The Carpenter’s Arms restaurant in Walesby named Restaurant of the Year at the Great Food Club Awards 2025/26

Owners of a village’s restaurant committed to ‘food and service’ quality are proud to have been awarded Restaurant of the Year.

The Carpenter’s Arms, on Boughton Road, Walesby, was the winner for the 2025/26 Great Food Club Awards in the Restaurant of the Year category.

The restaurant was described by the judges as an ‘Italian restaurant of rare quality’, as they focus on classic Italian cuisine.

In last year’s awards, the restaurant was one of the finalists, but this year it secured the top spot, which the owners believe to have been due to their ‘commitment to quality of food and service, and our uncompromising focus on our guests’.

The Carpenter’s Arms first opened in March 2022 by husband-and-wife John and Louise Boddie, of Mansfield and Newark and close friend Christian Colarietti, of Rome, Italy.

John and Christian have worked together for the past 25 years, and are the chefs of the business, while Louise, with experience of 20 years in hospitality, takes on a more customer-facing role.

The trio had been looking for a venue for their Italian restaurant for five years before opening, until they encountered The Carpenter’s Arms premises, which matched all their criteria.

Louise said: “As owners work hard to keep standards and consistency as good as we can.

“This being said, we would not have been able to achieve this without our incredible team, who all work exceptionally hard with great passion to look after all our guests, including those with four paws.

“We have a love for classic Italian Cuisine and only use the best ingredients, many of which we grow in our own kitchen garden.

“And if we can make it, we do; quality and consistency are key.”

Louise said that when they received the email, the evening before the official announcement, they were hit with a mixture of emotions, such as ‘shock, excitement and amazement to name a few’.

Having to hold on to the news until the next day, they said it was quite hard as they just wanted to shout about it.

She added: “All the restaurants in the final are incredible, and to just be among them was amazing, but to actually win was just...WOW!”

Since opening doors, the restaurant has been recognised with several awards and nominations, including the title of best Italian restaurant in Nottinghamshire, the top restaurant in the Newark area and a top spot in the Nottinghamshire Live’s Notts Bites competition this year.

Louise added that their aim is for their customers to have a relaxed and enjoyable time, just like they do when they visit family and friends in Italy.