Nundle's Peel Inn Hotel owned by the Schofield family has been awarded the Best Bush Pub by the Australian Hotels Association

The pub has been operated for 150 years by the Schofield family and is now being managed by fourth generation publican, Drew Schofield.

Mr Schofield said the award has come on the back of their involvement in the community as more than simply a business.

"It's not about running a business, I think it's more about running a community," he said.

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"We give a lot of support through raffles from the swimming club, the Nundle school, and the CWA [Country Women's Association].

"We try and get behind our community as much as we can and we definitely need the support of our immediate community."

Another key ingredient to their success has been the staff they have on board, according to Mr Schofield.

He said while they've had their staffing challenges like everyone else in recent times, they've still been able to provide exceptional service.

"The staff are what makes the place," he said.

"And it's about consistency and trying to keep your doors open.

"Particularly throughout the last couple of years, trying to keep the doors open while also trying to meet that same level of expectation."

Day to day the hotel seeks to serve people with the kind of slow-paced country pub feel that keeps people coming back, Mr Schofield said.

"We look to offer the best country hospitality that we can," he said.

"We get a lot of customers coming back. A lot of repeat business."

Mr Schofield also credited his father, and owner of the Peel Inn Hotel Robert Schofield, with contributing so much to make the hotel what it is.

"It's been a labour of love for my father," he said.

Mr Schofield's father has owned the Peel Inn Hotel for the past 56 years.

He said they've always relied somewhat on the community, but it's also good to have the tourism they get nowadays as well.

"We've [Nundle] got a nice little caravan park and lovely camping areas around the place," he said.

"And we've also got the motorbikes. There's a lot of those people.

"All those things now are really good and that's what keeps me going because there's been a little bit of a downturn over the years."

As with most other businesses, Mr Schofield said COVID-19 has played a significant role in the challenges they've faced over the past few years.

However, like his son, he said the staff have continued to be at the forefront.

"The COVID hasn't been good for me, but I think the key is having good staff," he said.

"That makes it so much easier."

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