Thame pub short-listed for CAMRA pub of the year

OAK Taverns Ltd, the Thame-based pub Company, have announced that their pub, The Cross Keys, has been selected as the best cask Beer pub in the Central Southern region. This means that the popular Thame pub, is one of 16 pubs in the United Kingdom shortlisted for the CAMRA pub of the year – the award for the best pubs in the UK.

Peter Lambert, Landlord of The Cross Keys pub in Thame

This is what CAMRA had to say about Thame’s favourite cask beer pub: “Home of the Thame Brewery, transformed from a failing keg-only pub, this fantastic pub serves plentiful ales to a discerning drinker. Usually busy, the bar will see at least two beers change every day over the weekend, and more during the week.

“Keep a close eye on Twitter for unusual beers, but be warned, they will go quickly! With cribbage and other bar games available, you can easily while an afternoon and evening away. The Cross Keys has already been recognised as Branch Pub of the year as well as Branch cider Pub of the Year 2016.”

The 16 regional winners have been selected by CAMRA volunteers in the competition that culminates in the announcement of the National Pub of the Year in early 2017. Each of the regional finalists will now compete in the next round of the competition, hoping to be named one of the four super-regional finalists – and stay in with a chance of becoming the overall winner.

All of the regional finalists are featured in the new edition of CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide, published on September 15, which lists thousands more of the top pubs across the country, as well as giving full listings of all breweries in each county.

National Pub of the Year co-ordinator Andrea Briers said: “You have to be a great pub to be featured in the Good Beer Guide and an absolutely fantastic pub to be named a Regional Pub of the Year – so whatever happens, all the pubs should be extremely proud of themselves.

“The competition really gets difficult now, with the best 16 pubs in the country against one another to whittle it down to the best in each ‘super-region’ and then the CAMRA judges have the hardest job of all – deciding which of those four will be named the CAMRA National Pub of the Year.”