Greyhound on the Test named Michelin's Pub of the Year
The Greyhound on the Test in Stockbridge, Hampshire, has been named as Pub of the Year in the Michelin Eating Out In Pubs Guide 2014.
The guide, which is published today, priced at £13.99, recommends more than 570 pubs, of which 70 are new entries.
The Greyhound on the Test, which was relaunched with a new menu in March this year, is run by Lucy Townsend on behalf of two private investors. Townsend comes from the Miller Collection where she worked for five years as chief operations officer, running nearby rivals including the Peat Spade, the Anchor Inn at Lower Froyle, and the Queen's Arms.
In the kitchen is head chef Alan Haughie, who has been at the pub for nearly two years. Haughie trained with Anton Edelmann at the Savoy before going on to take his first head chef role at Hotel TerraVina in the New Forest.
Commenting on the pub, guide editor Rebecca Burr said: "This 600 year- old pub has loads of character. Lucy, the owner, is very involved in the day-to-day running of the pub and her cheerful nature rubs off on her young staff; the food is great and the bedrooms are charming."
On the launch of this year's Guide, Burr added: "Reports of the death of the British pub have been grossly exaggerated," said editor, Rebecca Burr. "We now recommend more pubs than ever before and the great news is that they are spread all over Great Britain and Ireland, rather than just being concentrated in a few counties.
"Hopefully we can now all stop using the term 'gastropub' - many of the establishments in this guide are traditional pubs playing a big part in the local community, complete with quiz nights and themed evenings. A pub doesn't need a modern makeover to serve good food, nor does it need to transform itself into a restaurant.
"Chefs looking to open their own place without having to spend huge amounts of money are also finding pubs to be the perfect choice. And with such skills in the kitchen, these pubs in turn are becoming great training schools for the next generation of chefs."
