CONSISTENCY is at the heart of running a good pub, reckons Gary Whitby, landlord of the Bear and Ragged Staff at Bransford, another candidate for the Malvern Gazette's Pub of the Year competition.

The pub is a little off the beaten track, down Station Road between Bransford itself and Collett's Green, but plenty of discerning regulars know where to find it.

He said: "I've been here 21 years and seen how the trade has changed in that time.

"We're a gastropub really, but you still have to be all things to all people.

"Tourists, local people, regular drinkers, they all have to be made welcome.

"I get to know my customers. People like to see the landlord."

The landlord of the winning pub will receive a Malvern Gazette Pub of the Year 2018 trophy and be invited to the Houses of Parliament by West Worcestershire’s MP, Harriett Baldwin.

Voting is open now and closes on November 30, so use the slip in the Gazette to name your favourite pub and tell us why it deserves to win.

Anyone can vote for their Pub of the Year in the Gazette’s competition, whether a regular customer or a member of staff, but we only accept slips from the paper to ensure a fair vote – not photocopies or online votes.

The winner of the competition will be announced online and in print in the Malvern Gazette on Friday, December 7.

Malvern Gazette editor Michael Purton said: “There are some brilliant pubs in the area and we want to highlight their hard work and high standards.”