CAMRA have named their Cheshire pub of the year as Chester’s Olde Cottage Inn.

The Inn, on Brook Street, were awarded the prestigious prize from the Chester & South Clwyd Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) Branch.

This unspoilt street corner pub is one the few traditional locals left in the area and has gained a reputation for the quality of its ales, featuring in the last three editions of CAMRA’s best-selling Good Beer Guide.

This award doesn’t just recognise the quality of the beer served by the pub as it was also assessed against a number of other national CAMRA criteria which highlight its broader appeal. The judges were particularly impressed with the quality of the service and the emphasis placed on the pub as a focus for the community with charity events, a weekly quiz and various darts, dominoes, pool and bagatelle teams competing in local leagues.

Branch chairman, Brian Vardy, said: “The Cottage is a true community local where you will always find a friendly welcome and a selection of real ales. This is a thoroughly well-deserved award for Trevor and his staff.”

Landlord Trevor Summerhill said: “It’s an honour and a surprise to win this award considering there are so many fine pubs in the Chester area. These are challenging times for traditional pubs like the Cottage so it’s really pleasing that we have got some recognition for all the work we have put into making the pub a success.”

Just failing to achieve a hat-trick by narrowest of margins, the runner-up in the Branch awards was the Cellar on City Road which had won the accolade for the previous two years with the Cross Keys in Lower Bridge Street close behind in third.

The Cottage will now go forward to represent the Chester & South Clwyd Branch of CAMRA in the county-wide competition to find the Champion Pub of Cheshire for 2016.