The Perfect Pub

Samuel Smith’s Brewery operates in the region of 200 pubs; most are small pubs situated in the former mill, mine and steel areas of the north of England. Many pubs in such neighbourhoods are closing but we keep ours open and well maintained serving the local community and offering value for money. The pubs only stock Samuel Smith’s Brewery products.

George Orwell described his perfect pub in a 1945 essay entitled “The Moon under Water” – Samuel Smith’s pubs accord with his ideal in several ways:

If you are asked why you favour a particular public house, it would seem natural to put the beer first, but the thing that appeals to me… is what people call its ‘atmosphere’.
Games, such as darts, are only played in the public bar so that in other bars you can walk about without the worry of flying darts
The pub is quiet enough to talk, with the house possessing neither a radio nor a piano
The barmaids know the customers by name and take an interest in everyone
A creamy sort of draught stout is served
In winter there is generally a good fire burning in at least two of the bars

As a proudly independent firm, Samuel Smiths pubs are proud to not stock any products owned by corporations. All products are either produced at our brewery established in 1758, or are sourced from fellow independent producers.

Bed & Breakfast Accommodation

We have a number of pubs that offer bed and breakfast accommodation.

Click here to navigate to Samuel Smith’s Hotels website

Walker & Scott Wines & Spirits

Samuel Smith’s pubs stock Walker & Scott’s wines and spirits. Founded in York in 1721, Walker & Scott’s wines and spirits are sourced from a first class independent suppliers and are made only from the best raw materials.

Scintilla Soft Drinks

Samuel Smith’s make their own range of soft drinks under the Scintilla brand. Scintilla soft drinks are all vegan apart from the Tomato Juice Cocktail, (which contains anchovies). Scintilla Pure Orange Juice is a Fairtrade product.