(L-R) Peter Knell - Director, Alex Ridgeway - Brewer, Claire Crowbotham - Pub Manager, Steve Ridgeway - Director

The Wild Boar pub is top of the crops after its newly planted hops garden helped it to green fingered glory in Everards annual pub garden contest.

The Warwick pub is celebrating after being named Best Overall Pub Garden winner in Leicestershire brewery Everards annual horticultural event, The Spencer Memorial Garden competition. It’s the first time The Wild Boar has entered the competition and even more remarkably the garden was only fully planted in May this year.

However sterling efforts from the pub’s staff team has helped transform the Wild Boar’s outside space into a horticultural haven of green tinged splendour. With ambitions to bring the brewing process alive for customers at the pub, a hops garden has been planted to give regulars the chance to watch their favourite ales evolve from field to fermentation.

The English Fuggles and Goldings hops, along with American Mounthood hops, have been planted in the garden and will be ready for harvest next September. The hops will then be used for a special ‘green’ beer, which the Wild Boar pub’s expert team plan to brew at the on-site micro brewery.

Peter Knell, Director of the Wild Boar Company which runs the pub in partnership with Everards, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have won the title of Best Overall Pub Garden. It’s a great reward for all the effort people have put into it and a recognition of what we set out to achieve, a nice green space to be enjoyed by customers and the local community.

“By having the hops grow in the garden, we hope that we can bring the whole brewing process alive for people. They can see the ingredients grow before their eyes and follow every step of the brewing process, right up to the point where they can enjoy the end product with a pint of the ale.

“It’s had a great reaction from customers so far and people really seem to like what with have done with the garden. On warm, sunny days we have had double the amount of custom we would normally have as people sit out and enjoy the garden.”

As well as the hops, the Wild Boar team have also planted runner beans in the garden with the vegetables being used as ingredients in the pub’s food menu. The self sufficient garden is further complemented with hanging baskets and bedding plants to create an idyllic green scene at the pub.

The Wild Boar was among 40 entrants to the competition, which marked pubs on a range of criteria including kerb appeal, effectiveness of outdoor space and creativity. Winners went through three rounds of judging to achieve the accolade, with the first round seeing competitors whittled down to six semi-finalists per category.

In the second round, Richard Everard and Ian Gibson visited the shortlisted pubs to select three finalists for each category. Planting perfectionists Serena Richards and Bernard Hanraads of Glebes Garden Centre then completed the final round of judging.

The Wild Boar opened over two years ago following a £130,000 refurbishment undertaken in partnership with The Wild Boar Pub Company and Leicestershire brewery Everards. With an on-site brewery operated by The Slaughterhouse Brewery, Warwick’s only brewery, the new pub venture is a testament to the transformative powers of the Project William initiative.

The Wild Boar Company was first established in 2010. It’s Board of Directors consists of Peter Knell and Steve Ridgway, who are also Directors of The Slaughterhouse Brewery. Slaughterhouse Brewery’s Wild Boar ale was named Champion Beer of Warwickshire in 2007.