Blue’s Micropub in Whitburn named North East Cider Pub of the Year by The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA)

Blue’s Micropub in Percy Terrace, Whitburn, has been named as the North East Cider Pub of the Year by The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA).

The Sunderland & South Tyneside, Cleveland, Darlington, Durham and Tyneside & Northumberland branches of CAMRA, which make up the North East Region, hold local pub and club competitions.

Their best establishments go forward to the regional competitions, with the winner of each competition then judged against the winners of the other 15 regions.

This is then reduced to a final four who go forward to the final round to find the national pub / club of the year.

Entrants are judged by CAMRA members on "quality and condition of the cider, promotion and knowledge of the product, service and welcome, style, décor and furnishing, community focus and atmosphere and sympathy with CAMRA’s aims”.

Blue’s, which is run by fiancés Callum Watson and Alice Pye, only opened just before the first lockdown in 2020. But it has made its presence felt very quickly.

Along with The Lighthouse in Fulwell, it was included in the 2022 Good Beer Guide and won the South Tyneside Cider Pub of the Year.

CAMRA North East Cider Coordinator, Bill Wilkinson, who announced the winner said: “For those of you who have never been to Blue’s, it is an urban village pub with a rural, community village pub atmosphere.

“Even if you are not interested in cider the pub does offer an interesting selection of cask and keg beers and has an upstairs bottle and can shop for carry-outs.

“Like most micropubs it is in former retail premises and sits directly across the road from the village Co-op convenience store which sits in the former Grey Horse pub. Ironic or what?”

Bill will present the winner’s certificate to Alice and Callum in Whitburn on Saturday, September 17 at 1.30pm.

The definition of a micropub, according to the Micropub Association, is: “A small freehouse which listens to its customers, mainly serves cask ales, promotes conversation, shuns all forms of electronic entertainment and dabbles in traditional pub snacks.”