Looking for Award Winning Pubs South West ? Our friends from St Austells Heron Inn Malpas have won BII Licensee of the Year Award 2022 !
This week Amanda and Nick Hemming of the Heron Inn, Malpas in Cornwall, were
judged victorious above six finalists for the BII Licensee of the Year 2022.
Decided by three panels of industry experts and operators, the award is widely regarded as the most
rigorous and hard-fought accolade for individual licensee operators in the UK and is the biggest
national award for licensees to receive.
Award Winning Pubs South West – St Austells Heron Inn Malpas
This is the fourth time that a St Austell licensee has won the award in six years. Previous winners
include Rob and Lucy Brewer from the Rashleigh Arms in Charlestown (2016) and Alex and Tanya
Williams from the Polgooth Inn (2018). Last year’s winners were Chris and Jason Black, who run four
St Austell tenancies – the Pityme Inn in Rock, the Lugger Inn in Polruan, the Weavers Inn in Bodmin,
and the London Inn in Padstow.
Competing with an exceptional field of over 300 entrants, Nick and Amanda had been strong
competitors from the start, scoring highly across all areas including mystery customer visits, web,
and social media audits, as well as their on-site judging visit from Sue Allen and Ashley McCarthy on
the expert committee. Their performance on the final judging day sealed the deal for these fantastic
operators who have proved they have what it takes to be the best licensees in the UK.
They picked up their winner’s trophy in front of a colleagues and industry friends at this year’s BII
Summer Event, hosted on Tuesday 21 June, this year returning to the beautiful HAC Royal Artillery
Gardens. Despite disruption with rail and tube strikes, the BII’s determined guests celebrated with
the winners in the sunshine, showing again the resilience, comradery, and tenacity of those working
in the hospitality sector.
Amanda and Nick Hemming said of their win:
“We are so grateful to receive this incredible award, The BII LOYA22 has been a very enjoyable
process from start to finish. We’ve met some fantastic people and have made firm friendships. We
are now looking forward to the next year working with the BII & St Austell Brewery to share our
passion for this amazing industry.”
Jim Sloan, Head of St Austell Tenanted Pubs commented:
“Congratulations to Nick and Amanda for this amazing achievement. It’s thoroughly deserved and
testament to their hard work and the consistently fantastic experiences they have given their guests
over the years. Four of our fantastic licensees have taken home this prestigious industry award in
recent years and we could not be prouder.”
Damian Saunders, Managing Director of Sky Business said:
“A huge congratulations to Amanda and Nick for winning the Licensee of the Year Award in 2022. Sky
is delighted to sponsor this award and play a part in recognising the individuals that have achieved so
much in the industry, particularly after the incredible challenges they have faced over the last 2
years.”
Steve Alton, Chief Executive of the BII added:
“I’d like to offer a massive congratulations to Nick and Amanda on behalf of myself and the whole
team here at the BII, including our fantastic judges. This is the most rigorous and intense competition
in our industry, and to win from the largest field of nominations we have ever seen, is truly
remarkable. I’d also like to congratulate our other incredible finalists, as getting to the finals of this
competition is an incredible achievement. The friendships they have all formed in the last 2 days has
been fantastic to see, and we will be sharing more of the best practice from all our finalists over the
coming year.”
About the British Institute of Innkeeping:
The BII is the leading independent licensee support organisation for individuals working in
hospitality, with 10,000 individual members running premises across the UK – predominantly
tenanted, leased, managed and freehold pubs. The organisation provides expert helplines, online
business support, and guidance on key industry issues, and savings on a range of supply deals for its
members, keeping pubs thriving in the heart of every community.
Independent, family-owned St Austell Brewery has been brewing beer in Cornwall since 1851. Fast
forward 170 years and, while traditional brewing techniques remain, innovation, passion, and
craftsmanship continue to evolve.
Most famous for its flagship pale ale, Tribute, St Austell Brewery’s range of award-winning beers –
also including Proper Job IPA and korev lager – are available in pubs and supermarkets nationwide.
The business owns and operates over 180 pubs, inns, and hotels across the West Country – including
managed houses and tenancies – and two breweries in St Austell and Bath. St Austell acquired fellow
West Country brewer, Bath Ales, in 2016.
Award Winning Pubs South West – St Austells Heron Inn Malpas
With a network of six depots across the West Country – from St Columb to Wimborne – the
company is the leading wholesale distributor of beers, wines, spirits, ciders, minerals, and soft drinks
in the region.
To find out more about running a St Austell pub click here
