Here at the Bulls Head we will be saying farewell to our autumn and winter brew ‘1812 Overture’ and you our loyal customers will be given the chance to choose from three ‘blonde’ Ales brewed specially by local micro-breweries to become what I am sure will be another favourite ale for all our customers.
We will go live with the competition sometime in March so please keep an eye on the news page for confirmed dates for the ‘Bulls Head Summer Ale Competition’
From www.findsomewhere.co.ukThe Bulls Head started its life in the 18th century as three cottages for the village’s workers. Today it stands a popular hostelry, owned by Tim Bird and Mary McLaughlin and managed by Shane and Jenny Bushell who took over in May 2010. The team took on an impressive refurbishment job which is now complete, encompassing elements of the buildings original charm, modern facilities and contemporary styling.
Open all day every day, five real ales are on offer at any time with Mobberley Wobbly Ale and the Bull’s Head Bitter being the regular brews. An excellent range of guest ales are on rotation throughout the week, selected from local breweries within a thirty mile radius for that local taste. The Inn also stocks a handsome array of ‘posh’ ports, over fifty whiskies and wines to suit any occasion. Food is available all day, every day and includes a delicious selection of freshly prepared ‘Traditional sharing pub plates’, 28 day aged steaks and ‘Bulls Head favourites’ such as their legendary Steak and Wobbly Ale Pie, Cheshire Smokehouse Grandad Sausages with Mash or Local Ale Battered Haddock.
Every other Sunday afternoon you can enjoy ‘laid back’ jazz from their resident local musicians while on alternate Thursday evenings the ‘Lord Ted’ quiz allows guests to exercise their general knowledge skills. In the summer months the inn’s garden and terrace can be taken full advantage of for ‘al fresco’ dining and a game of boules perhaps!
Subject: Superb luncheon
Hello,
Six friends and I lunched at your pub today, a regular monthly event and eating in your pub is certain to be a returning pleasure. The ambiance, service, the excellent selection of real ales and the delicious food, especially the beef pie, ensures a return.
Thank you
Good morning
We had the pleasure of being entertained by a friend at The Bull’s Head on Monday evening (we suggested the venue).
Our choice of venue lived up to our expectations! ( we had popped in for coffee a few weeks ago and were very impressed with warm welcome, service and quality of coffee served).
So, just thought that, following the Monday night visit, we should just compliment you on such a super operation, making The Bull’s Head, in our opinion, the best of its kind in the area. The team in the kitchen deserve huge recognition for the attention to detail. The chips were as good as they ever can be (so often a disappointment in many places!). We thoroughly enjoyed the two ‘sharing plates’ we ordered. We also enjoyed the very friendly and caring service. In fact, it is so important to emphasise this point this as it so often lacking in many places; the courtesy and genuine feeling of being properly taken care of as opposed to just being served. So, slap on the back for the front of house team as well! Of course, I recognise that all this does not happen by accident, but by commitment, hard work and direction from the top!
Just in case you want to know who we were, we had a chat to the extremely pleasant lady (manager/owner?) about the Johnson Indies crockery which she had purchased for the business and we were on Table 7.
Lastly, though this was not the reason for writing, would appreciate you letting me know from where you obtained the log store near the entrance, as we could use one of those!
Congratulations once again, for achieving such very high standards at The Bull’s Head (I like to think I know what I’m talking about as someone now retired from 30 years in the hospitality industry!). It will come as no surprise to you that we miss no opportunity to ‘spread the word; the best free advertising in the world!
Regards
JOHN WILKIN
On Tuesday 25th January Robbie Burns was celebrated here at the Bulls Head!!! Lloyd our chef produced a wonderful Venison Hotpot and the traditional Haggis with roasted tatties and neeps served with a smoked bacon and whisky sauce, as well as a Cock ‘a’ leekie soup and of course Cranachan with raspberries and oats…….. a sort of Scottish Mobberley Mess which was simply divine.
Nick our bartender and resident Scotsman turned up in his kilt and set about serving Haggis to the guests who joined us for the evening and was on hand to serve with, our compliments, a fine ‘wee dram’ of Glen Elgin 12 Year old Malt to those guests who wished to partake.
