A Somerset pub with a great community focus has been named the best in the UK as part of an awards ceremony dubbed the 'Rural Oscars'.

The York Inn in Churchinford won the category at the Countryside Alliance Awards which revealed their national winners yesterday (Tuesday, June 25).

Earlier in the year The York Inn had been crowned the Best Pub in the South West region as part of these awards, which meant they got to compete at the national champions reception at the House of Lords.

In a post on their X (formerly known as Twitter) page, the Countryside Alliance Awards shared: "and the winner of the pub category is the York Inn in Somerset.

"This pub supports many community organisations, provides daily hot school meals, and offers free home deliveries of hot meals to vulnerable community members."

The York Inn also won the County Gazette Pub of the Year title in 2023

The York Inn wins Pub of the Year at Countryside Alliance Awards

Overall, The York Inn is a pub that has been well-received by customers with it earning a 4.7/5 score from 412 Google Reviews and a 4.5/5 score on Tripadvisor from 284 reviews.

On its website, it describes itself as a "proper country pub" and for those interested it is also dog-friendly.

It adds: "Whether you're looking for a great atmosphere for a night out with friends, a lunch-time bite following a mornings' walk in the hills, a refreshing pint after a hard ride, or if you're looking for one of those great little places that you can rely on to provide well cooked food on every visit - we'd like to think you've found it right here!"

There have been plenty of positive reviews left, with one person sharing: "We arrived a bit early but the landlord was very accommodating, got us seated and took our order before the kitchen was even open!

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"This pub was great for my teenagers, vegan husband and of course the dog (who enjoyed her treats) The pies were just gorgeous. Would have definitely visited again if we were in the area longer."

Another wrote: "I eat here regularly and the food is always of a high standard. You can always trust that you’ll have a great meal. Today I tried the crab arancini from the specials board. It was absolutely delicious. If you’re looking for a traditional pub with good food and the best atmosphere I couldn’t recommend The York more."

Meanwhile, another posted: "We love going to The York Inn good food, staff very helpful very clean everything you need for a quiet village pub, parking is good and very friendly."