow and Matt (bar staff extraordinaire);
Tim Abram, Owner of The Andover Tap at the Lamb;
Keith Sturton, local CAMRA Chairman.

Presently a team of judges is visiting the other local winners in the Region which includes entries from Dorset, the Isle of Wight, Wiltshire, and the Channel Islands as well as from the rest of Hampshire. All have been selected by an independent process not linked to any commercial concerns.

A successful pub
Along with a fine selection of cask ales, craft keg beers and real ciders from mainly local producers, regular events are held at The Tap including food nights, games sessions, quizzes, BBQs, brewery visits, and an annual cycle ride. It is also a venue for the long established Lamb Folk Sessions as well as holding occasional music events.

Gin and Beer Festival
Coming soon there is also a Gin and Beer Festival in conjunction with the next door Gin Palace over the weekend of Friday 24th May to Sunday 26th May.
This Festival will feature both beer and gin that is produced on the premises.

Can it go further?
It is hoped the Andover Tap at the Lamb may follow in the footsteps of the excellent Wonston Arms near Sutton Scotney which went on to win the prestigious National Pub of the Year in 2018.
Both pubs show that to focus on the local community, putting the customer first, and showing that providing an excellent selection of independent beers and ciders can lead to success.

The Andover Tap at the Lamb and the Gin Palace.

Tim Abram, owner of The Andover Tap at the Lamb.

A pub where friendly conversation and good company rules.

Cheers!

Local Pub of Year Winner

A local Andover pub that had been saved and re-opened only two years ago has been selected for two awards by the local Campaign for Real Ale group for north Hampshire.

 
The Andover Tap at the Lamb was voted by local members to receive the North Hampshire Pub of the Year accolade along with the associated  Cider Pub of the Year Award.
This is the first step in the National Pub of the Year competitions. 

UPDATE:

A presentation of the awards will be made at 2.00pm on Saturday 4th May.
Everyone welcome.

The Andover Tap at the Lamb

Around 250 pubs were eligible in an area that stretches across the northern reaches of Hampshire including the main centres of Andover and Basingstoke.
Hartley Wintney and Odiham are included to the east; Whitchurch, Sutton Scotney and Stockbridge are to the west, and Tadley and Kingsclere are to the north. The pubs are visited and judged by local members on a wide range of criteria.

Popular owner,
Tim Abram

The next step
The pub has now been forwarded for the Wessex Regional Award which includes entries from Dorset, the Isle of Wight, Wiltshire, and the Channel Islands as well as from the rest of Hampshire. Independent teams of judges will be visiting these over the next few months.

The Lamb Inn
The Andover Tap, owned by Tim Abram, moved into the historic Lamb Inn in Winchester Street just over two years ago along with Wessex Spirits, who run the lovely Gin Palace in the rest of the Listed Building. Previously the pub had been closed having been a canteen for an insurance company who had bought it from Wadworths.

As well as a fine selection of cask ales, craft keg beers and real ciders from mainly local producers, regular events are held including food nights, games sessions, quizzes, BBQs, brewery visits, and an annual cycle ride. It is also a venue for the long established Lamb Folk Sessions as well as holding occasional music events. Meanwhile each year an Ale and Gin Festival is held in conjunction with the Gin Palace (this years event is 24th–26th May 2024).

The pub also houses a small micro-brewery and has started to produce some special house beers under the apt name of Ewe Brew.

Conversation rules in the Andover Tap at the Lamb

A unique and welcoming pub
Tim Abram and his wonderful staff have created a unique independent and inclusive pub in the town that caters for, and welcomes everyone. It is definitely not a pub to miss and with the Gin Place next door shows the value of independent businesses in providing top quality service. 

Massive congratulations are due, along with the best of wishes as the pub moves forward towards the ultimate accolade of National Pub of the Year. Fingers are crossed.

The wonderful staff are will always give a friendly welcome
(here are Willow and Matt)

Cheers!

