An Islington pub which was recently put up for sale has made it into the Good Beer Guide 2023. 

The Angel, in Islington High Street, was one of 32 pubs across the country that the chain JD Wetherspoon announced in September would be put on the market. 

Wetherspoon’s The Coronet, in Holloway Road, has also made it into the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) guide, which was published last week. 

Local branch members choose the pubs to include following regular visits to check on the quality of the real ales, the customer service, the décor and the overall atmosphere.

A CAMRA spokesperson said: “The pubs deserve their place in the Good Beer Guide 2023.

“It is our belief that if a licensee serves an excellent pint of real ale, then everything else in the pub, including customer service, quality of food and atmosphere, are likely to be of an equally high standard.”

The Angel manager Aurora Millington said: “I am delighted that the pub has been recognised for the quality of its real ales by CAMRA members.

“We offer our customers an excellent range of real ales at all times, including those from regional brewers and microbrewers, as well as hosting our own beer festivals.

“Staff at the pub work hard to ensure that the real ales on offer are kept in first-class condition at all times and the pub’s inclusion in the guide highlights this.”

It is the 50th edition of the Good Beer Guide and only 12 of the pubs featured in 1974 have made it into the new book - none in the Islington area. 

Eight London breweries featured in the first edition - including Whitbread in Islington - but only Fuller’s, in Chiswick, survives. 

Geoff Strawbridge, CAMRA regional director for Greater London, said: “London was late to the party but, like most of the country, we have seen a huge increase in the number of breweries over the last few years. Although we have lost 11 this last year, we have had five new breweries opening, bringing the total to 127.”  

The Good Beer Guide 2023 details 292 pubs in London - more than double the 115 that appeared in the 1974 edition. 

Geoff said: “It’s a hard time for pubs at the moment. Like many businesses, they are being hit by high fuel bills, staff shortages and business rates. Now some, such as the Compton Arms in Islington, have had the added burden of being taken to a licence review by local residents simply for having customers who like to talk. Our night-time economy is under threat.”