Cheshire

Nothing screams quintessentially British quite like a good ole pub. Roaring fires, creaky beams, cosy nooks and terrific triple-stacked chips. You know the score. So you might just be interested to hear the highly anticipated <a href="https://www.top50gastropubs.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Estrella Damm Top 100 Gastropubs</a> has just been announced. 



Organised by the Publican’s Morning Advertiser, the Top 100 Gastropubs really matters in the foodie pub world, as it celebrates the entrepreneurial spirit of the great British pub serving top-notch grub. 



The top spot was scooped by <a href="https://theunrulypig.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Unruly Pig</a> in Woodbridge, Suffolk, for its welcoming setting, and well-crafted food.



But which gastro hotspots have made the grade in Cheshire? Drum roll and fork at the ready&#8230;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-no-85-the-white-horse-churton">No 85: <a href="https://thewhitehorsechurton.co.uk/">The White Horse</a>, Churton</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="952" height="1024" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/01/IMG_7685-952x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1891" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/01/IMG_7685-952x1024.jpg 952w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/01/IMG_7685-279x300.jpg 279w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/01/IMG_7685-768x826.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/01/IMG_7685.jpg 1179w" sizes="(max-width: 952px) 100vw, 952px" /></figure>



What they say: Chef Gary Usher and his Elite Bistro chain made its first furore into the pub sector with the purchase of The White Horse in Churton, Cheshire.



Elite Bistros own a string of popular restaurants across the North West including Sticky Walnut in Hoole.



The pub had been been vacant for about 2.5 years before it was purchased, but it meant so much to the local community that they supported the renovation with help and even tools.



The pub is situated east of the River Dee, a natural border between England and Wales and the local area is popular amongst walking groups, cyclists and horse riders.&nbsp;



The White Horse serves uncomplicated, unpretentious and delicious food. The seasonal menu features comforting bistro dishes as well as Elite Bistro classic such as its Crème Brûlée.&nbsp;



The pub is set to be the host of a Guest Chef series which will see esteemed chefs pop into the North West establishment for special one-off events.



What we say: Not one to rest on his culinary laurels, Gary Usher opened the White Horse in 2023 and it turns out his first pub venture &#8211; a departure from his British-led bistros &#8211; is bang on. Expect big, heartwarming flavours in a down-to-earth setting with some of the best gravy around. Top it off with a bottle of plonk by the fireplace, and you’ve got a recipe for the perfect gastropub. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-no-99-the-fox-and-barrel-tarporley">No 99: <a href="https://www.thefoxandbarrel.co.uk/">The Fox and Barrel</a>, Tarporley</h2>



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What they say: The Fox &amp; Barrel is an independent freehouse in the village of Cotebrook, near Tarporley, which has over 250 years of history.



The traditional Cheshire pub has a varied menu that shifts with the changing seasons. Dishes contain the highest quality ingredients and are paired with a wide range of beers, local real ales and wines.



Dishes include starters such as duck, chicken &amp; ham hock terrine and white onion soup, truffled gnocchi, chive oil, backed focaccia. Mains to delight include meals such as stone bass fillet with chorizo rosti, prawn dumplings, shellfish bisque or braised beef feather blade with roasted carrot, onion Ketchup and crispy shallots.



The Fox &amp; Barrel was crowned the county’s best pub at the Taste Cheshire Food and Drink Awards 2023.



Fox &amp; Barrel also really stands out with its ‘Hide’ offering, where consumers will be able to dine out in the open under the Cheshire sky.



What we say: There&#8217;s an unpretentious stylishness to this drinking den over in Tarporley. Same can be said for its decidedly British menu that doesn&#8217;t stray too far from pub classics, but where dishes are cooked seriously well with all those smoky flavours you get from a Josper grill. We&#8217;re very excited about the team&#8217;s posh pods set to open for overnighters after a slap-up meal, and the gloriously atmospheric open-air dining space, Hide. This place is set to grow and grow. A worthy winner on the Top 100 Gastropubs. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-no-15-the-edinburgh-castle-ancoats">No 15: <a href="https://www.ec-ancoats.com/">The Edinburgh Castle</a>, Ancoats</h2>



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What they say: This historic pub in the Ancoats area of Manchester has been described by food critic Jay Rayner as a “great place to eat.”



The building has stood in Ancoats since 1811, in the heart of Britain’s first industrial suburb. The historic Victorian pub, which had been abandoned and left derelict, was reopened in 2019 by owners Nick and Hayley Muir.



Executive chef Shaun Moffat, who joined the group in September 2022 having previously worked at Berber &amp; Q, Shoreditch&#8217;s Manteca, and at restaurants within the Jamie Oliver Group, is responsible for overseeing the food offer at the venues.



The Edinburgh Castle, which has an upstairs restaurant, offers a small menu of traditional British dishes featuring locally-sourced ingredients and products from local suppliers, such as sourdough bread from Manchester’s Pollen Bakery.



Dishes include specialities such as Colchester oysters &amp; Rhubarb mignonette, Mrs Kirkham’s Lancashire cheese doughnuts and Red House farm cull ewe &#8211; saddle chop. Sunday lunch offers a set menu with two or three courses.



The Good Food Guide named it among one of Britain’s cosiest pubs describing it as “a handsome example of a classic Victorian city boozer.”



While according to Jay Rayner: “There’s a deftness, solidity and wit to the cooking, utilising ingredients of quality. The service is sometimes chaotic but, like a primary school ballet class, always enthusiastic.”



He praised the “touches of pronounced Northern-ness.”



“The chips are cooked in dripping; they fair reek of saturated animal fats. I love the slabs of sourdough that have been dredged through the meat juices loitering in the pan in which the main-course chops were cooked,”



What we say: Once a grotty and vacant no-man&#8217;s land, Ancoats is now the trailblazing culinary corner of Manchester. And it&#8217;s here on its fringes you&#8217;ll find The Edinburgh Castle, a once dilapidated pub that&#8217;s been rejigged and reopened to high acclaim. Punters fall over themselves to bag a table here and it&#8217;s not hard to see why. Dickensian interiors, flickering candles and insanely good food, this spruced-up boozer knocks my socks off every time. 



How about over the border? Hop in the car and try out these fantastic places &#8211; all worthy winners of the Top 100 Gastropubs&#8230;



No 4 <a href="https://parkersarms.co.uk">Parkers Arms</a>, Lancashire



No 18 <a href="https://thepackhorsehayfield.uk">The Pack Horse</a>, Derbyshire



No 26 <a href="https://www.theblackbullsedbergh.co.uk">The Black Bull</a>, Cumbria



No 34 <a href="https://hefthighnewton.co.uk">Heft,</a> Cumbria



No 39 <a href="http://www.dogandgunskelton.co.uk">The Dog and Gun</a>, Cumbria



No 47 <a href="https://www.thethreefishes.co.uk">The Three Fishes</a>, Lancashire



No 49 <a href="https://www.whiteswanatfence.co.uk">The White Swan at Fence</a>, Lancashire 



No 53 <a href="https://theboat.restaurant">The Boat</a>, Staffordshire



No 56 <a href="https://www.freemasonsatwiswell.com">Freemasons at Wiswell,</a> Lancashire



No 90 <a href="https://www.thecharltonarms.co.uk">The Charlton Arms</a>, Shropshire



No 93 <a href="https://www.theblindbull.co.uk">The Blind Bull</a>, Derbyshire



No 97 <a href="https://drunkenduckinn.co.uk">The Drunken Duck Inn</a>, Cumbria

Which local boozers made it into the UK’s Top 100 gastropubs?

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