Forget the EU Referendum, there’s been a much more important vote going on.
It’s the poll to find Yorkshire’s Favourite Pub – and now the shortlist is in.
The competition, run by tourism agency Welcome to Yorkshire, saw people nominate 700 pubs and cast a total of 10,000 votes.
Now the top 12 will go head to head in a final vote in a bid to be crowned winner at the Great Yorkshire Show on Tuesday July 12.
The list favours rural pubs, with city pubs notable by their absence. None are in York itself, although several are not far from the city including the Duke of York Inn, Gate Helmsley, and the Durham Ox at Crayke.
‘Great honour’
Antony Pratt owns Ainsty Inns, and took over the Duke of York Inn last October. Since then he’s refurbished it and updated the menu around Yorkshire ingredients.
He said: “It is a great honour to have got this far and we’d like to thank all our customers for voting for us and encourage those who haven’t visited us yet to stop by and see what all the fuss is about.
“In this final stage, every vote counts so please vote for The Duke of York Inn!”
Yorkshire’s Favourite Pub was launched in 2011 to promote Yorkshire’s amazing variety of pubs, and the top 30 nominated pubs will again feature in Welcome to Yorkshire’s Ale Trail leaflet.
Sir Gary Verity, chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, said: “Yorkshire is known for its rich heritage and breathtaking landscapes but our welcoming collection of pubs are just as important in our bid to sell Yorkshire to the world.”
The 12 finalists
The Blue Lion, East Witton, Nr. Leyburn, North Yorkshire
Brown Cow, Bingley, West Yorkshire
The Bull Inn, West Tanfield, Ripon, North Yorkshire
The Duke of York Inn, Gate Helmsley, North Yorkshire
The Durham Ox, Crayke, North Yorkshire
The Fairfax Arms, Gilling East, Helmsley, North Yorkshire
The Fleece Inn, Barkisland, West Yorkshire
The Hunstman, Thurlstone, Sheffield
Queen O’T’Owd Thatch, South Milford, Leeds
Stackhouse Bar, Hornsea, East Yorkshire
Star @ Sancton, Market Weighton
The Woolly Sheep Inn, Skipton, North Yorkshire
You can vote for your favourite here