A PUB in Northleach has squeezed itself onto a list of the top 50 boozers in Britain.

The Wheatsheaf Inn, West End, beat off competition from Britain’s 48,000 other pubs to secure its place on the The Good Food Guide’s Top 50 Pubs of 2016.

Pubs sign up to be reviewed by the experts from the 65-year-old restaurant guide, who then visit anonymously, casting their critical eye over the pub as an everyday punter.

The Wheatsheaf just made it onto the list, taking the 49th spot just below The Camberwell Arms in London.

Topping the list was the Freemasons at Wiswell, Lancashire. Locally, Oxfordshire’s The Kingham Plough, The Nut Tree Inn, The Lamb Inn and The Star Inn all made the cut, as did The Beckford Arms in Wiltshire.

There are 48,000 pubs in the UK, according to the British Beer and Pub Association’s last audit in 2013, down from 67,800 in 1982.

Sam and Georgina Pearman opened the Wheatsheaf in 2011. The old coaching inn has 14 rooms and sells meals ranging from £13 to £25.

Peter Creed, operations manager for the Wheatsheaf Inn, said: “We’ve signed up to a number of these ratings agencies which really keeps us on our toes because we don’t know when they are coming in.

“It was a real pat on the back to get this. We were in the guide a couple of years ago but not this high up so it’s nice to know we are still improving.

“Food is a lot like fashion, it’s always changing. We try to keep our finger on the pulse of what’s going on.”

Staff from the Wheatsheaf go on tasting expeditions to London and New York to sample the best of the world’s cuisine.

On September 13, the pub will host a foraging day with the River Cottage’s Gill Mellor and Jack Adair-Bevan, owner of Bristol restaurant The Ethicurean.

Jack and Gill will lead guests around the woods in Northleach armed with maps and tip sheets to scour  for the best seasonal ingredients.

Gill will then rustle up a Sunday lunch using some of the foraged ingredients from the explorations.

The Wheatsheaf Inn is part of the Lucky Onion group.

To find out more about the Wheatsheaf Inn go to cotswoldswheatsheaf.com.