A dad who had never pulled a pint before buying a St Helens pub has seen his gamble pay off after it was named among the UK's best. Daryl Arrowsmith, from Wigan, said he is “immensely proud” to be putting the Merseyside town “on the map” after the Turks Head was selected for CAMRA's 2026 Pub of the Year competition.
The 50-year-old has run the venue for the last 20 years. In that time, he said a lot has changed, but the pub's standards haven't, and it shows. Daryl and his team are no strangers to awards, and just this week added another to the list.
Representing Merseyside and Cheshire
The Tudor-style pub, which dates back to the 1870s, is representing Merseyside and Cheshire in the competition. Following the recent announcement of winners in England's regions and the overall Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland winners, the shortlist has been narrowed down to 16.
All of these, including the Turks Head, will now advance to the 'super-regional' stage, with a 'final four' announced in October, ahead of the reveal of the overall National Pub of the Year in January 2027.
Daryl told the ECHO: “It’s absolutely fantastic. I’m immensely proud of the Turks Head and immensely proud of the team that has got us to this position. I’m absolutely made up because it recognises the hard work that I and the team put in to making this one of the top pubs to visit.
“It’s also fantastic for St Helens. It puts St Helens on the map as a great place to go. There are so many really good pubs in St Helens. It’s a really good place to just visit for a pub crawl.”
A traditional local with a modern twist
The pub offers a rotating line-up of 14 hand-pulls, a selection of real ciders and a large whisky and gin bar. An extensive variety of craft and continental beers can also be found in the upstairs Tower Lounge room, which hosts live music and events for local community groups.
Daryl said: “It is a very traditional local pub, very inviting. It does have its regulars, but it’s also an amazing place to visit for the first time. We do a great job of making everyone feel included. It’s a safe environment, a friendly environment. It’s just a nice place to go for a pint or for a meal.
“When I bought the Turk’s Head, I had never pulled a pint in my life. I just saw an opportunity. I’d seen some pubs where I really liked the template, with the cask ales, continental and craft beers, and we probably, looking back, jumped in a little bit naively and never looked back. Within the first couple of years we were winning CAMRA awards for our real ale, and it’s just got bigger and bigger from there.”
CAMRA's 16-strong shortlist
The other pubs on the shortlist are: Railway Arms, Saffron Walden (East Anglia); Malt Shovel Tavern, Northampton (East Central); Railway Inn, Ketton (East Midlands); Cockpit, Chislehurst (Greater London); Olde Cross, Old Ryton Village (North East); Northumberland Arms, Marple Bridge (North West); Dog and Duck Inn, Lisbellaw (Northern Ireland); Steam Packet Inn, Isle of Whithorn (Scotland); Bell, Waltham St Lawrence (South Central); Nelson Arms, Tonbridge (South East); Fallen Tree, Clevedon (South West); Mold Alehouse, Mold (Wales); Alma Inn, Linton (West Central); Tamworth Tap, Tamworth (West Midlands); and Countryman's Inn, Hunton (Yorkshire).
The competition comes as CAMRA asks the UK Government to make changes to tax arrangements for pubs and brewers, including VAT, draught beer duty and action on sky high energy bills. The campaign is also calling on the UK and devolved governments to urgently commit to a new, fairer system of business rates to help pubs compete with cheap supermarket alcohol, on top of the additional year of rates relief announced by the new Prime Minister for pubs in England last month.
Daryl said: “Running pubs is very tough. Margins are really squeezed heavily. Electricity, supplier costs, everything over the last few years has gone up massively. It’s been a lot of pressure on pubs.”
“I think to survive in this trade now, you just have to be good. You have to put a lot of effort in to make it work. It’s tough for pubs. It’s a difficult trade to be in.”
