The Long Haul micropub wins Bexley CAMRA pub of the year

Kirsty Baker owns The Long Haul on Long Lane in Bexleyheath which first opened on August 28, 2020.

The pub has faced a range of Covid restrictions and challenges – including outdoor seating only, 10pm curfews, “substantial meal” rules and only allowing six to a table.

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The chairman of Bexley CAMRA presented the award to the team on Sunday during a celebration of the pub’s birthday.

Inside the Long Haul during its birthday celebrations

Kirsty, 47, explained: “Although it's our second birthday, we've really only been trading a year because of Covid.

“We were open six weeks before a lockdown and we had to close again.

“Genuinely when we closed, I didn't think that we'd open the doors again, so it feels special to have made a second birthday.

“Apparently there's a whole checklist of things that they go through for the CAMRA pub of the year award, and we weren't working to any sort of checklists.

“It made it more special because we won it without really knowing too much about it or trying to win.”

One of The Long Haul’s customers, Hilary Haslam, donated a cake to the celebration.

Kirsty said that another regular named Emily-Jane was organising to have a defibrillator installed along Long Lane.

She decided to take the opportunity of offering out the cake to go around the room and tell her customers about the fundraiser.

Hilary Haslam donated a cake to the celebration

Kirsty added: “We didn't know that she was going to make it and she turned up with it about an hour before we opened.

“It is really nice and it's a really big cake.

“We gave everybody a bit of cake and told them that we had put party food out and stuff and we just sort of mentioned that we were raising money towards the defibrillator.

“We raised just over £200 pounds there and then.”

Later Kirsty was contacted by a London Hearts Charity who offered a further £300 contribution towards the lifesaving piece of equipment.

They are now very close to their target of £600 and hope to have a defibrillator installed as soon as possible.

The Long Haul is Kirsty’s first time running a pub as she was previously working in banking before being made redundant.

She said that she decided to take on the challenge of opening her own venue after becoming a huge fan of micropubs.

Kirsty and Andy Baker and the award

Kirsty explained: “When I first went into a micro pub and I just fell in love with them really just purely because they're so small and personal.

“They are like real community places – We raise money, people meet people and make friendships, and it's just a bit of a community hub.

“There's another local micropub called The Broken Drum, which is in Blackfen and I volunteered there.

“I just said 'If I work for you for free for a couple of nights a week will you show me how to keep beer show me what I need to know?'

“I think his words were that I must have mug written on my forehead.

"But it was good, it has been good."

Kirsty and her husband Andy also praised their staff for their role in winning the award.

She said: “Myself and Andy would like to thank Bexley CAMRA and everyone that voted for us and our wonderful staff Paul, Pauline, Linda, Bethany, Dave and John.”

Some of The Long Haul team

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