Sam Hagger leads three bustling Leicestershire pubs: The Knight & Garter next to Leicester Market, The Rutland & Derby nearby and The Forge in Glenfield.

Sam Hagger leads three bustling Leicestershire pubs: The Knight & Garter next to Leicester Market, The Rutland & Derby nearby and The Forge in Glenfield.  
 
Each offers everything you’d want from a pub, including excellent beer and food and a warm welcome. But as Sam’s regulars know, the team behind each Beautiful Pub (the name of Sam’s pub company) goes that much further than expected, doing their utmost to delight guests at every turn. These are Great British Pubs full of tradition but also fit for the 21st century, imbued with extra pride and purpose.  
 
That’s because Sam’s approach is far from ordinary – his mission as a publican goes beyond the norm. Rather than just running profitable establishments, he wants to celebrate and support the wider pub industry and show how rewarding a hospitality career can be. Recognising his extraordinary ethos, he was named one of the UK’s Top 25 Hospitality Employers by The Publican Magazine and Business Executive of the Year by the Leicester Mercury.  
 
Sam says: “I want to show how enriching hospitality jobs can be. If you make pubs brilliant for the team, it rubs off on your customers.”  
 
So Sam focuses on coaching his team, enhancing their skills and maintaining a healthy work-life balance for all. And as a testament to his dedication, Sam retained his entire team throughout the pandemic.  
 
His love for the Great British Pub began at age 16, getting a bar job at the pub he would go on to run, The Forge. His passion has only grown, and October 2023 marks the 15th anniversary of Beautiful Pubs. In that time, The Knight & Garter has been named County Pub of the Year four times in the National Pub & Bar Awards. 
 
In April 2023, Sam will participate in his second ‘Pedalling for Pubs’ charity bike ride, cycling 450km across Sri Lanka to support disadvantaged individuals within the pub, brewery, and hospitality sectors. This commitment speaks volumes about Sam’s devotion to the industry and the people within it. 

Photo credit: Matt Glover