The top 50 local food independents as chosen by you

It’s been a great year here at Great Food Club – I hope you’ve had a fantastic 2015 too. We now have over 7,500 card-carrying members and an expanding ‘little black book’ of more than 100 secret diners (if you fancy adding your name to the list, do get in touch).

Thanks to your tips, we are able to recommend 230 local food and drink independents (and growing), most of which run exclusive member offers that you can claim with your GFC membership card. We’ve also recently launched the Great Food Club Handbook 2016.

But most excitingly from my point of view is the fact that around 50 new people join Great Food Club each week, allowing us to talk to more passionate local food lovers all the time.

Whenever someone joins, we ask them to name their favourite independent local pub, restaurant, farm shop or deli, so we have a good idea which venues are impressing local foodies the most.

I thought you might be interested to see which places have been recommended the most.

Out in front is The Olive Branch in Clipsham, Rutland (UK Good Pub Guide Pub of the Year 2014), followed by the excellent Gonalston Farm Shop in Gonalston, Notts. In third is The Red Lion in Stathern, Leicestershire.

The top 50 are listed below.

I hope you have a very merry Christmas and a happy and healthy new year.