A village pub is jostling for position among the country's 50 best dining inns.

The Anchor at Walberswick has been announced as a contender in the Top 50 Gastro Pubs awards – hosted later this month by TV chef and award-winning pub owner Tom Kerridge.

Owners Sophie and Mark Dorber are looking forward to attending a celebratory lunch at Hermitage Road in Hitchin on January 26, when they will discover where the pub has been placed on the final list.

Last year The Anchor came 36th on the list, compiled by licensed trade magazine The Publican Morning Advertiser and voted on by hundreds of gastropub operators, food writers, top chefs and industry experts.

The Dorbers bought the lease at The Anchor in the summer of 2004, having previously run an award-winning pub in Parsons Green, London.

Mrs Dorber said: 'We are thrilled to be included in the Top 50 Gastro Pubs list nationally once again by such an august publication and our colleagues in the industry.

'Being listed this year once again alongside 49 of your finest colleagues across the country is a huge honour.

'It is always surprising that the industry notices what we do up h ere, perched as we are on the northerly Suffolk coast, being geographically isolated, we don't tend to attract much attention, unlike our Fulham days at the centre of things in London.

'This is testament to the efforts of our hard-working team and the enthusiasm we all share for what we do, clearly these qualities are paying dividends once again.'

Tom Kerridge's Hand & Flowers pub in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, has taken number one spot in the top 50 list for the past three years.

With the two Michelin-starred chef hosting this year's awards, his pub now been retired to the Top 50 'Hall of Fame', leaving room for a new winner.

Not only is The Anchor guaranteed a spot in the top 50, its front-of-house manager Luke Murphy is also nominated as a specialist category finalist.

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