Peak District pub is Britain's top dog in pampering four-legged friends

The Flying Childers at Stanton in Peak has won Best Pub For Dogs in the Great British Pub Awards.

The Flying Childers Inn at Stanton in Peak won the category, sponsored by pet-stting company Rover.com, in the Great British Pub Awards.

Licensees Sophie and Richard Wood will find out at a winners’ lunch in London on October 19 whether their inn has been voted overall top pub. The Robin Hood at Swadlincote, which has won Pub of the Year, is also among the 15 finalists.

Richard said: “We never expected to get in the finals, let alone win our category – it’s great to be recognised.

"Where we are is very rural and we get a lot of visitors with dogs – it’s a good place for them all to meet.

"Sophie makes homemade peanut butter dog treats, there are towels in the porch to dry wet dogs and there’s toys and water.

"We've got a mobile dog groomer that comes up whenever the dogs need grooming – they are spoiled rotten!

"We're just organising doggie walks from the Childers around Stanton Moor with a meet-up at the pub at the end.”

Colin, the seven-year-old dachshund, makes himself at home in the pub run by his owners Richard and Sophie Wood.

Sophie, 33, who was born in Stanton in Peak, and Richard, 36, have been running The Flying Childers Inn since March 2019. They took over the reins from Sophie’s parents, Stuart and Mandy Redfern, who ran the pub for 15 years and continue to help out in the business.

The Flying Childers Inn won Unspoilt Pub of the Year 2019 in The Good Pub awards and in 2020 reached the final in that category.

Food and drink help to make the rural inn a favourite with its clientele. Sophie’s love of vegan cookery extends to the pub’s lunchtime menu which is predominantly meat-free. Richard said: “Most places will have one vegan option but ours is switched the other way – the response to it has been amazing.

"We're pretty focused on real ale so the drinks are as good as you can get them.”

A customer and her pet enjoy the pub's hospitality.

Richard grew up in Chesterfield and was employed in hospitality as soon as he left school. He said: “I worked at Chandlers which was the launchpad for setting off and doing cocktails. Before that it was glass collecting and waitering in and around Chesterfield.”