A BEWDLEY pub has swept the board for the fourth year in a row after being crowned the best seafood pub of the year.

The Running Horse, on Long Bank, has clinched the title of National Seafood Pub from a chain which has 170 pubs throughout the country.

Among the dishes that caught the judges' eyes in the contest, organised by the Spirit Chain, previously Scottish and Newcastle Breweries, were monkfish and tiger prawns stir fry with a black bean sauce. Other favourites included duo of shark and tuna on a bed of garlic mash with a garlic and chablis sauce and lobster with mixed fish fishcakes.

Pub licensee, Christine Probert, praised the work of her award-winning chef, Matthew Gardner, who has been employed at The Running Horse for the past four years.

She said: "It's just absolutely fantastic to win this award for the fourth year in a row. Matthew really is the heart and the soul of the establishment, though.

"He frequently scans the internet to source recipes and regularly speaks to the fish supplier to ensure there are a variety of fish dishes on the menu to suit everybody's taste."