Luke Hall, the local Member of Parliament for Thornbury & Yate, yesterday welcomed the winners of the first Gazette Pub of the Year Awards to serve up their beer in the House of Commons.
Landlady of the Rose and Crown Pub in Rangeworthy, Yvonne Hulbert, was joined by two members of her team, Kelly Iles and Emma Phelps for their day in Westminster.
The Rose and Crown beat off stiff competition from other local finalists to win the Gazette trophy after receiving more than 350 votes.
Yvonne, Kelly and Emma joined Luke for lunch on the Terrace and sat in on an education debate in the Commons chamber with the Secretary of State. They enjoyed a personalised tour of parliament, visiting the great Westminster Hall, central lobby and wandered the labyrinth-esque corridors of the palace before taking in the views of London from the roof.
Yvonne brought two local draught beers to promote in the Strangers bar; Hill Climb and Chequered Flag, both by local brewer Prescott.
Speaking about the day, Luke said: “I am delighted to welcome Yvonne and her team from the Rose and Crown to Westminster today. The pub has some of the best customer service in the area and is a great village pub. It has been a thoroughly enjoyable day and as a local man, I am extremely proud to promote a local ale here in Westminster.”
Speaking of her experience, landlady Yvonne Hulbert said: “We have had an amazing day visiting Luke in the House of Commons. It’s been lovely to see the ins and outs of parliament and I was incredibly proud to see our beers on tap in the Strangers bar.
“The whole experience of winning Pub of the Year has been superb. I am thankful to everyone who works at the pub and especially all the voters who made the day possible.”