A family-run pub located in the small village of Skelton is celebrating after being named the fifth best gastropub in the UK.

The Dog and Gun Inn, found just seven miles away from Penrith, was given the recognition in a competition created by Big 7 Travel, who have listed the top 50 gastropubs in the country. The Drunken Duck, a pub located in Ambleside in South Cumbria, was named the 15th best in the list.

The travel company described The Dog and Gun as “the sort of place you could easily sit in for hours and not notice the time going by.”

All food is made by chef and owner Ben Queen-Fryer and he is the only chef in the kitchen! Big 7 Travel highly recommend the glazed ox cheek with truffled Spatzle, buttered kale and cauliflower on their website.

The business has won the Best Dining Pub category in 2019 and 2020 in the Cumbria Life Food and Drink Awards and also currently holds the only Michelin Bib Gourmand in Cumbria and have held this for three years.

This year also marks our entry into the 2021 Estrella Top 50 Gastropubs list. The company’s guide recommends the pub’s lobster thermidor cannelloni; venison suet pudding, triple-cooked chips and greens and Cumbrian honey parfait with raspberries and honeycomb to readers.

The Dog and Gun Inn is closed on Sundays and Mondays, and dogs are welcome in the back-bar and front half of the pub. For more information and how to book, visit the website or call 01768 484301.