WITH 24 years of experience and success, a loyal customer base and an impressive family ethos, The Old Fleece has been one of the Five Valleys top pubs for many years.
Tucked away near North Woodchester halfway between Stroud and Nailsworth off the A46, you’d be forgiven for thinking this pub would go un-noticed.
But over the last two decades the family-run business has made a name for itself and won many fans in the process.
With all this going for it, The Fleece is likely to be a strong contender in the Pub of the Year competition 2016.
Nick Beardsley is the founder of the Food Club, which runs four pubs in the district, including The Old Fleece, The Old Lodge on Minchinhampton Common and The Britannia in Nailsworth.
“The Fleece is a family run business right at the heart of the community – that is its real appeal I think,” said Nick. “Besides myself, five members of our family work there.
“It’s also so well supported by locals and community. Some people that came on the first day that we first opened still come to this day.
“We have regulars that come for dinner three or four times a week. We love that feature of the pub and it’s what we’re most proud of. It’s always buzzing and always busy at the Fleece and there is a brilliant atmosphere.
“It’s like a big group of friends and all our customers get on really well – that’s a big part of our ethos across all the Food Club pubs.
“There is no music and no intrusion – people just come along and enjoy a great meal or a drink at the bar.”
The pub is housed in a 250-year-old former coaching inn and taps into much of this rustic character and charm.
“We also pride ourselves on providing top quality food,” continued Nick.
“Much of the produce we use is grown in our garden ourselves and we source the rest from the Five Valleys.
“The menu is quite extensive. All the meals are made fresh to order and we serve food all day. Our kitchen is led by Bogdan Iordan, who has really honed his skills to run a top quality service.
“He has a lot of Italian influences in his menu. His risottos and seafood are amazing. But we also make homemade pies – and the roast dinners of Sunday are to die for.
“We also carry four local real ales and a selection of lagers and ciders. We also have a cracking wine menu.”
Another popular feature of the pub, he said, is its outdoor space, which features wood burners and a covered seating area.
“We are also dog friendly so people always bring along their pooches for dinner,” he added.
“We’re an easy going pub, with a top menu and good service. Hopefully people who love us will get out and vote in this year’s competition. We’d love to win the top spot.”
In this year’s Pub of the Year there will be one winner for Stroud and a separate winner for the Dursley, Cam, Wotton-under-Edge and Berkeley region.
The prize is a trophy and trip to Parliament with Stroud MP Neil Carmichael.
This time around there will be no nominations for the finalists, just one round of voting. The pub with the most votes wins.
The deadline is this Friday, October 28 and the winner will be announced in the newspaper next week.
You can vote by cutting out the slip on page 14 of this week's SNJ.
Only voting slips cut from the newspaper will be accepted. Photocopies will not be counted.
Post the voting slip to Pub of the Year, Stroud News & Journal, 6 Lansdown, Stroud, GL5 1BE.
For more information please visit food-club.com/pubs/the-old-fleece
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