Best Traditional Pub

Sponsored by BBC Essex (visit website)

We are looking for clean cosy lounges, open fireplaces and pubs with great views. Check out the beers on offer, do they support local suppliers? Are the staff friendly and helpful? And what about the pub menu, does it reflect local and seasonal produce and is home cooked? Is the outside "child friendly" and have comfortable seating areas? Is there ample car parking? We are looking for your typical traditional Essex pub to be nominated.

Judged by: Ken Crowther, BBC Essex Presenter

BBC Essex Presenter, Ken Crowther, is on air every Saturday morning from 9am. The three hour show, Gardening Plus, is a mix of gardening advice, features about environmental issues, interviews with local food and drink producers and music. Ken has been giving gardening advice on BBC Essex for more than 21 years, and been presenting his own programme since 1992. He broadcasts from all the major gardening events across the country including Chelsea, Hampton Court and Gardeners World Live, as well as attending local events in Essex.

BBC Essex broadcasts local programmes 7 days a week from it's studios in Chelmsford on FM 103.5 and 95.3 and MW 729, 765 and 1530. You can hear many programmes, including Gardening Plus, via the bbc website (bbc.co.uk/essex). Ken was trained by London Parks and set up his own company in 1966, maintaining and landscaping gardens in and around the Chigwell area. In 1977, with his wife Vivienne, he continued to increase his business until, in 2006, he moved to their current location in Epping.