'Britain's best pub' officially crowned despite only reopening six months ago

A new guide has attempted the impossible; creating a comprehensive list of Britain's top 100 pubs, with the boozer at number one taking home the crown despite only being open in its current guise for six months. The prestigious Good Food Guide has officially expanded into the realm of pubs, creating its first ranking of the nation's best based on nominations from thirsty members of the public around the country.

The submissions were then "carefully audited" by The Good Food Guide team before being passed to its editors for consideration. But the West Yorkshire pub at the top of the list has ruffled some feathers, making a huge splash, having only reopened in April this year. The Highland Laddie, in Leeds, managed to wow the judges and take home the crown. The Cavendish Street site was left empty for two years before being taken on by Sam Pullan and Nicole Deighton, continuing the pub's 100-year legacy, with the venue being around since the 1920s.

Sam, who nearly "fell over crying" after hearing the result, is a chef and owner of Leeds restaurant The Empire Cafe. He decided to take a punt on the pub, having been a regular there in the past.

Speaking to the BBC about making the leap earlier in the year, the 42-year-old said: "I went and had a chat with the landlords and they were fixed on turning it into a vape shop or convenience store, apparently they'd had thousands of applications," he said.

"I said, 'Look, I want to bring it back to a traditional boozer with some exceptional food'. I always said, make it a proper pub where people can come for a pint. They'll come in and see the oysters on the bar, and they'll say, 'Oh, what's that?'.

"Or maybe they'll have a shepherd's pie and it tastes amazing and say 'wow, this is something else' and that's the vibe we've gone for here."

He also revealed that he aimed to make the place somewhere anyone could go in from, workers in high-vis after a hard shift, to uni students going for a post-lecture pint.

That vibe is something he seems to achieve with Adam Hyman, owner of The Good Food Guide, heaping praise on The Highland Laddie.

Adam added: "It's somewhere for someone to come in for a solitary pint, as well as a place to enjoy a proper meal with seasonal ingredients and pub classics served with warm hospitality. It ticks all the boxes."

Sam puts the success down to some hard graft and an "exceptional team" he's managed to build around him.

Is your local on the list? See the full list of the 100 pubs here.