Overview
- The Telegraph has published an expanded Guide to the 650 Best Pubs in the UK, growing last year’s England-only 500 list to include 150 pubs from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- A panel of named pub experts picked entries using consistent criteria that stressed character, history, quality drinks and a strong sense of community.
- The guide launches with a bespoke online search tool that lets users find pubs by postcode or county and filter for features such as ‘pets welcome’, ‘beer garden’ and ‘overnight stay’.
- Local reporting highlights which venues made the list, with Surrey outlets naming nine pubs, Oxford city centre picking The Rose & Crown, The Lamb & Flag and The Bear Inn, and Oxfordshire overall featuring ten venues.
- The Telegraph frames the project as part of a campaign to boost footfall in a struggling sector, noting a reported average of four pub closures a day in 2026 and pointing to community rescues such as the Inklings group reopening the Lamb & Flag in 2022 as examples of local efforts to keep pubs open.