A Thames Ditton pub has been named as having the best roast dinner in the south of England, despite only having been open for a couple of months.

The Limping Fox wowed judges of the Best British Roast Dinner competition with its seasonal menu, slow roasted beef and Yorkshire puddings.

Luke Freeman, owner, said: “We are so excited to be a finalist in the Best British Roast Dinner competition. Considering we have only been open nine weeks, this a massive achievement for us, so a huge thank you to all our fantastic staff and hats off to our fabulous head chef.”

The competition was run during British Roast Dinner Week (September 24 to October 1), just 10 weeks after the pub opened on July 17.

Now the Fox is now looking to beat the other regional winners, which are:

• The Feathers Inn, Newcastle (North England)

• The Boat Inn, Birdingbury (Midlands)

• Kyloe Restaurant & Grill, Edinburgh (Scotland)

• Hare & Hounds, Cowbridge (Wales)

Alex Hall, executive chef for Unilever Food Solutions, competition sponsor, and member of the judging panel, said: “The standard of entries in this competition gets stronger every year. All of these pubs should be extremely proud to have got this far. But with the national title still up for grabs, I’m sure they’re putting celebrations on hold to be at the top of their game for the mystery diners.”