Regional Pub of Year Winner announced

Each year the national pub and beer organisation Campaign for Real Ale selects the very best pub in the country to receive the coveted national Pub of the Year accolade.

All pubs are eligible with local members first selecting their own area winners which are then are judged as part of a wider Regional competition.

The local winner
The local north Hampshire area winner, the excellent Wonston Arms near Sutton Scotney has received several visits by judges over the last four months but only narrowly missed out on taking the Regional Award.
It would be always a tough call being up against the very best in Hampshire, the IOW, Dorset, parts of Wiltshire and the Channel Islands. The Wonston won the National Award in 2019 and is a pub that must not be missed, oozing with community hospitality.

Regional Winner announced
However, this year's winner, and this years entry into the final 16 in the national competition is the family-run Barking Cat Ale House, a vibrant two-roomed pub in Parkstone, Poole, managed by well-known licensee Mark Ambrose.

 
This small award-winning pub offers a 8 handpumps serving a range of real ale primarily from local breweries, as well as real ciders and a range of 12 craft beers on the taps. It is a short walk from Branksome station.

Into the last 16
The Barking Cat now goes into the next round of judging with the very high chance of following the Wonston and taking national honours. We wish them well.

Pubs in the competition are scored on their atmosphere, decor, welcome, service, inclusivity, overall impression, but most importantly – the quality of live beer, real cider and perry. Last year’s winner was the Tamworth Tap, Staffordshire which has once again reached the final 16.

Presentation – all are welcome
A special presentation for taking the Regional Award is arranged for Saturday October 14th at 2.00pm, to which everyone is welcome to celebrate the success of the Barking Cat Ale House.

The Final 16 in the competion are:

Central Southern

Butchers Arms, Balscote 

East Anglia

Endeavour, Chelmsford

East Midlands

Horse & Jockey, Stapleford

Greater London

Hope, Carshalton

Greater Manchester

Fox & Pine, Oldham

Kent

Nelson Arms, Tonbridge

Merseyside – Cheshire

Turks Head, St Helens

North East

Grey Horse, Consett

Scotland & Northern Ireland

Hillend Tavern, Dalgety Bay, Fife

South West

Halfway House, Pitney, Somerset

Surrey & Sussex

Watchmaker’s Arms, Hove

Wales

Magic Dragon Brewery Tap, Wrexham

Wessex & Channel Islands

Barking Cat Alehouse, Poole

West Midlands

Tamworth Tap, Tamworth

West Pennines

Trafalgar Hotel, Ramsey, Isle of Man

Yorkshire

Beer Engine, Skipton

CIDER WINNER

It was a close call in this year's Wessex area CAMRA Regional Cider Pub of the Year with five finalists vying for the coveted award with entries from Hampshire, Dorset and Wiltshire.

As reported earlier, locally the Andover Tap at The Lamb had made the finals of the regional round with its fine selection of real ciders and perries.
See:
Andover Pub wins cider award


The competition recognises the best pubs or clubs that promote and encourage the sale of quality real cider and perry across the country. 

This week the regional winner was announced as:

The Woodman Inn, Bridport, Dorset

It now goes forward into the national competition.

The Woodman Inn is an independent traditional pub serving a changing selection of beers and ciders, as well as providing a home for events ranging from folk nights, plays and story-telling. It really is a home from home and well worth visiting.  

The five finalists were:

Saxon Bar, Christchurch, Dorset
Woodman Inn, Bridport, Dorset
Lawrence Arms, Southsea, Portsmouth, Hampshire
Andover Tap at The Lamb Inn, Andover, Hampshire
Cuckoo Inn, Hamptworth, Salisbury, Wiltshire

 

LONGDOG in AWARD FINALS

Local brewery Longdog of Worting, on the edge of Basingstoke, has reached the shortlist of Finalists in the local Inspire Business Awards, which cover the Test Valley, Basingstoke & Deane, and Rushmoor areas.

The announcements of winners will be made at the Anvil in Basingstoke on July 13th. INSPIRE showcases regional businesses and the prestigious gala ceremony promotes their successes.

