The Wonston Arms, which claims it is “the best little pub in Hampshire” above its entrance, is exactly that according to the London broadsheet, which recently ran an article entitled The best pub in every English county.
This is only the second accolade the pub has picked up so far, however, as it won CAMRA’s pub of the year award in 2019.
The Chronicle spoke to landlord Matt Todd, who will celebrate his tenth year in charge of the pub in April.
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The “Acoustic Dever” night at The Wonston Arms (Image: Matt Todd)
He said: “That Telegraph article – when I read it, I was like, wow. It was really amazing on a dreary January week.”
Matt was pleasantly surprised to find The Wonston Arms on the list, not least because of the stellar company it was in.
“The honest truth of it is, I was travelling last week and somebody sent the article to me,” he said. “The first pub that came up was The Black Bull – I was born in Cumbria, and The Black Bull is a legendary Lakeland pub.
“It’s a list of very pubby pubs. It’s those kinds of places that weren’t created for their high-end food, they’re places where people come to interact and do pub things.
“It’s epitomising that cosy, heritage-based venue that delivers on what the traditional pub feeling was, is and continues to be in these places, whereas others are changing their behaviour and adapting to more modern tastes.”
The Wonston Arms on January 15 (Image: Sebastian Haw) Matt was also happy with what he described as The Telegraph’s “canny” move to help pubs get through the often difficult months after the festive season when footfall can ebb.
He said: “At a time when the hospitality trade is quite quiet, I think that was a really respectful, clever way for The Telegraph to put that news article out, to just bring it up a bit.
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“After it came out, we had one of our busiest Monday nights, so there you go, that’ll answer that one.”
Later on, the pub filled up with musicians as punters poured in for The Wonston Arms’ “Acoustic Dever” night, which saw 25 people join to play their instruments through the evening.
Other nights to look out for are Tuesdays, when a pop-up van serves fish and chips, and Fridays, when cooks from Winchester restaurant The Light of Bengal come along to serve up some authentic curry dishes.