The Paddock Inn at Penally has been shortlisted for the Best Local in the Great British Pub Awards 2019.

The pub, which only re-opened in October last year after being closed for nearly a year, will be opening an in-house bakery in the next couple of weeks following building delays. They are first Carbon Free restaurant in Wales.

The Great British Pub Awards are the industry equivalent to ‘the Oscars’ and whilst owners Carl Willett and Paul Cinderey are overjoyed at being shortlisted, they are modest in their chances of scooping the top award as “there are lots of pubs out there doing great things for the communities they serve and have been doing it a lot longer than us too!”

“We are just pleased that the hard work we have done to integrate The Paddock Inn into the community and the plans we have for the future have inspired the judges so far.”

The pair spent August and September last year redecorating the external and internal areas of the pub and have finished off the external beer garden recently adding new tables, planting containers and adding window boxes to further enhance the pub and its surroundings.

“We love this pretty village, its only right that the village has a pub that it can be proud of,” said Carl, who is also community councillor for Penally. “I feel that as a member of this community that I have a duty to serve the residents with more than great food and drink and that becoming a community councillor was key to this ambition.”

The Great British Pub Awards, fondly nicknamed ‘the Oscars of the Pub industry, are run by leading trade magazine, the Morning Advertiser, and are the stand-out event for pub operators throughout the country. With the awards seen as the ‘ones to win’, and attracting hundreds of entries each year, these are the pub awards for the people.