The Royal Blenheim in Oxford city centre prides itself on being a pub for drinkers.
This means that it doesn’t worry about serving meals and focuses instead on serving customers a good range of beers – 10 cast pumps and 11 keg – and gins.
The Royal Blenheim in St Ebbes is one of 10 pubs which has been nominated by our readers for the Oxford Mail Best Pub 2022 competition.
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It is owned by Staffordshire-based Titanic Brewery which does not own many pubs in the south.
Assistant manager Zane Maina, who previously worked in the Three Goats Heads in St Michael’s Street, said he was delighted The Royal Blenheim has been nominated.
He added: “We are very pleased to be on the list.
“The pub has been getting busier – it is coming on leaps and bounds and gaining ground on where we were back in the pandemic.
“A decision was made just before the pandemic that we should be a wet-led pub and I think think that decision has been hugely beneficial.
“We also show a lot of sports and that has also helped to get people in.
“We do show some football but we mainly show rugby and we have seen lots of rugby fans for the Six Nations and other competitions.”
Mr Maina added: “We will show any sport going.”
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He said the decision not to serve food allowed The Royal Blenheim to be a traditional pub where ‘people could come and enjoy a drink without the ever-present smell of food’.
Mr Maina said: “We have a Titanic-based beer of the month and we always a range of guest beers including White Horse and Tap Social.
“Their beers are regularly seen here and we have a very good standing with the local CAMRA group – we were local CAMRA city pub of the year in 2019 and 2020.”
There is a quiz night every Wednesday and the pub has been trialling a folk night which it hopes will take off when students return after the summer vacation.
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The shortlist for the competition is: The Black Boy, Old High Street, Headington; The White Hart, St Andrew’s Road, Headington; The Brewery Tap, Ock Street, Abingdon; College Oak, Peachcroft Road, Abingdon; The Masons Arms, Quarry School Place, Headington; The Royal Blenheim, St Ebbe’s; The Turf Tavern, Bath Place, off Holywell Street; The Victoria Arms, Mill Lane, Oxford; The Queen’s Arms, Manor Road, Didcot; The White Hart, Godstow Road, Wolvercote.
Drinkers are now being asked to vote for their favourite by sending in voting tokens which will be featured in the Oxford Mail every day until Saturday, August 13.
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Post your voting coupon to: Oxford Mail Best Pub 2022, Richmond House, Units 1 and 2, Edison Park, Hindle Way, Swindon, SN3 3RB. The closing date for postal entries is Sunday, August 21.
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This story was written by Andy Ffrench, he joined the team more than 20 years ago and now covers community news across Oxfordshire.
Get in touch with him by emailing: Andy.ffrench@newsquest.co.uk
Follow him on Twitter @OxMailAndyF