The Agricultural Inn nominated for ‘Best Pub 2025’

The Agricultural Inn, Penrith, has been nominated by News & Star readers as one of the ten finalists in its ‘Best Pub 2025’ award.

The pub is operated by Megan McCall and Thomas McLaughlin under the Valiant Pub Company and officially opened eight months ago.

Megan said she and Thomas were ‘over the moon’ to hear about the nomination.

She said: “It means so much to us. As soon as we got here, we could tell what a tight-knit community it is and then for people to take the time to get to know me and Thomas over the bar and then put us forward for something like this just means so much, especially since we’re not even a year open yet.

“As soon as I saw it [the nomination], I cried a little, and Thomas was over the moon. We’ve done nothing but thank people ever since.”

READ MORE: News & Star’s ‘Best Pub 2025’ finalists revealed

The Agricultural Inn in Penrith. (Image: Supplied) Both Megan and Thomas have been working in the hospitality industry since they were teenagers. In their new venture, they are hoping to make The Agricultural a ‘safe haven’.

Megan said: “It’s a nice place where you can just go, switch off and chill. If you want to chat to people, the bar staff are super friendly, but if you want to just sit in a quiet corner and give us a nod when you need your next drink, you can do that too.”

Megan and Thomas have 16 members of staff to help throughout the week, from front of house to kitchen and housekeeping.

The bar at The Agricultural Inn. (Image: Supplied) The pub is open seven days a week and serves breakfast from 9am. They have also just launched a new menu, which has a variety of gluten-free options.

As well as serving food, the team work with local breweries and has a rotation of over 30 different ales.

Megan ended: “We’re planning our first birthday celebrations, so keep an eye out for those plans.

“We’re so thankful to all our customers, it’s onwards and upwards from here!”

Readers will be able to vote for the county’s ‘Best Pub 2025’ by picking up editions of the News & Star between Monday, July 21, and Saturday, August 2.