THE licensees of a popular Ely pub are celebrating this week after scooping a prestigious award for the quality of their beer. Andy and Tammy King, who run the King s Arms on St Mary s Street, have been awarded the Cask Marque accreditation for serving qu

THE licensees of a popular Ely pub are celebrating this week after scooping a prestigious award for the quality of their beer.

Andy and Tammy King, who run the King's Arms on St Mary's Street, have been awarded the Cask Marque accreditation for serving quality cask-conditioned ale.

Andy said: "This award is a great endorsement for us. A lot of our customers visit the pub especially for the cask ale and it's really gratifying to know that we are getting the formula just right."

Backed by 34 of the country's leading brewers and pub companies, Cask Marque accreditation is only awarded to licensees whose ale passes a series of rigorous tests.

Since its foundation in 1997, Cask Marque has inspected around 100,000 pints of beer and accredited nearly 4,000 of the country's 36,500 pubs estimated to serve one or more cask-conditioned ales.

Cask Marque director Paul Nunny said: "Andy and Tammy should feel justifiably proud of this excellent achievement, which not only recognises the effort they put into serving the perfect pint but also acts as an independent guarantee of quality for customers.

"All too often publicans don't appreciate the care and attention cask beers require and then run the risk of losing custom by serving pints that are below par."