One of the pubs included is CAMRA Cambridge & District branch's 2020 Most Improved Rural Pub, the Three Horseshoes in Stapleford, which returns to the Guide after a three year absence.
Alistair Cook, Pubs Officer said “With over 200 pubs in our branch area, being selected by our members as one of our 26 entries is a big achievement in itself. 2020 has been a dreadful year for pub licensees and their customers. We hope that finding their pubs have made it into the 2021 Guide will put a smile on many faces.
“Our branch selection process is based partly on the scores that CAMRA members give for ales drank in our pubs all year round. We also ask our branch members to submit nominations. The beer scores and nominations allow us to draw up a shortlist of potential entries. We then ask our members' opinion of the shortlisted pubs. The top 26 eligible pubs are submitted to go into the Good Beer Guide. It’s all very democratic.”
The Guide is usually released in mid-September. The release of the 2021 Guide was delayed so that, post-shutdown, branches across the country could reassess the pubs that they had selected as their entries.
The 2021 Guide has a forward by celebrity chef and publican, Tom Kerridge. In it he says “Consumers want great pubs with amazing offerings, served by smiley and friendly people. We need now, more than ever, to be positive and strong and to drive the word home about how fantastic the Great British pub is, and most importantly, what it brings to each and every community. The one thing that I think we have all missed during lockdown is human contact and social interaction, which above all else, is everything that the Great British pub provides: a warm, happy and friendly place for people to drink and eat. Stay strong and stay supportive.”
CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) has 190,000 members, 5,000 of whom are in the local branch area. The Cambridge & District branch covers the City of Cambridge, most of South Cambridgeshire and some of East Cambridgeshire.
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