The famous ale named after our ‘man of the froth’ Ian Blay our Village Reverend is back !! Yes at the start of March we have pleasure bringing it back to the bar here at the Church Inn.

Ian loves a good ramble across the farmers fields of Mobberley and has been known to ‘ramble’ a little after a pint of his favourite ale. A Rambling Rector is also a plant that delivers a white flower in May and grows abundantly if planted against the wall of a house.

It can be a little thorny but the flowers do match our reverends rather opulent shirts! So many reasons for the naming of this ale brewed for us by Wincle Brewery near Macclesfield! It’s a malty amber ale and at 4% a quaffable pint indeed!

As some of you may know, we lost our beloved hens to a fox earlier in the year. They have been sadly missed by us all.

At the end of October, we were contacted by a charity, informing us there were some ex-battery rescue hens which needed rehoming – as you can imagine, we didn’t hesitate in saying we would take as many as we could.

Therefore, we would like you to meet Dill, Marjoram, Sage and Sorrel. They are in bad shape at the moment; tired and bedraggled, never having known anything other than a cage. The two youngest hens didn’t even understand how to scratch the ground or preen themselves, however even after just a week it was phenomenally rewarding to see their instincts kick in and them start to behave as free hens should.

We are confident that with a loving home and plenty of TLC they will flourish. Until they get used to their new surroundings, they are living in a smaller run. Soon you will be able to see them roaming around their walk-in run in the beer garden.

The Church Inn, in Mobberley, has won the coveted title of Cheshire Life Magazine’s Dining Pub of the Year. The award, presented at Carden Park Hotel, saw the team pip their sister pub The Cholmondeley Arms in the final of the Cheshire Life Food & Drink Awards 2017.

The Church Inn scooped this year’s title after judges visited the pub and were blown away by the quality and taste of the food as well as the ambience in which it is served.  The food, described as Modern British, includes a selection of exceptional seasonal specials as well as the favourite dishes you would expect from a quintessentially English village pub. All dishes are regularly changed to match what’s in season and available from local producers.

SIMON PROUDLY HOLDS YET ANOTHER AWARD WITH ASST.

SIMON WITH A FEW MEMBERS OF THE TEAM STANDING PROUD WITH THE AWARD

The kitchen also prepares a special tasting menu for Saturday evenings and for private diners in the pub’s George Mallory dining room, a room that pays homage to the local villager and famous mountaineer who died on Everest in 1924.  There is also an extensive wine list that includes 80 different wines, 15 of which are available by the glass, that have been carefully selected to provide a balance of ‘old’ and ‘new’ world wines.

Tim Bird, owner of the Church Inn comments; “It’s fantastic to be recognized in this way and for the team to rewarded for all the hard work they put in, day in day out.  We have sought to develop dishes to suit each occasion whether it be a light lunch or a special supper and we’re also proud to celebrate this recognition with all our local producers.

The Church Inn is one of seven country pubs (five in Cheshire, one in Dorset and one in Staffordshire) that are owned and operated by Tim Bird and Mary McLaughlin’s Cheshire Cat Pubs & Bars group. The group has had an extraordinarily successful year receiving a flurry of awards including; Best Casual Dining Pub, Best Food Offer in the UK, Sawday’s Favourite Newcomer, Pub & Bar’s Best Pub in the North West as well as being recognised in the Northern Bar and Restaurants Top 50 Companies.

By The MA, 16-Mar-2017

Pioneering food couple Tim Bird and Mary McLaughlin have used their vast experience in the foodservice sector to build their growing fleet of seven food-led pubs. Read More

Tim and Mary help with the funding of the Heritage sign for the village stocks situated adjacent to the Wilfrid’s Church and the Church Inn here in Mobberley…

Church Inn owner Tim with Angela from the Mobberley Parish Council photographed next to the famous Mobberley Stocks and whipping posts opposite the Church Inn who helped with the sign funding

The stocks have been revealed for all to see and with the new Heritage sign they really will attract the eye as people pass by

Cheshire Cat Pub and Bars, has been named as ‘Pub Group of the Year 2016/17’ by the prestigious Good Pub Guide. The award follows a string of successes for the company over the year including being chosen as the Best Drinks Act in the UK at the Publican Awards in London.

The Good Pub Guide is the number one selling guide book for pubs in the UK. This award is given from the guide to pub groups that are first rate in every way and run by people who really care about both their pubs and their customers. The 2017 Good Pub Guide will feature over 5,000 pubs demonstrating just how stiff the competition is.

Owner Tim Bird comments: “This is a true accolade and we are very, very proud indeed. This award will mean the world to our entire team and our customers, as it recognises our teams huge efforts in helping us run wonderfully individual pubs well. It also recognises our collective efforts in rescuing pubs that were previously closed down or lost causes. Our pubs and Inns now shine brightly for our many loyal customers to enjoy for many years to come”.

The pub group was chosen by Fiona Stapeley, editor of the Good Pub Guide, and were marked on a range of criteria from the quality of service to product range, aesthetic design and the pub’s hospitality.

“The pubs have a great deal of individuality both in their décor, their choice of drinks, their food and their atmosphere,” says Fiona. “These pubs have consistently good feedback from all our readers. As I edit the book it becomes obvious which group of pubs really stand out head and shoulders above the others. Of course competition is stiff, but this year it was a straight-forward choice for me.”

