Pub with wood burning stove and real ales named best in Central and West Lancashire

A Chorley pub has moved closer to being shortlisted for the UK’s Pub of the Year award after being named best in the area.

Malt ‘n’ Hops, based at Friday Street, will be among those competing for the Lancashire title after being selected as Pub of the Year for the whole of Central and West Lancashire. The pub now moves forward to the county stage in the national competition and will be up against the winners from the other Lancashire branches.

Local CAMRA members had selected winners for each of Preston, Chorley, South Ribble and West Lancashire and the Malt, as it is known locally, has now come out on top following an assessment process based on detailed national CAMRA standards.

The pub previously won the same accolade in 2017 and has been runner up in each of the last three years. It is renowned for the excellence of the constantly changing range of nine cask ales which always present the discerning drinker with a range of styles and strengths.

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But CAMRA says that becoming Pub of the Year is about much more than the beer and members praised operators Andy and Lisa Ainsworth for making the most of what is a traditional community pub. It is known as a cosy local with a wood burning stove cheering punters on even the coldest day.

Quiz nights and live music are also weekly features and the pub and its regulars are keen supporters of charity, with Guide Dogs for the Blind as their popular cause. So far, their fundraising efforts have provided two guide dogs called Malt and Hops and they are now working towards providing a third dog.

A delighted Andy and Lisa said: “We were thrilled to be named Chorley’s Pub of the Year so to receive this wonderful news is a fantastic way to start 2026. We are grateful to CAMRA for giving us this recognition and of course we want to thank our fantastic staff and regulars for all their support.”

Adrian Smith, Chairman of the Central Lancashire branch of CAMRA, commented: “Selecting between a number of great pubs is an exceptionally difficult task and the other local Pubs of the Year deserve great credit for providing such tough competition, but ultimately there can only be one winner and the Malt ‘n’ Hops undoubtedly deserves this accolade.”

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