A LAKE District landlady has been shortlisted as a finalist in the Licensee of the Year competition run by The British Institute of Innkeeping (BII).

Samantha Robinson, who runs the Queens Head, Troutbeck, has made it to the last six of the competition and will learn whether she has won at a summer event at the HAC (honorary Artillery Company) Gardens in London on June 4.

Over the past month, BII judges have visited the pubs of all 12 semi-finalists, spread across the whole of the UK, assessing standards from car parks and outside areas, right through to cellars and kitchens as well as trading areas.

They also completed in-depth interviews with the entrants, covering all aspects of their business, their commitment to staff and their own personal development.

Mike Clist, CEO of the BII said: “The BII Licensee of the Year competition has long been renowned for being the most rigorous of all the awards in licensed retailing and is the one that individual operators really want to win.

"We consistently see an extremely high standard of entrants and 2019 has been no exception. In the current climate, we feel more than ever that the talent and commitment of exceptional licensees needs to be recognised and rewarded and I wish our fantastic finalists well in the final stage of the competition.”