IN 1ST PLACE TEAM FOLLY
A wonderful weather day greeted our keen Treasure Hunters for the Cholmondeley Arms 10th Car Treasure Hunt. Appropriately 10 Cars made it on to ‘the grid’.
The teams were sent off down local lanes out Norbury way and back via Wrenbury having to photograph coloured doors, answering tie-breaker questions and of course trying to pick up the 40 clues set by owner Tim.
All our teams arrived back safely after a couple of hours and enjoyed a much-needed drink and complimentary nibbles while Tim and Helen set about marking the papers.
In third place we had regular treasure hunters ‘Mickey’s Maniacs’ who bettered their finish year on year, as they picked up a £40 gift card to use in our pubs. In second place were our Bulls Head in Mobberley regulars ‘the Bulls Head Runaways’ who picked up a £60.00 gift card to use in our pubs.
In first place this year were Team Folly, who picked up a Tanqueray 0.0% Alcohol Hamper, the Treasure Hunt Cup, a £200 gift card to use in our pubs and were confirmed as the 10th Cholmondeley Arms Treasure Hunt Champions of 2024!
Well done and a big thank you to all the teams who took part, you all did very well indeed. We hope to see you all again soon. We raised £110.00 for the Air Ambulance charity.
Thank you for competing and making it another great day at the Cholmondeley Arms.
From left to right Cholmondeley deputy manager Leigh, Cholmondeley manager Helen, Cheshire Cat owner Tim, Fitzherbert Arms head chef Connor, Cheshire Cat owner Mary and Fitzherbert Manager Rebecca!
Our pub company Cheshire Cat Pubs and Inns, owned by Tim and Mary, is celebrating again after two of their pubs achieved great accolades at the Pub and Bar Magazine Awards in London on Wednesday 26th June 2024. The Cholmondeley Arms and the Fitzherbert Arms made the journey to the awards having been chosen as County winners of Cheshire and Staffordshire respectively.
Cholmondeley Arms Manager Helen and Deputy manager Leigh arrived in London to see if the Cholmondeley Arms Team could go one further and win the Northwest region. Great news! The Chum won it! We now have the honour of ‘Best in the Northwest’ back within our Company Cheshire Cat. We held the honour previously with our sister pub the Church Inn back in 2021. Owners Tim and Mary were at the awards to help the teams celebrate!
The Fitzherbert Arms meanwhile had already won ‘Best Pub in Staffordshire’ for the third year running. The Fitz Manager Rebecca and Head Chef Connor headed to London to see if the Fitzherbert Arms Team could go one further and win the West Midlands region. To their complete surprise they went one better and won the honour of the National ‘Best Taste’ Award sponsored by Tyrells Crisps, which recognised most notably the great food performance under the stewardship of Head Chef Connor and his kitchen team and of course the effort of the entire team who make the Fitz the great pub it is today.
Please check out the photo of the entire team at the awards and you’ll notice the enormous bag of Tyrells crisps which has a photo of the Fitzherbert Arms across the front! It was fun carrying that around London after the awards! All in all, it was a great night in London, and we are all very proud of Rebecca, Connor and the entire Fitz team and Helen and Leigh and the entire Cholmondeley Arms team.
A great night at the Pub and Bar Magazine Awards in London! The Cholmondeley Arms had already won the County of Cheshire in the Awards a month or so ago. Manager Helen and Deputy manager Leigh headed to London to see if the Cholmondeley Arms Team could go one further and win the Northwest region. Great news! The Chum won it! We now have the honour of ‘Best in the Northwest’ back within our Company Cheshire Cat. We held the honour previously with our sister pub the Church Inn back in 2021. Owners Tim and Mary were at the awards too along with Rebecca and Connor from our Fitzherbert Arms who had been chosen as Best in Staffordshire for the third year running! The Fitzherbert won a special ‘Best Taste Award’ reflecting their pubs amazing food and drinks act.
All in all it was a great nght in London and we are all very proud of Helen and the team at the Cholmondeley Arms….another great accolade after winning ‘Pub of the Year’ at the Great British Pub Awards for 2023/24.
TREASURE HUNT WINNERS 2023 SMITHY SMART ARSES
A mixed weather day greeted our keen competitors for the Cholmondeley Arms 9th Car Treasure Hunt. We had a record turnout of 15 cars!!
The teams were sent off into the Cheshire countryside heading out Peckfortan way and back via Bunbury picking up clues and answering challenging quiz questions along the route!
All arrived back safely after a couple of hours and enjoyed a much-needed drink and complimentary nibbles while Tim and Rebecca set about marking the papers.
There was a draw for third between ‘The Crumpets’ and Team ‘Octopus Prime’ and to separate the teams, we chose the highest individual Treasure Hunt score, and the ‘Octopus Prime’ team came out in third place overall and picked up a £30 gift card and a bottle of sparkling Picpoul. In second place were Team Crofts who picked up a £50.00 gift card and a bottle of fizz . In first place were last year’s second placed team, the treasure hunt veterans the ‘Smithy Smart Arses’ who collected the first prize of a Porsche for the day, the treasure hunt cup and were confirmed as the Cholmondeley Arms Treasure Hunt Champions of 2023!
Well done to all the teams who took part, you all did very well indeed. We hope to see you all again soon. We raised £160.00 for the Air Ambulance charity.
Thank you for competing and making it another great day at the Cholmondeley Arms.
The Cholmondeley Arms, on Lord Cholmondeley’s estate in Cheshire has been declared Pub of the Year at the Great British Pub Awards 2023. The pub was named the overall winner having won the ‘Rural Pub of the Year’ category at the awards held at the Victoria Warehouse in Manchester on Tuesday night.
The awards, presented by Edith Bowman, are a showcase of the country’s best pubs, shining a light on the pub hospitality sector and those who work within it.
Cheshire Cat Pubs and Inns, owned by Tim Bird and Mary Mclaughlin, operates seven pubs and inns across Cheshire and Staffordshire, including the recently opened Mainwaring Arms on the Whitmore Estate in North Staffordshire and the award winning Church Inn in Mobberley, Cheshire.
Owner Tim Bird said of the win: “We will be a beacon of hope for rural pubs, with so many being forced to close due to ongoing economic headwinds. For the team, this is just amazing. Helen Mosford, our manager, has worked at the Cholmondeley for 12 years, taking on the role of manager earlier this year. Helen is the epitome of what makes a pub special, and we are so incredibly proud of her and every member of the team.”
Tim and Mary took on the Cholmondeley Arms in 2011, transforming the former schoolhouse through a significant restoration and refurbishment. The menu, created by Executive Chef Richard Williams and Head Chef Pawel Samczynski, offers locally-sourced produce, and the drinks offering includes a collection of 366 gins. The pub has its own gins too, the award winning Cholmondeley Arms Gin and Pink Gin. Adjacent to the Cholmondeley Arms is the ‘Old Headmaster’s House’ with its six newly refurbished bedrooms, perfect for an overnight stay in the country.
Join us in congratulating Helen, Richard and the whole team at the Cholmondeley Arms with their amazing double-win!
