Roger Cudlip (above), the multi-award winning landlord of the Tom Cobley Tavern, Spreyton passed away at the end of August.

The Tom had been in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide (GBG) from 1989 to 2002 before it was sold. It did not take long for the new licensee and his family to make their mark.

By 2005 it was back in the GBG, won branch and regional awards and in 2006 won the ultimate accolade of CAMRA National Pub of the Year. 

Since that first national accolade in 2006, the pub has won numerous regional awards and been in CAMRA’s final four in 2012 and 2017 and, unsurprisingly, has been in the GBG ever since.

There was a subtle change a few years ago when daughter Lucy, together with Roger, started to promote real cider. Soon the Tom was also winning branch and regional cider awards and in 2023 was the CAMRA National Cider Pub of the Year.

It is the only pub to have won both National Pub of the Year and National Cider Pub of the Year.

If somebody asked you what a stereotypical English country pub and landlord should look and behave like, then the best you could do was take them to the Tom Cobley Tavern. The pub is fantastic and the welcome everyone received from Roger was incredible. Young, old, first-time or village regular, it was always a warm and hearty welcome from Roger. Everyone departed a lot happier than when they arrived! And when you departed there was an unwritten rule – you said goodbye to Roger. I recall one occasion when the local cricket team and opposition arrived. The pub was packed and I could not see Roger, so I sneaked out. A few seconds later, he was chasing down the street berating me!

Roger was a butcher before becoming a publican and therefore it is no surprise the food offering at the pub is second to none. As the sign inside says: “We are not a restaurant, we are a pub serving hearty Devon portions.” 

Roger was a unique landlord and this is borne out by the numerous other awards received: Devon Tourism, The Good Food Pub, The Bed and Breakfast Pub. Find a category in any national newspaper or hospitality related publication and Roger probably has one of their certificates displayed proudly on the pub wall.

RIP Roger, you will be sadly missed.