Environmental Responsibility Finalist
Longdog Brewery, which produces an excellent range of local cask and bottled beers is shortlisted within the 'Environmental Responsibility' category, for its commitment to a sustainable and environmentally aware business model. The category is sponsored by Vitacress.

Truly a LOCAL Business
Established in 2011, and owned by Rod and Jenny since 2019, the micro-brewery supplies many local pubs as well as regularly attending local markets. It has also opened a taproom at the brewery where beers can be sampled and tasting tours are organised.

We wish them all the best at the Awards as they really deserve to WIN.

Longdog's Facebook page is at:
https://www.facebook.com/Longdogbrewery

CIDER PUB OF THE YEAR

Congratulations must go to the team at The Andover Tap at the Lamb for achieving the local award for Cider Pub of the Year, presented by the north Hampshire group of the Campaign for Real Ale. 

The pub, under the enthusiastic ownership of Tim Abrams has become the 'go-to' outlet in the area to try traditional ciders and perries.
Up to a dozen traditional ciders and perries are usually available including from such artisanal producers as Newton Court, Snails Bank, and Farmer Jim's.

Not all Cider is Real
In fact only a very small amount of cider produced these days can be considered real cider and this award recognises those who produced and support the 'real thing'.

In order to be real, cider and perry should never be concentrated then diluted – either in terms of the juice used, or the alcohol content.

The ciders at the Andover Tap at the Lamb comply with this definition and will always be served in the traditional manner. The pub now goes on the compete against other venues in the Wessex Regional Round of the competition.

Let us pop in and enjoy and cider and wish them the best in the competition. 

CAMRA has details on what constitutes real cider here:
https://camra.org.uk/beer-and-cider/cider/promoting-real-cider-and-perry/

Pictured: Tim Abram who has brought traditional ciders and perries to the Andover Tap at the Lamb.

PLOUGH WINS NATIONAL AWARD

There are celebrations at The Plough Inn, Longparish…

Efforts to safeguard the future of The Plough Inn in Longparish, Hampshire, which dates to 1721, have been recognised by the Campaign for Real Ale’s Pub Saving Award, which celebrates people who have come together to save a pub from closure.

Villagers sprung into action
When the pub closed its doors – seemingly for good – in December 2015, local villagers sprung into action, lobbying local planning officers to deny planning permission to turn the pub into a residence. They subsequently used grants, donations and a community share scheme – which attracted over 300 investors – to purchase the pub, in conjunction with the Parish Council, in February 2021.

Heart of the community
After months of incredibly hard work, completely refurbishing the property inside and out, and three hundred years after it first began trading, The Plough Inn is once again at the heart of the Longparish community. Bought with help from their Parish Council who now own The Plough Inn, local villagers have taken on a 99-year lease from the council for the exclusive use of the property to secure and safeguard the future of The Plough Inn as a public house and promote it as an amenity of prime importance to the community.

Andy Jolliffe, chair of Longparish Community Pub Ltd said:

“At the core of a community pub is the local people that it serves. Our aim in taking over the Plough Inn has been to provide a range of services much wider than just the provision of food and drinks to the local community.

“To see the Plough Inn thriving once again, both as a popular destination pub, and a vibrant and valued community asset at the heart of Longparish village is a fantastic achievement.”

Paul Ainsworth, Coordinator for CAMRA’s Pub Saving Award said:

“Huge congratulations to the dedicated villagers who have saved the Plough Inn in Longparish. Pubs play an irreplaceable role in bringing people together, and the decision to purchase and run a pub as a community is a real commitment to preserving its future for generations to come. It is a real privilege to be able to highlight these efforts. Well done to everyone involved.”

CAMRA has resources and support for anybody looking to save their local, and the Pub Saving Award highlights how groups across the UK have managed to do it.
You can find CAMRA’s ‘Saving Your Local Pub’ Guides, plus more resources and contacts for advice from www.camra.org.uk/saveyourlocal

There is to be a celebratory party at the pub at 6.30pm on Friday 6th January 2023.