Our pub of the season this summer is a busy town pub, the Dog and Gun on Lake Road, Keswick. Licensee Peter Ede and wife Jackie have been running the pub since 1999. They have been with S&N since 1984; they previously managed the Golden Lion but prior to moving to Keswick they ran what Peter describes as a ‘young’ pub in Daventry for 11 years.

The Dog and Gun is clearly a dream come true for the Edes. The building itself is full of character; it was originally two, if not three, separate buildings: from the street you can the difference in roof heights. Inside it is low ceilinged and full of original beams, the floor in one half is flagstones and old floor boards with a spiral staircase now going to nowhere. Old wooden pews and settles and a real fire in winter complete the cosy atmosphere.

When he was informed that the Dog and Gun had won the Pub of the Season award, Peter was delighted: ‘This is what I’ve been striving for,’ he said.

The pub is quite small but is popular with a good turnover. Originally part of the estate of Matthew Brown the Workington brewery, when Peter took it on the only beers on sale were Theakston’s Best Bitter and Old Peculier. He takes full advantage of the S&N guest beer list, choosing the most unusual beers from the list each month. At the suggestion of some of his customers (not least Alan Dunn of Open All Hours) he also managed to persuade S&N to nominate Yates of Westnewton a local ‘hero’ brewery, which means he can buy direct from the brewery. Peter says regular visitors to the Lake District make a beeline for the Dog and Gun because they love Yates’ Bitter.

The pub has two cellars; S&N have recently refurbished the one directly under the bar which makes for much shorter lines for the cask beer. The cellar is reached by a trap door behind the bar; a system of bells ensures that it is only opened when its safe.

Jackie is in charge of the kitchen which produces the famous Hungarian goulash and Old Peculier stew. She is able to construct her own menu rather than relying on the standard S&N fare, specialities include; Borrowdale trout, homemade soups and the use of fresh vegetables. The pub has a policy of not serving chips or fried food.

Peter and Jackie have three daughters; two of them, Michelle and Nicola, assist Peter in the pub.

Peter pays tribute to his staff who help to make the pub a friendly place where you can get a bit of crack when its not too busy. The pub actively supports Keswick Mountain Rescue Team; funds are raised on quiz nights which add up to about £2000 in a year. The Team have responded by making the Dog and Gun their ‘home’ pub. Peter is optimistic about the likely outcome of the planned pub sell off by S&N: if anything, he hopes he will have even more freedom to stock an interesting range of beers.

The award will be presented by members of the branch, travelling from the Cockermouth and Whitehaven areas, on Wednesday August 6th, at approx 8:15pm.