Vale of Belvoir’s Manners Arms wins a prestigious national award

The Manners Arms at Knipton has been named The National Pub and Bar Awards County Winner for Leicestershire.

At a ceremony at BAFTA in London last Tuesday, chef Neil Shakespeare collected the award on behalf of everyone at Vale of Belvoir pub and restaurant.

He said: “We are very proud of this achievement.

“Since Sharon and Karl Bartsch took over the business six years ago, everyone has worked incredibly hard to get us to this point.”

Named after the family name of the Duke of Rutland, owner of nearby Belvoir Castle, The Manners Arms was originally built in the early 19th century as a private dwelling, and later converted to a public house. It is a Grade II listed building.

It was one of 482 pubs and bars across the UK to throw their hat into the ring for a National Pub and Bar award.

Tristan O’Hana, editor of Pub and Bar, said: “When we launched the National Pub and Bar Awards in 2016, we knew there was an appetite for this style of trade celebration, where operators can use the accolade to market their business directly to their guests.

“Year one saw a healthy number of entries, but to reach nearly 500 individual submissions in year two is simply incredible.

“These pubs and bars recognise just how valuable being named the best in their county is.”