An East Kilbride pub that took home our most recent Pub of The Year crown has reflected on its major win three years ago.
And new manager Barry Saunders told us about the impact COVID has had on their business since then.
The Calderwood Inn took home the EK News Pub of the Year back in 2019 after a hotly contested campaign.
Of course the world was very different three years ago and due to the pandemic, no award was held in 2020 or 2021.
However, the competition is back bigger and better this year - that sees a Lanarkshire-wide competition, which the Calderwood Inn is confident they can put up a strong fight in.
Londoner Barry took over the Calderwood Inn in April 2020 and has since built up a reputation for serving excellent pints and patter in equal measure.
He told Lanarkshire Live : “We've fared better than most over the last two years because of our outside space.
"That allowed us to open after the first round of restrictions, so we've had quite a steady trade.
"We also have our pool and darts team back up and running and are hoping to get involved with local amateur team Bonomy FC.
"And on the last Friday of every month we run a poker night, which is proving popular with locals. So a lot has been happening.
"We like to give back to our customers who have shown us loyalty.
"I hope restrictions are lifted further so we can do away with table service and get back to normal."
The Calderwood Inn still have the Pub of The Year plaque proudly displayed behind the bar.
Barry added: "We've noticed a lot of new faces through the doors since winning Pub of the Year.
"This was a big accolade which is all down to teamwork and how you treat people, and our staff obviously came across very well to help the pub win.
"We are on first name terms with all our regulars and there is always a nice, friendly atmosphere at the Calderwood Inn."
The team here at Lanarkshire Live recently launched our Pub of The Year campaign to find the best boozer in the region. And we need your help.
We are asking you to nominate your favourite local and tell us why you love it so much.
Once we have our nominations, we will set about secretly scoring the top 10 pubs put forward by punters.
These pubs will be visited by 'secret shoppers' to score them in ten categories, before coming back to you, our readers.
It will then be down to you to vote for the pub you think should be crowned Lanarkshire Live Pub of The Year 2021/22.
To enter your favourite inn simply tell us the name of the pub and why it should win in 100 words or less.
You can enter by heading filling in the form below, and share the news by pointing friends and family to the free-to-download Lanarkshire Live app.
And if you’re a landlord or landlady then here is your chance to pull a favour from your customers instead of pulling them a pint.
Get them to put you forward and make sure you are sharing your efforts to win the title on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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