Pub of the Year: The Red Lion in Arlingham looks to continue is roaring success

Three years ago this month villagers grouped together to raise £225,000 to buy the pub the day before it was due to be sold at auction.

Following this campaign, the Grade II listed building was re-furbished and reopened its doors to the community just a few months later.

Since then the Red Lion has gone from strength to strength and picked up prestigious awards along the way.

With a possibly unmatchable community ethos, a picturesque countryside location and a pedigree for locally-brewed ales, the popular free house is sure to be a contender in the 2016 Pub of the Year contest.

Though the pub lies off the beaten track, landlord Dean Cooper is confident its passionate locals and repeat customers can see it soar to victory.

“We may be in a more remote location than others in the competition but I think the special community feeling here at the Red Lion will set us head and shoulders above the rest,” he said.

“We have a very well established local base, and most of the people that come once come back three or four times and we have people come from all over the district and beyond to try our food. Hopefully that will put us in good stead to win the award.”

Located in High Street, there is no doubt the pub is the focal point of the rural village.

To reach it you have to drive through winding country lanes towards the Arlingham peninsula and into the heart of the River Severn horseshoe.

“Arlingham is a beautiful and picturesque village and the locals here are so incredibly friendly,” added Dean.

“If you were to fall over here half the village would run over to make sure you’re ok and get you back on your feet. It’s that kind of place.

“The Red Lion has a family-friendly and welcoming environment.

“We have a big garden for the kids to run around in so parents always feel relaxed about bringing the young ones here.

“A lot of people here have invested in the pub so there is a fantastic community feeling.

“We have a lot of big farms in the area which provide us with a lot of local produce and many people have allotments.

“This means our head chef Eduardo can serve up delicious, unique, locally-produced food that has been grown in our backyard.

“He has a special passion for fish dishes so we have a different type every Friday. But he also makes amazing homemade pies and our special Red Lion Grill which that serves 28-day dry aged steaks.

“We also have selected fine wines and draw through our pumps a range of fruity, hoppy and refreshing ales all brewed in the vicinity.

“We also pride ourselves on being very catering to people with dietary requirements. Unlike other pubs which just have the one set menu, people with extra needs can come here and we’ll do all we can to cook them a meal to their taste from scratch.”

As well as the food and drink, the pub also hosts folk music and a monthly quiz and curry nights.

For this year’s Pub of the Year contest there will be one winner for Stroud and a separate winner for the Dursley, Cam, Wotton-under-Edge and Berkeley area.

This time around there will be no nominations for the finalists, just one round of voting, and whichever pub receives the most votes will be declared the winner.

The voting deadline is Friday, October 28, and the winner will be announced as the winner in the newspaper on November 2.

To vote, for a pub, fill in the slip on page 14 of this week’s SNJ’s and send to Pub of the Year, Stroud News and Journal, 6 Lansdown, Stroud, GL5 1BE. The voting deadline is Friday, October 28.

Photocopies will not be accepted, only slips cut from the newspaper will be counted.

For more information please visit redlionarlingham.co.uk/