Pub drinks to cider award

By [jscottow]

A city centre pub is celebrating after being crowned Hull and East Yorkshire Cider Pub of the Year 2009.

The Hop and Vine in Albion Street was handed the accolade by local Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) members, who have been using their expert tastebuds and knowledge to pick out the best cider pubs our region has to offer.

Tucked away in a basement in Albion Street, the Hop and Vine is owned and run by Stewart Campbell and Janet Rowan who have long supported real cider.

They pride themselves on an ever-changing menu comprising of at least three ciders, or two ciders and a perry, which are sourced from across England and Wales.

And the couple's passion for pulling the best perries and ciders from across the country has certainly not gone unnoticed as this is the third consecutive year the pub has scooped a Camra award.

Stewart said he was delighted with the latest award.

He said: "I am primarily a real ale drinker but I do like a drink of cider myself.

"However I do not like the tasteless mass-marketed lagers and ciders; I think if you're going to do something you should do it properly, which is why we take great care sourcing ours.

"We will have been at the pub for three years on November 6 so will be celebrating the award at our third annual beer festival, which runs from Thursday, November 5 and Sunday, November 8."

Before taking over the Hop and Vine, Stuart and had never run a pub before, although they both have experience of working in a pub; Stewart has served behind bars including the Minerva while Janet has performed in her role as a folk singer.

Their decision to take over the pub was the result of Janet being made redundant at the same time as they saw an advert in the Hull Daily Mail for the Hop and Vine.

Stewart added: "We saw the advert and called the number to find out more and it turned out to be somebody we knew, so we went down to have a look and it all went from there."

Branch chairman Alan Canvess praised the Hop and Vine for its consistency over the last three years and said Stewart and Janet's knowledge and enthusiasm had helped them win the accolade again.

He said: "Stewart is a Camra member and the couple both know about what makes a pub work.

"It is good to have experienced licensees but this award goes to show that if you have enthusiasm and passion you can do really well."

For the full story, see today's Mail.