The Royal Oak

30/10/2026

🍻 History, quality and community spirit all under one roof.

A huge congratulations to The Sportsman Inn in Carlisle on being crowned City Pub of the Year by Solway CAMRA.

For centuries, The Sportsman has been at the heart of Carlisle's pub scene, and today it continues to set the standard. From perfectly kept cask ales and delicious home-cooked food to the warm welcome that greets every customer, the team consistently delivers the kind of experience that keeps people coming back.

Its reputation speaks for itself. Alongside previous honours such as Winter Pub of the Season, The Sportsman has earned regular recognition in the CAMRA Good B**r Guide and remains one of the city's most loved traditional pubs.

This latest award celebrates the passion, hard work and dedication of the entire team, who continue to preserve the pub's rich heritage while making it a thriving destination for b**r lovers and the local community alike.

👏 Congratulations to our Publican, Amanda Picken, and everyone at The Sportsman Inn on another fantastic achievement.

27/10/2026

WOW 🔥

This has been such an honour to be a part of!

Huge thanks to Coca-Cola for championing community leaders around the UK and for picking our very own Simon Dafforn-jones as Local Royalty!

It was a privilege to have portrait artist to royalty, Jamie Coreth, capture Simon in his natural habitat, the FBI.

Read more here 👇🏼

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/pub-landlord-given-royal-treatment-37812329

25/10/2026

🎃👻 HALLOWEEN QUIZ AT THE ROYAL OAK TONIGHT! 👻🎃

Right then, you lovely bunch of know-it-alls and professional guessers… 👀

It’s Halloween, it’s Sunday, and there’s absolutely no better way to spend your evening than cramming into the Oak for a quiz full of spooky nonsense, random bo****ks and questions you’ll either know instantly or argue about with complete confidence. 😂

🕗 Kicking off at 8pm
📍 The Royal Oak, Goodramgate, York
🧠 Free entry
🏆 Prizes up for grabs!

Get your teams together, dust off your finest Halloween get-up and prepare to find out which of your mates is actually clever and which one’s just very loud. 💀

Expect spooky shenanigans, questionable answers and the usual Royal Oak nonsense. Fancy dress encouraged, competitive arguing practically guaranteed. 👻

Get yourselves down here tonight — we’ll see you at the bar! 🍻🎃

20/10/2026

At Punch, we're proud to see young talent thrive across our pubs and support teams. From first jobs to leadership roles, remains one of the UK's greatest industries for developing skills, building confidence and creating rewarding careers.

That's why we're backing a hospitality-wide call to Government ahead of the Budget, championing the sector's ability to create jobs and opportunities for young people.

Hear Harry Bourne's story and why he's proud to support this message.

16/10/2026

🎃 THE ROYAL OAK HALLOWEEN QUIZ! 👻

We’re getting spooky at the Royal Oak on Sunday 25th October!

Join us from 8pm–10pm for our Halloween quiz, with free entry, spooky prizes for all, apple bobbing and plenty of Halloween fun.

Fancy dress is strongly encouraged, so get those costumes ready! 🧙‍♀️ And don’t worry, it’s family friendly too, so bring the little monsters along.

Expect tricks, treats and a bit of friendly competition. The only question is… are you clever enough to survive the quiz? 🎃

📍 The Royal Oak, Goodramgate, York
🕗 Sunday 25th October, 8pm–10pm
🎟️ Free entry

Get your team together and we’ll see you there… if you dare! 👻

13/10/2026

Tuesday means one thing at the Royal Oak… PIE NIGHT. 🥧

Steak & ale, chicken & ham hock, Cheddar, Gruyère & onion, or wild mushroom bourguignon. All served with your choice of chips or mash, seasonal veg and gravy.

£12 a pie, from 5pm.

Now, the only difficult decision is which one you’re having. See you on Goodramgate! 🍻

12/10/2026

Monday feeling a bit rubbish? A burger usually helps. 🍔

It’s Burger Night at the Royal Oak, which means any burger for £12. Beef, chicken or veggie — you’ve got options.

Available from 5pm, so leave the washing up for another night and come and see us on Goodramgate!

12/10/2026

A little change to the usual Friday night plans! 🎶

There’ll be no live music at the Royal Oak this Friday, but don’t worry — Bobby Pickford will be back with us next week.

