Two Midlothian venues up for best pub award​

The Laird & Dog Inn in Lasswade, and Stewart Brewing’s Beer and Pizza Kitchen in Loanhead have been shortlisted for recognition at the award ceremony in London in June.

In a change-up to previous years, the 94 county winners will be announced live at the event, as well as highly commended venues for each area.

In total, 256 pubs and bars have been shortlisted throughout England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The Laird & Dog Inn is a popular pub and restaurant, serving freshly-made meals daily. (Pic: Google Maps)

“The aim of the National Pub & Bar Awards is simple,” said Tristan O’Hana, editor of Pub & Bar magazine, which runs the event. “We want to showcase how brilliant these businesses are and how valuable pubs and bars are to the fabric of society across the whole of the UK.

“It has never been harder in hospitality. Whether it’s a countryside pub with rooms or a city centre bar showing live sport, these operations deserve widespread recognition and more customers – hopefully the National Pub & Bar Awards can help with both.”

The awards look at a number of elements that affect the customer journey, including marketing, digital presence, design, service, style of offer and investment.

The venues now have over two months in which to trade off their achievement, before making their way to the National Pub & Bar Awards grand final in June.

The Stewart Brewing site, including the Beer & Pizza Restaurant, in Loanhead.

Held at Big Penny Social in London, the final will welcome all 256 nominees to come together and celebrate their success, before discovering which venues will go on to become county and regional winners.

The awards night will also crown the Pub Group of the Year, Bar Group of the Year, The Tyrrells Tyrrellbly Good Taste Award – presented by the event’s headline sponsor – and, ultimately, the overall National Pub & Bar of the Year.

On top of that, the 2025 event will launch the Top 10 Pubs & Bars in the UK list, which has been voted for by hundreds of operators from across the country.

The Laird and Dog Inn is a pub and restaurant with accommodation, conveniently situated on the outskirts of Edinburgh.

It’s popular with visitors looking for a place to stay while exploring the capital and the east coast, offering eleven en-suite bedrooms.

The inn’s bar and conservatory restaurant serves freshly prepared meals every day - from lighter snacks and sharing platters to traditional main courses and contemporary dishes.

Stewart Brewing’s Beer & Pizza Restaurant is already an award-winning venue, having been named the Best Beer Destination at last year’s Scottish Beer Awards.

This was just one of a number of prizes picked up by the Loanhead-based brewery, which included the top accolade of Scottish Brewery of the Year.

The Beer and Pizza Kitchen features Neapolitan style pizzas that are all hand stretched and cooked to order, and up to 18 beer lines pouring at the bar.

The National Pub & Bar Awards 2025 is sponsored by Tyrrells, Booker, Cawston Press, ICRTouch, Randall Parker Food Group, Sky Business and Strongbow.