A pub has received national praise after being shortlisted for a prestigious award.

The Riverside inn in Aymestry, near the Shropshire border with Herefordshire, has risen above entries from across the country to be featured amongst the six finalists for Top 50 Gastropubs ‘One to Watch’ award, an accolade intended to celebrate pubs with exceptional offerings of both food and drink.

Riverside underwent two rounds of judging, being assessed by an expert panel before being visited and inspected in-person by a judge.

Whilst the pub did not take home the overall award at the Top 50 Gastropubs ceremony on January 22, Riverside was praised for being authentic and atmospheric, with sustainably and ethical sourced food.

Chef patron Andy Link said: “It’s a great honour to be short-listed for this award. 

“As ever, being recognised for our hard work and effort makes it all worthwhile.  This accolade is for the whole team here at the Riverside.  

“We all pull together to make the food and welcome here special, from our foraging in the pub hedgerows for salads, to growing new plants in our kitchen garden, and experimenting with new cuts of meat or pieces of fish, and conjuring up new cocktails, we always try and go the extra mile to make our food both innovative yet wholesome and comforting.

“We would also like to thank all our local suppliers for providing us with so much brilliant produce.  We couldn’t do it without them.”