AN Ely pub has been honoured by industry experts at the Great British Pub Awards.

The Cutter Inn, at Annesdale, has been named East Anglia’s Best Managed Pub 2011, beating off stiff competition from dozens of other nominees from across the region.

Cutter owner Steve Haslam said: “We are absolutely elated, it’s a very prestigious award. We are particularly pleased for the group at The Cutter because all of them have incredibly well in the last 18 months.”

Mr Haslam took over at The Cutter in 2006 and has since taken on three other pubs across the region.

The pub will go forward to the Great British Pub Awards final, held at the Hilton Hotel in London’s Park Lane on September 8 and hosted by Rory Bremner.

“The Cutter was our first pub and we would love nothing more to win the national award, the team deserve it.”

The awards, organised by leading pub industry magazine, the Publican’s Morning Advertiser, are billed by organisers as the Oscars of the pub world.

Independent judges visited all the competing pubs to assess them, with The Cutter Inn coming out on top.

The Publican’s Morning Advertiser editor Paul Charity, said: “The award recognises the managed pub that has achieved its business aims most successfully in the past year.

“The Cutter Inn has a fantastic offer for its customers and is a worthy winner.”

The pub will go head to head with five other regional winners for the UK title ‘Best Managed Pub 2011’ and will also have the opportunity to compete for the overall title of ‘Great British Pub of the Year.’