Cheshire Cat are smiling again!

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.

Cholmondeley Arms is the Best in the Northwest.

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.

The 9th Cholmondeley Arms Car Treasure has a record turnout!

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 is named Pub of the Year at the Great British Pub Awards 2023!

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!

The Cholmondeley Arms is a finalist again!

Having come runners-up in the Cheshire Life Magazine’s Cheshire Dining Pub of the Year final at the end of July, we are now proud to announce that the Cholmondeley Arms (The Chum) is a finalist again. This time in the National Great British Pub Awards 2023. The Chum has come through vigorous judging to make it to the final of Best Country/Rural Pub 2023 category. Judges are still to visit, with final interviews in late August. It is very tense, but we believe we can lift the trophy come 19th September and celebrate on behalf of the many rural pubs that support communities across Cheshire.

Helen and the team have done a great job after the Chum, like many pubs, had to come back from the numerous  pandemic closures and its severe aftermath that affected staffing and of course the challenges of increased costs since. The Chum has sailed through many storms and is doing very well again now, we are pleased to say. Having had investment in the guest bedrooms in the Headmaster’s house adjacent to the pub and decorative work inside the pub itself, it offers a wonderful place to visit when out and about in rural Cheshire. We are very proud of the kitchen team who have cooked their hearts out since things returned to ‘normal’ and to the front of house team who ensure everyone receives a warm welcome! We will keep you posted on our progress, so fingers crossed for the Chum and the Team! Well done for reaching such an important National final!