Thursday 18 February 2010

Mariners Tavern is Branch Pub of the Year

The Norwich and Norfolk Campaign For Real Ale is proud to announce that their branch pub of the year is the Mariners Tavern, at Gt Yarmouth.

The Mariners is situated in Howard Street, Great Yarmouth, a short distance from the railway station, one row back from the quay. It is a former Lacons pub with a pleasant red brick and flint exterior. This family-run local comprises of a main bar and a smaller bar at the rear of the building.

Shirley Twose, licensee, was very delighted to have won the Branch POTY (Pub of the Year), in fact she was rather gobsmacked when Warren Wordsworth, Branch Pubs Officer phoned her to contragulate her on winning.

She defintely is a supporter local brewers. Beers that she regularly has on in her pub include: Green Jack, Woodforde's , Wolf and Norfolk Square. Uniquely, it also has up to a dozen real ciders in the rear bar.

Shirley is the sister of the owner, Shaun Underdown, who along with partner Gemma, own the Mariners Compass in Gorleston and the recently opened Mariners Rest in Lowestoft, so the pub is defintely a family venture and has attracted praise from both vistors and locals for the quality of service. They also run an annual beer festival which coincides with the Yarmouth Maritime show.

Warren Wordsworth commented: “This is the first time that a pub from the Yarmouth area has won our Branch Pub of the Year award and I hope this will not only be a boost to The Mariners but also raise the profile of real ale to the Yarmouth area in general”.

The pub will now go on to the county competition, where is will be judged against the winner of West Norfolk CAMRA's Pub of the Year.