We’ll miss having him behind the mic this week, but it won’t be long until we’ve got that brilliant voice back in the pub! 🍻❤

07/10/2026

Britain’s pubs are worth up to £30 billion in wellbeing value to communities across the UK. But rising costs and high taxes are putting pressure on pubs that bring people together.

This Week of Action, join the campaign today and tell your MP to keep pubs open and pints affordable.

https://www.longlivethelocal.pub/letter 🍍

27/09/2026

Sunday means two things are happening at The Royal Oak!

A wonderful Sunday dinner with a choice of beef, chicken or pork! Followed by our quiz from 8pm with the amazing quizmaster Jake!

Food served 12-6 and quiz starts at 8pm! Come and join us for Yorkshire puddings and maybe questions about Yorkshire puddings later on? Maybe?

25/09/2026

TONIGHT 🎶

Bobby Pickford is back at the Royal Oak from 9pm, and we’ve got another reason to celebrate…

It’s our girl Ebony’s 18th birthday! 🎂❤️

So we’re expecting a proper Friday night — Bobby on the mic, plenty of singing, and hopefully a few drinks for our newest 18-year-old behind the bar!

Happy 18th Ebony! You’re officially old enough to join the rest of us now 😂🍻

25/09/2026

Actress Daisy Edgar-Jones filmed 🎥 a promo for her new film, Sense and Sensibility in our Canonbury pub, The Marquess Tavern for Vogue 🥰

The team at Vogue were searching for a shooting location that oozes class, was timeless and in-keeping with the theme of the movie... so where else were they going to film?! 😏

Take a look at the promo - Daisy is in character as Elinor Dashwood throughout!

Sense and Sensibility hits cinemas TODAY! 🎬Why not pop into The Marquess Tavern to wash down your popcorn! 🍿🍷

!

22/09/2026

We're on board, are you?

Join thousands backing Britain's pubs and breweries.

www.longlivethelocal.pub ❤️🍺

21/09/2026

This pub is a gem! 💎

The Wig & Mitre in Lincoln's Cathedral Quarter has reopened following a £100k investment. ⛪

Anne-Marie and Paul Balcomb have taken on the 14th century pub... "We’re thrilled to take control of such an iconic pub and can’t wait to meet all of our wonderful guests" ❤️

📷 Courtesy of Tory McTernan

20/09/2026

Sundays at the Royal Oak ❤️

Roast dinner from 12–6, a few drinks, and then our Sunday quiz from 8pm.

The perfect excuse to put your feet up, eat far too much and spend the evening pretending you know more random facts than everyone else. 😂

See you later 🍻

18/09/2026

TONIGHT 🎶

Look who’s finally back…

We’ve genuinely missed this handsome face and that brilliant voice, and we can’t wait to have Bobby Pickford back behind the mic tonight.

If you’ve seen Bobby at the Royal Oak before, you know it’s always a good one. ❤️

Bobby from 9pm.

See you tonight, Bobby! 🍻🎸

17/09/2026

TOMORROW NIGHT 🎶

Bobby Pickford is back at the Royal Oak!

Good tunes, plenty of singing and a Friday night done properly.

Bobby Pickford from 9pm.

See you at the bar 🍻

17/09/2026

Welcome to The Buck Inn 🦌

New Management Partner Adrian McShane-Chapman has taken over the Thornton-le-Dale pub following a whopping £490k investment 🤑

🗨️ “I arrived in the UK 22 years ago from Australia, armed with just a backpack and no real plan... I’ve dipped in and out of hospitality over that time but the fire inside me to run my own pub burned bright.” - Adrian

If you're in Yorkshire, pay Adrian and his team a visit and check out this stunning pub for yourselves. 🤩

15/09/2026

Rory takes the keys to the refurbished Cross Keys pub in Nottingham! 🗝️

Our new Management Partner Rory Calladine has taken the reins at the popular city centre pub following a £100,000 investment.

🗨️"I was instantly drawn to the pub and as soon I discovered it was available in a partnership with Punch, I jumped at the chance." 🍍

Regular guests at The Cross Keys will instantly notice the pub’s traditional feel and special characteristics have been retained throughout but that a complete refresh has taken place. 💫

11/09/2026

We have reopened the Keyworth Tavern following a quarter-of-a-million refurbishment 🔥

The Keyworth pub in Nottingham, run by our Management Partner John Francis, had been closed for 5 weeks while we tore out the bar, stripped the pub back and replaced everything with new, modern furnishings. 🤩

Great work by everyone involved in the transformation 🥂