The Kings Head pub on Magdalen Street, Norwich, has been judged East Anglia’s best pub by CAMRA members from branches across the region.
The award was presented at the pub on Saturday September 3rd.
The pub, already Norfolk Pub of the Year, was selected ahead of the best pubs in five other counties: Suffolk, Essex, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire, in the regional round of CAMRA’s Pub of the Year competition, and will now go forward to the Super Regional round, competing with three other Regional winners.
Three other ‘super regions’ will also select a winner, and the final four pubs will then compete to be named National CAMRA Pub of the Year, with the winner being announced in November.
The Kings Head is a traditional, friendly ale house, with an ever-changing selection of seven or eight real ales from top quality local breweries, plus selected guest ales, plus real ciders and a great selection of bottled foreign beers.
The pub is very community-focused, open all day every day, a home-from-home and a place for great beer and conversation. You can come in to read the paper, have a chat with friends or enjoy the bar billiards table, as three of Norwich's bar billiards league teams do.
The pub also supports a number of local charities including It's On The Ball, the RNLI and Caister Lifeboat.
Andrea Briers, CAMRA’s Regional Director for East Anglia, said: “The quality of pubs the last time the East Anglia Regional Pub of the Year competition took place was high and I was delighted to find that this hasn’t changed, especially after the hard times that the hospitality industry has faced recently. Congratulations to the Kings Head on their success!”
Stephen George, owner of the King's Head, said: “We were honoured to be named Branch and County Pub of the Year again, and are even more delighted that CAMRA members have voted us the best pub in East Anglia.
“The last two years have been a struggle for everyone, and we’re pleased to be back to normal and providing a range of great beers to our loyal regulars and new friends alike. This is great recognition of the hard work, care and love put into the pub by Alison, Charlie and the rest of the team."
Stephen also noted that the King's Head, in common with other pubs, breweries and their customers face a huge challenge in the coming months with the soaring cost of energy: "These are exceptional times - our customers, our suppliers and our pubs will struggle to cope with the extraordinary energy price rises we are experiencing.
“The comfort of sharing a pint down at your local pub could become an unaffordable luxury for many this winter. Just as it did during the pandemic, we hope the government will step up with a package of measures to ensure we can all keep the lights and heat on and the ale flowing over the coming winter."
