The owner and chef of a popular Ruddington gastro-pub has been shortlisted for a prestigious award from the leading professional body representing UK licensees – The British Institute of Innkeeping (BII).
Photo: Morning Advertiser
Mark Anderson of The Ruddington Arms on Wilford Road is one of just sixteen semi-finalists for this year’s Licensee of the Year competition. Sponsored by Sky, this competition is widely regarded as the most rigorous and hard-fought award for individual licensee operators in the UK – held annually for over 20 years.
The Ruddington Arms tweeted “We are really surprised, honoured and proud to be named as one of the semi finalists in the BII Licensee of The Year Awards 2017.”
The finalists have made it through the early stages of the comprehensive entry process, competing against over 200 other entrants to the competition. The final sixteen include licensees from across the breadth of the UK, from many different types of pubs.
The full list of 2017 Licensee of the Year semi-finalists is as follows:
- Paul Wiscombe – The Anchor Inn, Bridport
- Nicola Storey – The Mustard Pot, Leeds
- Martin Barnes – Geroge and Dragon, Cheshire
- Mark and Clare Higgs – Castle at Edgehill, Edgehill
- Clive Price – Bletchingly Arms, Redhill
- Chantelle Tupman-John – Waggon Inn, Oldham
- Tim Tomlinson – Merchants 1688, Lancashire
- Jennifer Kuhn – The Windsor Fenchurch, London
- Mark Anderson – Ruddington Arms, Ruddington
- Ian Ridley – The Highlands, Uckfield
- Mark Thornhill – The Kings Head, Hursley
- Tania Irwin – The Princess Royal, Farnham
- Roland and Kay Keech – The Castle, Bedford
- Gavin and Carole Austin – George and Dragon, Arundel
- Hendrik and Dutson – The White Horse, Banbury
- Sam Good – The West Bay Hotel, Bridport
Judges will now visit and assess all these pubs in person and conduct one to one interviews.
Ashley McCarthy, chair of the judging panel – and himself a former winner of Licensee of the Year – said “The standard of entries is higher than it’s ever been in all the years I’ve been involved. It has been very difficult to get down to even this list of sixteen. I’m very much looking forward to seeing these pubs in person and getting to know the semi-finalists”.
BII Chief Executive Mike Clist added “I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of those who entered the competition this year, and wish the semi- finalists good luck for the final”.
After their pub ‘road trip’ the judges will select just six entrants to go through to the final Panel Judging Day on 12th June, where they will be put through their paces by industry experts in three areas; Marketing & Business Development, Financial Awareness and People Development. All six finalists will be presented with a trophy at the BII Summer Event on the 13th of June, where the winner of Licensee of the Year 2017 will be crowned.
Good luck Mark!
