IT’S a pub with the winning habit.
The Star at Folly Hall has just scooped its latest award – being named the Pub of the Year by the local branch of the Campaign For Real Ale.
It’s just the latest in a clutch of CAMRA awards won by Sam Watt and her team at the Albert Street hostelry.
And that meant extra reasons to celebrate as the pub hosted its Spring Beer Festival.
Hundreds of fans of ales and beers – with exotic names like Titanic and Leprechaun – descended on the pub to taste more than 70 beers, many of them specially shipped in for the festival.
A marquee in the pub’s back yard was stocked with 46 different brews – and the drinkers managed to get through 3,000 pints of those.
Many more were served up in the pub itself as hundreds flocked into town for the festival.
Staff at the Albert Street pub say the awards acknowledge the hard work of the team.
Sam said “I’m absolutely delighted by the CAMRA award.
“It’s always nice to get an award but what make it all worthwhile for me is the feedback we get from our customers.
“People come from all over the country to pay us a visit and it is nice to be appreciated.
“They send us cards, they send through e-mails and they tell us how they have enjoyed the pub.
“There’s no secret to running a good pub; it’s down to hard work and listening to what the customers want.
“It’s not just getting the awards that means a lot, it’s getting the backing of our customers time and time again; they have made the pub what it is.
“I’ve been here a little over seven and a half years and in that time I have tried to make The Star the sort of place I would want to visit.”
The Star Inn was named Huddersfield Camra’s Spring Pub of the Season 2008 having been nominated by local members who recognised the contribution the Star makes to the promotion of real ale.
The pub also scooped Mild Pub of the Year 2008 which was voted for by customers.
That was the fourth time the Star Inn had won the title since 2002.
