Four Lancashire gastropubs named amongst best in UK & one is the highest new entry
Four gastropubs in Lancashire have just been named amongst the very best in the UK by a prestigious ranking.
Every year, beer company Estrella Damm release a list of their top 50 gastro pubs, voted for by their academy of industry experts.
While the names of the top 50 pubs for 2026 had been released before the New Year, the official rankings were only determined at a ceremony in London on Monday, January 26.
Included in the list of gastropubs eagerly awaiting their final rankings was a handful of businesses in Lancashire so take a look at how they did below...
So which Lancashire pubs feature?
Two Lancashire pubs not only made the top 50, but also made the top 10!
The Parkers Arms in Newton Bowland came in at the impressive spot of seventh place.
Hot on their heels was then The Rum Fox in Grindleton who were ranked ninth best.
The Ribble Valley pub was even awarded the accolade of Highest New Entry- their 2026 inclusion marking their first time on the list, having only opened in 2023.
Parkers Arms on the other hand has featured in the list plenty of times; in 2017 it was awarded Highest Climber after shooting up 35 places from 48th to 13th, then in 2020 it sprung into seventh place before climbing to fourth in 2021, second in 2022, first in 2023.
In 2024, it dropped back to seventh place, a position it has then held since.
Also doing Lancashire proud, just out of the Top 50 Gastropubs List is then The White Swan in Fence which was ranked as the 51st best in the UK.
The Three Fishes in Whalley also made the Top 100 pubs, ranking at number 70.
What have the pubs said about the honour?
In a statement, Parkers Arm said: “The @top50gastropubs are the first awards of the year and over the years the excitement and expectations that come with it never pale. Having been no 48 to no 1 we can truly say the feeling is always the same and yesterday was no different. Thank you to all our peers that voted for us, to all the team from @morningadvertiser to Estella Damm & all the headline sponsors for making these awards possible. A huge morale booster for our trade during difficult times. Last but not least thank you to our guests who keep us at it.”
The Rum Fox meanwhile said: “We honestly don’t quite have the words for this one… To be named the HIGHEST NEW ENTRY in the @top50gastropubs Awards 2026 and to go straight into the Top 10 at number 9 is something we only ever imagined when this journey first began nearly three years ago now.
“To be recognised alongside some of the most incredible talents and chefs in the country — and a huge well done to everybody who made the list — is truly humbling. The passion and dedication within this industry is inspiring, and we’re so proud to be part of it.
“A huge thank you to the @top50gastropubs @estrelladamm_uk for hosting such an amazing event and for creating opportunities like this through the list — celebrating hospitality, hard work and the people behind it.
“And to our amazing team — we definitely couldn’t have done this without you. This achievement belongs to you as much as it does to us.
“To every customer who supports us, walks through our doors and believes in what we do — thank you from the bottom of our hearts.