STAFF at the Cuckoo Inn in Hamptwoth are celebrating after picking up a batch of awards from the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA).

On Thursday, April 11, representatives from the organisation  arrived to present landlord Nik Amplianitis and his wife Sofia, with three of its highest Salisbury and South Wiltshire plaudits – Pub of the Year 2024, Cider Pub of the Year 2024 and Rural Pub of the Year 2024.

Salisbury Journal: Nick with his awards

READ MORE: The Cuckoo Inn, Hamptworth, wins three CAMRA awards

Nik, 33, opened the pub on March 18, 2022, and said winning the awards is "very important" for his business.

He said: “We’re delighted with these honours that reflect all the hard work the staff have put into the pub since reopening after a two-year closure post COVID. We’re blessed with a beautiful location and a Grade 2 listed building, so to serve a good beer is just the cherry on the cake.”

The Cuckoo Inn has been an established community pub for over 150 years, belatedly celebrating its anniversary in style in 2023. It secured its CAMRA seals of approval with a policy of supplying over 30 well-kept beers, ciders and perries.

Nik added: “We’re not standing still after these awards. We want to keep new beers, ciders and perries coming in on a weekly basis and to store and serve them respectfully. We’re always happy to welcome new customers and anyone wanting to make a day of it might be tempted by our next beer and cider festival starting on 17 May. We’ll be serving over 40 beers and 40 ciders from a special tiki bar with a mix of firm favourites and unearthed surprises.”

The pub adapts its selection of real ales with the seasons and expands during the spring and summer months, upping the number of tables from eight to 75.

Nik, who was born in Greece, moved to the quiet rural village of Hamptworth with his wife Sophia and two daughters, aged three and six, two years ago to escape the hustle and bustle of London.

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Events also run through the spring and summer with this year’s first three-day beer festival kicking off on May 17.

The second and final festival starts on September 6 and it’s not uncommon for the pub to have more than 80 different beers for customers to try.

Three ‘Pride and Joy’ meets take place too, on June 9, July 14, and August 4 during which people are invited to showcase their cars and motorcycles. Vintage classics and supercars sprawl the large outdoor lawn area of the pub.