WE'RE highlighting the shortlisted pubs in our competition in the News & Star. Each of the establishments will be featured over the following issues.

The Bridge End Inn has been nominated by News & Star readers as one of the ten finalists in its 'Best Pub 2024' award.

The pub, which is located in Dalston and has been run by manager Conor Dorrington since 2020 and is owned by Ian and Julie Brown who took over in 2012.

After being informed that The Bridge End Inn has been nominated as a finalist in the News & Star's 'Best Pub 2024' award, Conor was on hand to express his delight. 

He said: "It is lovely to hear that we have been nominated.

"I think there is a misunderstanding around hospitality, it is definitely a 24/7 industry and the whole aim is to have your customers walk away with a smile.

"To be nominated is a sign that we are doing something right."

Conor also discussed what it is about the Bridge End Inn that he believes locals love.

He said: "People are trying so many things in the hospitality industry, for us, we are very proud of what we do and there is a lot of love and attention that goes into what we do and while we try and keep up with modern trends we are also very in touch with our roots.

"We are a country pub in a beautiful area of the UK.

"We try our best not to deviate too far from that, all of the food we put out is homemade, we have also got the bar side and restaurant.

"We managed to capture people coming in for a drink and use the pub as a community centre, likewise then we have got the restaurant where people can come in for any occasion.

"We try our best to cater to everything we can whilst sticking to our country pub roots. 

For Conor, being part of the local community is one of the main benefits of being in the pub industry and he explained more about how the Bridge End INn fulfills that role.

He said: "The best part of the job is people.

"You meet people from all walks of life and everyone gets the same service and the staff are brilliant, the need to take a lot of credit for this as everyone is welcome.

"We try our best to take care of the Dalston community and wider than that and we get that back tenfold."