Cheshire Cats Pubs & Bars is owned and operated by Tim Bird and Mary McLaughlin, who have a collection of award winning pubs across Cheshire, Staffordshire and Dorset. Earlier this year the group were voted the Best Drinks Act in the UK at the prestigious Publican Awards ceremony in London. Their Church Inn won the coveted award of ‘UK’s Best Pub’ this summer, as well as their Fitzherbert Arms in Staffordshire scooping Sawday’s ‘Best Newcomer’.

Tuesday 24th May is a special day indeed, it’s the official anniversary of the Bulls Head re-opening in Mobberley 6 years ago, remarkably the very same date that the Roebuck re-opened yesterday after three and a half years of being closed and  now is the day Simon, our Church Inn landlord and co-owner Tim, headed to London to BAFTA in Piccadilly to see how the Church  Inn would do in the National Pub and Bar Magazine Awards.

The Church Inn had already being recognised as the best pub in Cheshire by the magazine a month or so ago.

Judges then had to visit the 94 county winners before the special evening at BAFTA hosted by journalist and Food Critic for the Observer, Jay Rayner.

The Regional Winners were firstly announced before the single National winner was declared.

The Church Inn scooped the Northwest and then as the Pubs Minister, Marcus Jones MP, joined Jay Rayner on stage, a hush fell around BAFTA as The Church Inn from the wonderful village of Mobberley was announced as the overall winner!!

Well done to the Church Inn team!!! Great recognition indeed. We don’t profess to being perfect all the time, but we try really hard and care so much about trying to be perfect every time.. That’s our constant goal, to please our guests!

Co-owner Mary couldn’t be in London because of the Roebuck Inn opening. She was updated via texts as the good news unfolded and rushed to the Church Inn later to let the team know and get them a little glass of bubbly to celebrate their win.

Tim treated Simon to a much deserved meal at the Wolseley after the win.

Now it’s back to Mobberley with the trophy and back to business as usual. Serving well and cooking well!

Simon celebrates after the event.

What a win!!

Cheshire Cats Pubs & Bars, who own and operate The Cholmondeley Arms on the Cholmondeley estate, The Bulls Head and Church Inn in Mobberley, the Three Greyhounds Inn in Allostock, the Fitzherbert Arms in Swynnerton and the Red Lion in Weymouth, Dorset, has been voted the company with the Best Drinks Act in the UK at the prestigious Publican Awards ceremony in London.

Cheshire Cats Pubs & Bars beat a number of national chains to the title, drawing high praise from the judges for supporting cask ales from local brewers. The company was also awarded a ‘Highly Commended’ title in the Best Food Offer category.

Each pub within the collection specializes in a particular drink with The Cholmondeley Arms boasting more than 300 gins, the Red Lion offering more than 80 rums and the Fitzherbert Arms offering over 30 Ports by the bottle. Whiel the Bulls Head, Three Greyhounds Inn and the Church have enviable collections of Whisky, Brandy and wine respectfully.

Tim Bird, owner of the unique collection of village pubs and country inns, comments: “These awards are equivalent to the drinks industry’s ‘Oscars’ and it is fantastic that our pubs and our teams has been recognized in this way. The award recognises the hard work that the team puts in and how we work with local breweries, suppliers and food producers to bring a memorable and unique experience to our customers everyday.”

Ed Bebbington, of the Publican’s Morning Advertiser, comments: “This is a company that puts a lot of time and thought into getting its drink offer right, from its superb focus on local, great beers, through to an impressive offer of wines and spirits.”

Tim Bird and Mary McLaughlin, owners of Cheshire Cat Pubs & Bars, have already won numerous awards for restoring pubs of great heritage and character and are now focused on the Roebuck Inn, also in Mobberley which after three years of closure is set to open in April.

For further information on Cheshire Cat Pubs and its collection of pubs, please visit www.cheshirecatpubsandbars.co.uk.

Barry from the Bulls Head gives it the big thumbs up

Tim is stunned and so proud of the team

Tim and Mary ...wow what a win!!

The Team celebrate the huge win after the awards presentation

The Big screens reveal the nominations

The best Drinks Act win hits the big screen

Simon from the Church Inn seems very happy....

Mary with the trophy and comedian Michael Mcintyre, Tim and Simon from Coca Cola the sponsors of the award

Mary is delighted and proud indeed for all the teams

Leanne from our new pub the Fitzherbert Arms cannot believe our success at the first time of asking

Jess from the Cholmondeley Arms is very proud to hold the trophy

James from the Three Greyhounds Inn celebrates with a kiss

Cheshire Cat win the UK's Best Drinks Act for 2016

Brian of the Red Lion holds the trophy aloft our little 'Oscar'

Barry, Simon, Mary and James are delighted with the win

A MOBBERLEY pub is celebrating after receiving a trio of awards in one week.

The Church Inn, on Church Lane, found out it has been listed in the Michelin’s pub guide on the same day as winning the ‘most stylish dining experience’ at the Hilden Awards and being crowned the winner of the Mobberley Scarecrow competition. Read full article…