Popular village pub near Louth makes a 'Splash' in national awards
A popular country pub and restaurant in the Louth area is glowing with pride after being hailed as one of the best venues in the country.
The family-run Royal Oak Inn, better known as ‘The Splash’, set in the village of Little Cawthorpe, has been shortlisted for the National ‘Pub And Bar’ Awards for 2025.
It is one of only three Lincolnshire nominations for the awards, which are organised in conjunction with ‘Pub And Bar’ magazine and culminate in a glittering ceremony in London on Tuesday, June 24.
Manager Laura Grantham beamed: “I’m incredibly proud that our pub has been nominated.
"I’ve been running ‘The Splash’ for the past seven years on behalf of my father-in-law, David Grantham and my husband’s uncle, Peter Grantham. My dad, Jeff Jafari, has worked alongside me in the day-to-day operations.
"This place is a true family affair, and that spirit extends to our incredible staff. We wouldn’t be where we are without them. They work so hard, day in, day out, and they are the heart of everything we do.
“We’re a traditional British pub through and through. We’ve thrown in a few quirks over the years, but we’ve stayed true to the old-school values that define us.
"We’re so proud of what we’ve built, and we’re grateful every day for the amazing customers who support us. Thankyou to everyone who’s been part of our journey.”
The Royal Oak, which also hosts functions and offers accommodation, earned its nickname ‘The Splash’ because of its Watery Lane location and because when it rains, visitors often have to negotiate a large puddle to get to it!
It is well used to accolades, having been named one of the best 100 pubs in Britain by the ‘Mail Online’ website in 2024, which coincided with Laura’s dad, Jeff, completing 40 successful years in the hospitality industry. This year, brothers David and Peter celebrate their 25th anniversary at the helm.
Now in their ninth year, the National ‘Pub And Bar’ Awards’ showcase the finest venues within 94 counties across the UK. In total, 256 pubs and bars have been shortlisted.
Tristan O’Hara, editor of ‘Pub And Bar' magazine, said: “We want to show how brilliant these businesses are and how valuable pubs and bars are to the fabric of society across the UK.
"It’s never been harder in hospitality. Whether it’s a countryside pub with rooms or a city centre bar showing live sport, these operations deserve widespread recognition and more customers.”
The criteria for nominations embrace a number of elements that attract customers. These range from marketing and digital presence to design, service, style of offer and investment.
The other two nominations in Lincolnshire are the Red Lion Hotel at Spalding and The Strait And Narrow cocktail bar in Lincoln.
All 256 businesses will be invited to the awards ceremony where all the county and regional winners will be announced, along with the overall national winner.
The overall winner in 2024 was The George Inn, a four-star hotel in Norton St Philip, near Bath.
Laura is full of praise for the whole team at ‘The Splash’ – “from the girls who open up and clean in the morning to our breakfast chefs, pastry expert, bakers, kitchen chefs, front-of-house staff, bar staff and accounts department”.