The Gordon Arms Bar & Kitchen a finalist in the Countryside Alliance Awards

The Awards are the Countryside Alliance’s annual celebration of British food & farming, enterprise and heritage through our small hard-working businesses. The awards are now in their sixteenth year and have become the definitive rural business award to win. They are set apart from other award schemes because they are driven by public nomination, offering customers the chance to tell us why their favourite businesses are worthy of national acclaim. The awards received over seventeen thousand nominations this year, so The Gordon Arms Bar & Kitchenhas done extremely well to be shortlisted.

The Gordon Arms Bar & Kitchen is a community-focused pub located in the heart of the Scottish Borders, providing a warm and safe space for friends and families to meet and share time together. On offer is a comprehensive cafe menu featuring a range of freshly handmade items such as soups, quiches, sandwiches, scones, and sweet treats. Where possible products / ingredients are sourced locally, such as the Coffee which is roasted in Galashiels and the Beer which is brewed in Dunbar.

The pub hosts a variety of special events throughout the year, including quizzes and live music along with food themed evenings such as curry, steak & pub grub. All helping to bring the community together. They also offer private functions both on-site an off-site with food and bar facilities to support a range of events such as weddings, birthdays, funerals, community events etc

The team at The Gordon Arms Bar & Kitchen heavily supports local community activities, including the local Civic Week and the recent community purchase of the village sports ground. Additionally, following the recent closure of the village shop, they have stepped in to provide a local prescription collection service, saving customers from traveling unnecessary miles to the pharmacy.

At the core of their business is a strong and well priced menu with delicious hand made food which will cater for everyone's taste in a friendly, warm and welcoming atmosphere.

Countryside Alliance Awards Director Sarah Lee commented: “We have been overwhelmed by nominations this year. The secret to the Rural Oscars’ popularity is that they honour the people involved in these businesses and not just their produce or services. They exist to sing the praises of those who work hard to keep our communities and rural economy ticking, but don’t seek the spotlight. These awards provide a cause for celebration in a time of great uncertainty in the countryside. Our local produce is second to none and there are many community heroes and businesses worthy of national recognition.”

Graeme MacLeod and Tara Grey from The Gordon Arms Bar & Kitchen commented: We are delighted to have been nominated for this award which is a credit to our team and all the hard work that they do to create a lovely community hub.

Winners will be chosen via a public vote in January and announced at the National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh on Wednesday 13 March. The winners of the Scottish final will go on to represent Scotland at the House of Lords in the national champions reception in June.