The Bell & Cross pub in Clent wins Pub of the Year 2010
They think it’s all over ... it is now. England football chef Roger Narbett was celebrating today after his Worcestershire pub was crowned the best in Britain.
The Bell & Cross at Holy Cross, near Clent, was named Pub of the Year 2010 by The Good Pub Guide.
Mr Narbett, aged 49, has run the historic pub for nine years with his wife Jo, juggling kitchen duties with cooking for the likes of Wayne Rooney, David Beckham and John Terry.
The couple beat more than 5,000 independently-run pubs to land the coveted title and England football fans will hope the win is a good omen for the national team as they prepare for next summer’s World Cup finals. Roger will accompany the squad to South Africa, and if everything goes to plan he will have to devise a month’s menus for Fabio Capello’s men.
Father-of-two Mr Narbett, who is a life-long West Bromwich Albion fan, was told the good news while preparing meals for England’s stars before their triumph over Croatia earlier this month – a victory which secured qualification for South Africa.
He said: “I was away with England at the time. I was at The Grove in Hertfordshire at the team camp. Jo had received a letter and it was headed ‘congratulations, you have won the national pub of the year’. We were also county dining pub of the year, so it was a double whammy.
“It proved to be a good omen for the game because we went on to beat Croatia.”
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