A pub in Wales has scooped the Best British Roast Dinner 2016 title. 

The Bunch of Grapes in Pontypridd won over judges thanks to its fresh, locally sourced and seasonal roast menu, cooked to perfection.

In addition to the prestigious title, the pub has also won the grand prize of £10k of PR support to help make it famous for its roast.

To win the sought after title, Bunch of Grapes fought off stiff competition from nearly 2,000 entries – a record for the competition, which is now in its fifth consecutive year.

Chris Brown, channel trade marketing manager at Unilever Food Solutions, said: “In five years of running this competition, we’ve never seen so many top quality entries. Our judges certainly had their work cut out. However, in the end, they decided Bunch of Grapes’ roast was just a cut above the rest.

“A huge well done to everyone at Bunch of Grapes and also to our finalists – the regional winners from South England, Midlands, North England & Scotland. While they missed out on the top spot this year, they can still be incredibly proud of what they’ve achieved.”

Each of the regional winners (below) will receive £2,500 of PR support to help them drum up extra business off the back of their success in the competition.

· The Granville, Canterbury (South England)
· The Narrow Boat at Weedon, Northampton (Midlands)
· The Blue Pig, Manchester (North England)
· Kyloe Restaurant, Edinburgh (Scotland)

Nick Otley, owner of the Bunch of Grapes, said: “We’re really happy to have won – it’s an awesome achievement. Being shortlisted last year, it’s been great to top that this year and take the national title. It’s a real testament to our commitment to be the best we can be.”

Charles Campion, who led the expert judging panel, said: “There’s something wonderful about a truly great roast dinner. It’s a classic dish and you know where you are – for every Yorkshire pud there should be great gravy; for every perfect slice of roast meat a crisp roast potato. At this year’s winner of the Best British Roast Dinner competition, the Bunch of Grapes in Pontypridd, they take roast dinners very seriously: fresh seasonal veg, meat from local farms and friendly service. The world would be a much happier place if everyone could count on their local for a roast dinner like this.”

The announcement was made on Sunday (October 2), bringing British Roast Dinner Week to a dramatic close. The campaign – sponsored by Colman’s and supported by Knorr  – was celebrated in pubs across the UK with pubs serving the UK’s favourite pub meal[1] every day of the week. The campaign was launched in 2012 to help pubs boost their profits by serving a roast every day – after research from Unilever Food Solutions showed that almost half of consumers want to see a roast on the menu every day[2].

Chris Brown added: “Another fantastic British Roast Dinner Week has drawn to a close and another worthy pub roast has been crowned as the best in Britain. The perfect way to celebrate a great British institution and to show pubs that roasts aren’t just for Sundays.”

To find out more about British Roast Dinner Week or the Best British Roast Dinner competition, visit www.britishroastdinnerweek.co.uk.