Best Country Rural pub in the UK 2023

Premium food, drink and service are at the heart of this business, which is run by manager Helen Mosford and her dedicated team.

The pub attracts a wide range of customers from locals to destination diners, it hosts the Cholmondeley Arms Car Club with over 400 members and is welcoming to fury friends.

The building had closed as a school in the early 1980s and was reopened as a pub in 1988.

It was taken over by Cheshire Cat Pubs in 2011 after they were approached by the Estate to take a look at rescuing the 'Chum'.

A year later the restored Chum reopened its doors again with fresh rural dishes on the menu, local ales and a large range of gins.

Drinks range

The building has retained many of its traditional features and has an outside area with extensive gardens. Inside it retains many of the features of the school from a blackboard to school tables.

The pub, which is well-known for its gin offer, has a back bar designed like an old apothecary housing over 300 gins.

To celebrate 10-years’ operating ‘the Chum’ in lockdown the pub distilled its own Cholmondeley Arms Gin, distilled by local supplier Big Hill Distillery in Mobberley.

This summer it also introduced Cholmondeley Pink Gin, which is the Cholmondeley recipe with the addition of fresh raspberries and vanilla pod in the botanicals.

Local role

Local also has a role on the bar with four cask ales served including Three House ales, Cholmondeley Best Bitter, Headmaster's IPA and Chum Gold.

Both its food menu and wine lists cater for vegan, vegetarian and gluten free needs and its drinks selection also has a great choice of no and low drinks.

The food menu is quintessentially English and includes dishes such as ‘Devilled Kidneys on toast’ and old school favourites including the legendary ‘Hand crafted Steak and Kidney pie’, and ‘Old School jam roly-poly.’

As well as using a local distillery for its gin it sources food from local artisan bakers, farmers, butchers and cheesemakers.

Its latest development, in early 2022, saw a complete refurbishment of an adjacent building which houses six bedrooms called the 'Old Headmaster's House. The bedrooms are named after fictional teachers and one real headmaster Tim's late father, Henry Bird.