AN HISTORICAL pub given a fresh lease of life by new owners has scooped the title of West Dorset Pub of the Year 2019.

The accolade is awarded by the West Dorset branch of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) and this year, the White Hart in Yetminster beat off stiff competition for the top spot.

Famous for Dorset’s renowned folk group The Yetties and as the set for the 2010 comedy Tamara Drewe, by 2017 the once thriving business was a pub in name only - mainly closed and with just a few skittles teams propping up failing trade.

But then licensees Alex and Blanche Alexander took over, restoring it to the centre of village life with regular events from live music to quizzes. It is also a hub for various community group meetings.

In November 2017 the pub was awarded a Countryside Alliance Award - known as the ‘rural Oscars’ for its success.

A spokesman for West Dorset CAMRA said: “Supporting many local small businesses, their unique ethos of selling only ales and ciders from within a 20 mile radius of Yetminster on their hand-pull pumps along with their quality pub food offering are just a couple of reasons this pub was recommended for the award.

“All the nominated pubs in the finals were judged on a strict criteria of about 30 subjects covering service, welcome and offering, quality of beer and cider, cleanliness, community focus and atmosphere.

“This was carried out by a team of independent CAMRA judges on anonymous visits, and The White Hart emerged as the clear winner.”

Blanche added: ‘”We are absolutely delighted to have achieved this accolade and didn’t even know we had been nominated for it!

“It’s great to feel that our vision and support for local businesses has been recognised in such a way. Obviously, without our great team here we wouldn’t be in this position so we would like to thank them all for their hard work and commitment.

“We hope that this award will demonstrate that rural pubs can still be an important part of people’s lives and encourage them to support what is, and has been for hundreds of years, a great social hub on their doorstep. We look forward to welcoming more new friends through our doors in the future.”

The pub will now be put forward to compete in the Regional finals, for which, we wish them all the best.