Countryside pub White Lion, Broadwindsor is Pub of the Week

It’s managed by Kerry and Clive Dammert for Broadwindsor Community Pub Ltd, which took over The White Lion as a Palmers Brewery tenant in April 2022.

It’s a winning combination, with a beautifully refurbished pub loved by villagers as well as customers from further afield.

It was chosen as West Dorset CAMRA Pub of the Year in 2023. And this year, the pub won a TripAdvisor Travellers Choice Award and a listing in the Good Beer Guide for 2024/2025.

The pub is at the heart of the village and set in rolling West Dorset countryside at the foot of Lewesdon Hill which, at 279 m (915 ft), is the highest point in Dorset.

Margery Hookings (Image: Margery Hookings) Pub chairman Rick Dyke said: “The White Lion reopened as a community pub after a massively successful fundraising campaign led by the late David Leader, who championed village unity and had an incredible appetite for making good things happen.”

READ: White Lion Broadwindsor celebrates two year anniversary

The pub had been closed since the summer of 2021 but, thanks to the hard work of the steering committee, the enthusiasm of local people and the brewery, the White Lion is once again the beating heart of this vibrant village.

Kerry and Clive Dammert at the White Lion at Broadwindsor (Image: Margery Hookings) Kerry and Clive have been managers at the pub for nearly two years. Kerry is front of house and Clive is in the kitchen.

Said Rick: “We have a small team of dedicated volunteers who help out behind the bar as well as behind the scenes who can step in to help Kerry and Clive when needed, particularly on busy theme nights.”

READ: Portraits of customers at village pub

“We absolutely love being part of the village,” Kerry said. “And we love welcoming people to the pub. It’s been a part of village life for years and we’re pleased to be carrying on that tradition.”

The White Lion (Image: The White Lion) Food at The White Lion is freshly prepared to order, using locally sourced ingredients where possible. The menu includes traditional pub classics and weekly specials as well as Clive’s South African signature dishes.

On Tuesday evenings, when the bar is manned by volunteers, customers can take in fish and chips from the van in the village square. Plates, cutlery and condiments are provided.

Nathalie Roberts (Image: Nathalie Roberts) Live music nights, quizzes and bingo evenings are a firm fixture of the pub, which also hosts monthly farmers’ breakfasts with guest speakers.

READ: Thriving village pub wins West Dorst CAMRA award

These sessions have proved to be a real social lifeline for farmers who are often working in isolation.

Kerry and Clive Dammert at the White Lion at Broadwindsor (Image: Margery Hookings)

The most recent saw the farmers decamping to the village hall after breakfast to hear talks about new inheritance tax reforms which it is feared could sound the death knell for small family farms.

Rick said: “We’re very proud of The White Lion and its place in the community. It’s a such a great example of what can happen when people band together.”

The White Lion Inn The Square, Broadwindsor DT8 3QD 01308 867070 whitelionbroadwindsor.co.uk