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CHOLMONDELEY ARMS NAMED AS GIN PUB OF THE YEAR 2019

Award-winning country pub The Cholmondeley Arms, near Malpas in Cheshire, has been awarded the prestigious title of ‘Gin Pub of the Year 2019’ by The Good Pub Guide. The award category, introduced for the very first time this year, was added to recognise the increasing number of pubs now stocking an impressive selection of gins.

With a staggering collection of more than 400 gins, The Cholmondeley Arms was deemed a very worthy winner. The award recognised the Cholmondeley’s seven-year focus on gin, the pub’s hugely popular annual Gin Fest, which is now in its fifth year, as well as their regular Saturday Gin Classes which continue to soar in popularity. The award also comes in the very month of the seventh anniversary of owners Tim Bird and Mary McLaughlin’s re-opening of the pub after extensive investment and refurbishment.

Tim Moody, General Manager of the Cholmondeley Arms, comments: “We’re proud and delighted to have been awarded the title of ‘Gin Pub of the Year for 2019’. Gin has always been our favourite tipple and being recognised with such a prestigious award is a real boost for the whole team who have worked so hard to bring ‘Gin to the Inn’ here at the ‘Chum’. I’d like to say a big thank you to our excellent team and also to our loyal ‘gin loving’ customers – we couldn’t have done it without you all.”

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Cheshire Cat ‘Master’ Chef 2018……..

This year we decided to create our very own Master Chef competition! Open to all our Chefs at the Commis and Chef De Partie levels within the business.

The idea was to get our young chefs creating dishes that would suit the menus of the pubs in which they work, in the first instance and learn to cook with what is in season. They were also taken out of their comfort zone by arriving to the first heats not having any idea what they would have to prepare.

The competition started with two heats both were identical with all chefs having to make a soup from the ingredients left on the bench by our very own Marcus Wareing, Andy…Head Chef at the Roebuck Inn where all the heats were held this was their skills test.

Then it was seabass time………… taking a full sea bass and creating their very own dish after filleting the fish successfully this was effectively the invention test.

Finally they had to buy their own ingredients for a set price and cook a dish that meant a great deal to them. This was the ‘Own Dish invention test’.

The top Five scoring Chefs progressed to the semi-final on a lovely sunny day in May. The tension mounted as they first had to look at 10 ingredients and through sight, taste or/and smell guess the ingredients. This was probably the ingredients test was the toughest test to date with white radish, sorrel and baby water melons causing the most confusion!

Once past this round the chefs had to make their own pastry in the pastry test……and they then had to create sweet or savoury dishes that included their lovely pastry!

Quiche and tarts followed aplenty and then it was on to the final round where the five chefs had to cook a dish from scratch again from costed ingredients that they had bought locally. This was the ‘Dish invention test 2’ .

Adam from the Fitz, Jack from the Church Inn and Arak from the Roebuck Inn scored the higher points to make it through to the final leaving Callum from the Three G’s and Mark from the Bulls Head to go back to their pubs having done a great job but not quite ‘smashing it’.

In true Master Chef style Arak dropped out before the final allowing Mark to take his place. Sadly Mark couldn’t take up the challenge for personal reasons so the final was held between Jack and Adam and the Final date was set in sunny June.

The final task was to cook a three course meal that would suit the menu of their pub…..a signature three course meal. The judges were Mary and Tim, with Andy and Jess from operations and Ed and Adam from our wine suppliers Boutinot.

It was a tough task for the judges let alone the chef finalists……but both chefs did an amazing job. The scores were 769 to Jack and 768 to Adam….there was a further two recounts before Jack was confirmed as the winner…..it could not have been closer.

The prize was a £1000 pay increase for the winner Jack and as it was so close, Adam in second, got a £500 pay increase too.

We are very proud of all the chefs that took part so a big thank you to them. They all showed creativity and skill while learning a lot at the same time.

Well done to Jack, a very good win for a junior chef which made his teammates at the Church Inn very proud of him.

Here’s to next year!​

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The Cholmondeley Arms wins Cheshire Life Dining Pub of the Year 2018!

We are very proud to announce that the Cholmondeley Arms has won ‘Dining Pub of the Year 2018’ at the Cheshire Life Food and Drink Awards 2018 at Carden Park Hotel near Chester.

Big congratulations go to our General Manager Tim and the entire Cholmondeley team.

Tim attended the awards presentation with Tom our Head Chef and Fliss our Deputy Manager.

Hard work and passion has persevered…

well done everybody!

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Great time…But it isn’t coming home just yet!

History was made on the Saturday the 8th July as England beat Sweden in the World Cup Quarter Finals! This will be the first time in 28 years they have made it to the Semi finals! Although we did not make it to the final. We are proud to have come fourth in the World Cup and what a great time was had!

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Chum appears to have real pedigree in dog friendliness

So now it’s official! The Cholmondeley Arms (‘Chum’) has been recognised by three national newspapers in the space of six weeks as a great place to bring your pet dog! The Guardian’s latest take is linked here below….we have featured in the Independent and the Telegraph too. Voted in the Top Ten Pubs in the UK three years running! Nowadays our chefs bake the biscuits for the dogs staying with us….a gourmet treat…and we have Cholmondeley Arms blankets that one can buy their Pooch as a lasting memory of their favourite pub! Dog Beer is available to toast ones Master as well as a bed or two to sleep it all off! The Chum…..a real howl!

Read the article here

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The Church Inn has won best in the Northwest

We are very proud to announce that our Church Inn has won ‘Best Pub for the North West’ for the second time in three years! At the Pub and Bar Awards at BAFTA in Piccadilly, London on Wednesday 23rd May. Our sister Pub the Fitzherbert Arms has also won ‘Best Pub for the West Midlands’.

So, we are doubly delighted with this great news!

Big congratulations go to our GM Simon and the entire Church team. Simon attended the awards presentation with Henry our front of house staff member.

Hard work and passion has persevered…. well done everybody!

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The Fitzherbert has won best in the West Midlands!

We are very proud to announce that our Fitzherbert Arms has won ‘Best Pub for the West Midlands’ at the Pub and Bar Awards at BAFTA in Piccadilly, London on Wednesday 23rd May. Our sister Pub the Church Inn has also won ‘Best Pub for the North West’ for the second time in three years!

So, we are doubly delighted with this great news!

Big congratulations go to our GM James and the entire Fitz team. James attended the awards presentation with Dan our Head Chef.

Hard work and passion has persevered…and for a pub that was closed down two years ago this is truly amazing recognition for the team….well done everybody!

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Shane gets 30th treat!

Our very own Shane Davies celebrated his 30th this month and as a very small treat to celebrate, Tim took Shane to drive the new Porsche Cayenne off road in the highest village in Wales!

Shane drove the car up hill and down dale and across a lake or two… as he tested the car out to the full! He did say after the challenging off road run….”can I borrow the car to drive back to Mobberley please??”

Sadly, no, was the answer!! Big thanks to Porsche Chester for setting up the session for Shane (and Tim) to enjoy!!

 

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