ANTOINETTE SANDBACH WITH TOM

Eddisbury MP Antoinette Sandbach has nominated Tom Richards, the head chef from our award winning Cholmondeley Arms, for a prestigious Westminster Pub Chef of the Year Award after visiting us.

Antoinette Sandbach, commented “I have always enjoyed visiting the Cholmondeley Arms and sampling their seasonal menus. Tom has always delivered good locally sourced food that is bursting with flavour so when I found out about the competition I had to enter Tom. I wish him the best of luck.”

Tom Richards joined the Cholmondeley Arms two years ago and with his team of four chefs has consistently demonstrated a real passion for flavoursome cooking.

Mary Mclaughlin our owner added “Tom has been a key member of the team at the Cholmondeley Arms and we’re thrilled to see that his work and passion for local quality food has been recognized in this way.”

We are delighted to announce that we are now featured as a recommended place to stay on www.InnPlaces.co.uk, an innovative new website featuring Britain’s best inns and pubs with rooms.

Designed for travellers who really appreciate quality, InnPlaces.co.uk offers on-line accommodation booking as well as detailed and current information on each featured inn, unique Food Trails and extensive Out & About information – everything you need to know when searching for that special break away.

Follow this link to www.innplaces.co.uk  and by signing up to the Inn Places newsletter found on the Inn Places home page you could be the lucky winner of £150 of Inn Places Gift Vouchers.

At a glittering dinner at Chester Racecourse in late November we are very proud to announce that the Cholmondeley Arms was chosen as the ‘Tourism Pub of the Year 2015/16’.

The judges reflected on our consistent food and drinks offer particularly the work done to attract more people to Cheshire via our work with Gin and of course the success of our annual ‘Gin Fest’, plus our Bonfire night, our Annual Gin Appreciation homemade gin competition, our Cholmondeley Car Club, the investment in the Headmaster’s House Bedrooms, our Dog Friendly coverage in the Telegraph, plus maintaining our presence in all the guides.

The Cholmondeley Arms is a unique pub with lots to make one happy and it is a great rural meeting place. This award was gratefully received by our manager Jess and owner Mary who were delighted that the ‘Chum’ has at last been recognised for the efforts made to promote its position on the Cholmondeley Estate and in Cheshire as a whole.

BEST TOURIST PUB AWARD

JESS AND MARY CELEBRATE

Local Chum regulars Kit and Phil did a cracking job with the 2015 Cholmondeley Charity shoot in April. The event attracted a great deal of support and with fair weather was a great success with the shoot raising a record £3600 split equally between the Air Ambulance and Hope House with £1800 each. The charity shoot is an annual event so do join us in 2016. A big well done to Kit and Phil and all the rest of the locals with Jess and the Chum team for all their hard work!

Tuesday Evening saw Professor Ted’s quiz final at the Cholmondeley Arms, with over 12 teams battling to win.

Every month the winning quiz teams are awarded points to join the leader board, the season runs from October to April. At the final quiz of the season double points are awarded to the top 5 teams. There were four teams that were all in contention to be crowned leader board champions.

After a very exciting quiz, the scores were announced… The winners of Tuesdays quiz were a new team, despite their best efforts they were unable to budge the ‘Four Candles’ from the top of the leader board. Each team member won a £20 voucher and the whole team won a gin tasting.

We look forward to seeing you at the ‘Ted to Head’ on May 27th at the Three Greyhounds in Allostock…

For the second time in less than a year the Daily Telegraph Travel section has put the Cholmondeley Arms in the top ten places to bring your dog this time we are featured in the Top Ten Hotels around the UK.

Top 10: the best pet-friendly hotels in Britain

The best dog-friendly hotels in Britain, featuring the top places to stay for coastal walking routes, cosy fires, pet-friendly restaurants and in-room dog beds, in locations including the Lake District, New Forest and Yorkshire Dales.

Cholmondeley Arms, Cheshire

This former Victorian schoolhouse-turned-inn is as stylish as Beau Brummell inside. The glorious carved oak bar dominates the main hall and apart from the malted charms of Cholmondeley Best Bitter and Merlin’s Gold, there are a staggering 200 varieties of ruinously good gin to discover. Your faithful friend will not go thirsty either, as dog beer (made from meat stock) is readily available. Food is hearty and delicious and rooms in the old headmaster’s house behind the inn are calm, civilised and comfortable. Three of them are dog-friendly, and dog beds are supplied too.

We are sorry to announce that our loyal gardener and occasional raconteur Johnny O’Shea has passed away after a long illness. Johnny will be fondly remembered by us all here at the Cholmondeley Arms. In the summer when the beautiful roses grow around the ‘Chum’ we will think of Johnny and all the time he spent making everything look so beautiful.

Many visitors to Cholmondeley will remember Johnny and the stories he would tell over a ‘wee dram’. He was once asked where do you want to be in ten years and his answer was simply to be in the Cholmondeley Arms with a smile.

Johnny raced Greyhounds and at the opening of our Three Greyhounds Inn pub Johnny and his wife Anne made the trip specially from Cholmondeley with three real greyhounds to help us celebrate the opening.

God bless you Johnny, Cholmondeley won’t ever be the same without you.

For four long months ITV have been filming down the road in Bunbury and the crew and cast have stayed with us here at the Chum in our Headmasters House bedrooms. They have enjoyed relaxing at the pub and dining with a very occasional Gin and Tonic after a very hard day’s work on set.

Where else would they chose for their ‘it’s a wrap’ party than the Cholmondeley Arms and a marquee went up for the whole cast and crew to enjoy a little Christmas cheer early and finally relax after a job well done!

Bunbury had been the setting for the six-part Second World War drama ‘Home Fires’, starring Francesca Annis and Samantha Bond and produced by ITV Studios. It tells how members of the Women’s Institute hold the fabric of society together while their menfolk are away fighting.

Filming began in September and continued until December, with some of the villagers appearing as extras.

With a screenplay by Simon Block, who penned shows including Lewis and Casualty, the drama is inspired by Julie Summers’ book ‘Jambusters’ and is set to air on screens sometime in 2015.

Bunbury residents were informed of the news by leaflets posted through their doors explaining how their village would be affected by the filming, and also giving them the opportunity to feature in the show as extras.

Steve November, ITV’s director of drama, said: “We’re really delighted to have commissioned ’Home Fires’. Great writing from Simon has given Julie Summers’ wonderful book a fictional life.

“The women are real and engaging and have fantastic spirit and attitude. With World War II on the horizon, multiple strands of plot interweave to create a period drama full of jeopardy and intrigue, but also great humanity and modernity.”

Saturday 1st November saw our first annual bonfire and fireworks display which proved to be a roaring success. The bonfire blazed and crackled whilst everyone enjoyed a fantastic display of fireworks. The outside bar and BBQ went down a treat, with warm mulled wine, local hot chocolate and real ale. Everyone enjoyed the homemade Parkin and Treacle Toffee.

Roger one of our regulars built a superb guy who stood proudly above the bonfire. We would like to say a massive thank you to all of the regulars who helped and supported the evening.

We look forward to welcoming you to next year’s bonfire – once again there will be no entry fee to thank you for your ongoing support.