Brunning & Price co-founder launches fourth site

The pubco, which is operated by Jerry Brunning – the co-founder of Brunning & Price – has taken on the Watergate Street site that was formerly known as the Big Hand Alehouse and, before that, the Fat Cat.

Licensee Jonney Cox, who launched Pubs Limited site the Hare, in Farndon two years ago, will head up the Henry Potts.

Top-class local

Cox said: “We have an exciting offer with ‘Potts’. Everyone loves a village pub, and we see Potts working in the same way – as a top-class local pub in the city while being very welcoming to visitors.”

Watergate House is a grade II-listed Georgian property built in 1820 for Henry Potts, clerk of the peace for Cheshire.

The refurbishment includes a state-of-the-art kitchen while the pub has retained many original features such as intimate alcoves, beams, posts and original floorboards.

A modern British food menu has been created by chef Rob McDiarmid, which incorporates typical traditional classics with more contemporary cookery, all using locally sourced fresh produce and made in-house – including the ice cream.

Drinks range

A 40-bin wine list is joined by five house wines that are exclusively blended in Bordeaux and directly imported for tap dispense and there will be four cask ales, often from Cheshire, north Wales and Shropshire, alongside the house beer, a pale ale developed in partnership with national brewing centre Brewlab.

Craft beers include house brew Mikkeller ‘The Henry Hops’ alongside rotating guests and a cider from Hawkes. There is also a wide selection of single malt and blended whiskies from Scottish, Irish and Japanese distillers together with 70 gin varieties.

Pubs Limited’s other sites are the Black Bear in Whitchurch; the Cottage, which is located at the Hare in Farndon; and the Swan in Marbury.