Griffin Trophy 2024 winner and runners-up announced
Fuller, Smith & Turner, the premium pubs and hotels business, is delighted to announce The Wykeham Arms in Winchester [75 Kingsgate St, Winchester SO23 9PE] is the 2024 winner of its Pub of the Year competition – The Griffin Trophy. The competition is open to all Fuller’s 185 Managed Pubs and Hotels and 153 Tenanted Inns and sees the winner take home the coveted Griffin Trophy.
The Wykeham Arms, managed by Jon Howard, is a stunning 18th century pub – with 14 beautiful bedrooms – nestled between Winchester Cathedral and Winchester College. Popular with locals and tourists alike, The Wykeham Arms is a bustling hub that offers comfortable respite for those exploring the surrounding area. With a large bar and dining areas, there’s plenty of space, and nooks and crannies, where you can settle in to enjoy a fantastic range of drinks, delicious food and outstanding hospitality. It’s the perfect place to watch the world go by and the pub has many a nod to its connections with Winchester College. Including several former school desks that are now used as tables.
The pub’s menu has been carefully crafted by Head Chef Luke Emmess who is a real shooting star within Fuller’s – having won the Chef of the Year competition in 2019 and the Under 25s category of the same competition in 2016. Luke’s creativity shines through with each dish he produces. For 13 years in a row, The Wykeham Arms has been awarded two AA Rosettes for culinary excellence.
A key member of its community, The Wykeham Arms supports two local charities with sales of its famous Wyk Pie. For every pie sold, the pub donates 25p to the Winchester Cathedral Fund, which contributes to its ongoing restoration, and 25p to Play to the Crowd – a local arts and education charity.
The Wykeham Arms is a fantastic venue that will make any occasion special. It is ready to host a range of events with its function room and has recently been licensed to hold wedding ceremonies – which can take place anywhere in the pub from the beautiful secret garden to elopements in the private cellar.
This year’s Griffin Trophy saw 11 pubs reach the final. The finalists were visited by a judging panel – Fuller’s Chairman Michael Turner, Chief Executive Simon Emeny, and Marketing Director Sam Bourke – who selected winners for each category and the overall Griffin Trophy winner. There are four categories in the Griffin Trophy – Best City Pub; Best Town/Local Pub; Best Country/Village Pub; and Best Hotel/Inn.
Michael Turner, Fuller’s Chairman, said: “Jon and The Wykeham Arms are no strangers to the Griffin Trophy – having been finalists a few times over the years. It is difficult to keep pushing the quality forward each year, particularly after 15 years in the same site, but Jon has done just that in every aspect of the business.
“The bedrooms at The Wykeham are immaculate with nice touches to personalise people’s stays. The menus are filled with mouth-watering dishes and the extensive wine selection has never looked better.
“Breaking into new markets, such as weddings and receptions, as well as hosting events such as wine and food pairing evenings, means that Jon and the team are constantly appealing to new customers – inviting everyone in to experience the warmth of The Wykeham Arms. And I know that they’ll all want to return. Congratulations to Jon and the team – this is a well-deserved win for a truly exceptional pub.”
Jon Howard, General Manager of The Wykeham Arms, said: “I’m over the moon to have won the Griffin Trophy. We’ve been in the final before and won our category more than once – but to win the overall trophy is a real honour. I can’t wait to see that shiny trophy behind the bar at The Wykeham. A big thank you to my whole team – this is a great reflection of their hard work – and I’m looking forward to showing off the Griffin Trophy to all my customers from global tourists to the College masters.”
The Wykeham Arms is also the winner of its category – Best Hotel/Inn. The Coach & Horses in Soho was named the Best City Pub, Best Town/Local Pub went to The Holly Bush in Hampstead and the Best Country/Village Pub was awarded to The Berkeley Arms in Chichester.
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For further information, please contact the press office:
Georgina Wald 020 8996 2198 georgina.wald@fullers.co.uk
Alice Monteath 020 8996 2074 alice.monteath@fullers.co.uk
Notes to Editors:
The Griffin Trophy Overall Winner 2024
Best Hotel/Inn category
Winner: The Wykeham Arms, Winchester
Runner-up: The Sanctuary House, Westminster
Best Country/Village Pub category
Winner: The Berkeley Arms, Chichester
Runner-up: The Ship, Langstone
Runner-up: The Ivy House, Chalfont St Giles
Best Town/Local Pub category
Winner: The Holly Bush, Hampstead
Runner-up: The Andover Arms, Hammersmith
Runner-up: The Prince’s Head, Richmond
Best City Pub category
Winner: The Coach & Horses, Soho
Runner-up: The George & Vulture, Hoxton
Runner-up: The Pavilion End, Watling Street
Fuller’s in a nutshell:
Fuller, Smith & Turner PLC is the premium pubs and hotels business that is famous for beautiful and inviting pubs with delicious fresh food, a vibrant and interesting range of drinks, and engaging service from passionate people. Our purpose in life is to create experiences that nourish the soul. Fuller’s has 185 managed businesses, with 1,025 boutique bedrooms, and 154 Tenanted Inns. The Fuller’s pub estate stretches from Brighton to Birmingham and from Bristol to the Greenwich Peninsula. Our Managed Pubs and Hotels include Cotswold Inns & Hotels – seven stunning hotels in the Cotswolds, and Bel & The Dragon – six exquisite modern English inns with boutique rooms located in the Home Counties, and Lovely Pubs – seven beautiful village inns in Warwickshire. In summary, Fuller’s is the home of great pubs, outstanding hospitality and passionate people, where everyone is welcome and leaves that little bit happier than they arrived.
For further information, please contact the press office:
Georgina Wald 020 8996 2198 georgina.wald@fullers.co.uk
Alice Monteath 020 8996 2074 alice.monteath@fullers.co.uk
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