A British couple have revealed which Wetherspoons pub is their favourite after setting out to visit every one of the boozers in the UK.
Now we may not admit it, but we all love a Wetherspoons. Identifiable by the floral blue plates and gaudy patterned carpets, 'Spoons has been the location of many memorable nights of cheap drinks and a reliable pit stop for a quick meal.
But few of us are worthy of calling ourselves true Wetherspoons superfans.
One couple who are definitely worthy of that title are Halifax grandparents Phil, 77, and Julie Fox, 74 who have spent the past 15 years collecting pubs like stickers in a scrapbook.
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If you're wondering what inspired the couple to head out on a Wetherspoons grand tour you'll be pleased to know the idea came to Phil while he was having a pint in his local with Julie.
"We ran out of conversation and we were staring at each other, so I asked her how many Spoons we had been to. I worked out we had been in maybe 70, so we decided to do 100," Phil recalled.
"We then went for 200 and it's carried on - it's become a part-time hobby."
Now on 500 out of 809 pubs, Phil and Julie are able to reveal which 'Spoons boozer they believe is the best in the nation.
And the pub worthy of this high honour is *drum roll please* in the county of Lincolnshire.
Situated in the town of Stamford, charmingly refurbished newspaper office The Stamford Post has won over the hearts of Phil and Julie.
"We used to love the one in Keswick but we've got a new favourite. It's called the The Stamford Post - we've been there a few times and even visited a few days ago," retired newspaper production worker Phil said.
"It's an old newspaper office but it's really, really nice inside - they modernised it and everything."
Whether or not one of the 309 remaining pubs is able to unseat The Stamford Post remains to be seen.
The journey to seeing every boozer hasn't always been an easy one, with Phil admitting there are a few logistical nightmares when it comes to the six pubs which sit inside airport departure lounges.
"It's impossible to do it though because we would have to book holidays abroad, because there's two at Birmingham Airport. So it's a bit of a trek to go to Birmingham, just to fly to Spain for Wetherspoons," he added.
Which seems like a small price to pay in the grand scheme of things.
Phil went on to admit that he and Julie nearly gave up on their dream after pub number 500, before admitting that 'wouldn't have lasted long'.
Topics: Food And Drink, Alcohol, Wetherspoons
Brenna Cooper