A great night was had by all and Nick even typed up the poem from Robbie Burns and delivered it personally to one or two of our regulars. Nick was rewarded with a wee dram himself and a slap up meal of haggis to remind him of home!!! So next year do join us for a wee dram and wonderful home cooked food.
Thanks Lloyd and Nick for helping to deliver a great night.
Nick serves the 12 year old Malt with our compliments
At the Bulls Head we are running a competition to find the funniest bar sketch from yester-year!! Here is the link to a sketch featuring Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry sent in by one of our customers….hilarious!! There is a meal for two on us to the value of £50 for the best bar sketch sent in to our website info@thebullsheadpub.co.uk over the next three months. I will screen the sketch and then it will be put on the news page. Then at the end of March 2011 we will choose the winner. If only we did this many bar snacks!!!! To view some other entrants click on our bar sketches page.
In the month of December over 1000 Mulled wines were sold as our ‘winter drinks’ were launched!! All the hot drinks have been well received but the classics are the most popular such as the Hot Toddy, Irish coffee and the Winter Pimms. The newly invented ‘Woolly Bully’ is proving a winner too. So if you are feeling cold you know where to come!! (Please click on drink then winter drinks for the list)
Talking of wine, we have introduced the very popular Spanish Sauvignon Blanc from the Rueda region to our wine list in January. Vina Mocen has been one of our most popular ‘shipped in’ wines and offers an alternative to the Chilean and New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs already on the list.
I have noticed that not many of our customers are going French with our Muscadet and I do believe maybe we got the pricing wrong!! So I have dropped the price from £18.50 to a more sensible £15.95 which is an excellent deal for lovers of this classic delicate French dry white which is made from the grape called ‘melon de Bourgogne’. This Burgundy grape was brought to the Loire Valley in the 17th Century. The grape is known for its robustness in the winter and especially against frosts. The grape nowadays is called Muscadet in the area and the wine is perfect with our homemade fish pie.
We have sold all our stock of Sancerre so while the coolness of winter is still in the air I have chosen not to replace it. We will next be focussing on our white and pink selection ready for spring/April.
The reds are having their moment as you would expect at this time of the year and I am delighted to see, at the top end of the list, the fantastic Valenciso Rioja doing so well. The red list has not changed for the winter as we firmly believe all tastes and price budgets are catered for. The Macia Batle Mallorcan wine which has been a regular ‘ship in’ over the last couple of months has been a very popular ‘not on the list’ wine and is a favourite to be included on the spring list as it suits the summer as well as the winter.
VAT changes have NOT been passed on to our customers I am pleased to say. Price points are sensitive and we do not want to breach these barriers. Please click on drink then wine to review the list and please advise us of any wines you feel we should be doing.
Just to let everyone know that the forthcoming events at the Bulls Head have been changed somewhat so please go to our events page for confirmation of new timings. The next event up is Robbie Burns food and whisky evening which will feature specials from north of the border as well as a ‘wee dram’ of your choice from the range of Malts from the whisky ‘bible’.
Then there is Valentine’s Day on Monday 14th February 2011. Fancy dinner in the wonderful atmosphere that is the Bulls Head by candlelight!!?? Enough said.
Remember too that every other Sunday our resident band ‘Smoooth’ (yes with three o’s) will be playing music from the ‘great American songbook’ between 2pm and 5pm. Stewart and Laurie AKA ‘Smoooth’ have enjoyed rave reviews since they took up the Sunday slot .
Lord Ted’s quiz is booked for every OTHER Thursday in January, February and March starting no earlier than 9pm.
If you’re not keen on quizzes either come early on the Thursday the quiz is on or come on the Thursdays there is no quiz.
If you are Lord Ted fan and/or love quizzes then the best advice is to get here early so you may eat, drink and then do the quiz!!
‘Made in Italy’ week is being put back to replace Ale and Game week commencing on 21st February through to 27th February inclusive. We felt that Game and Ale week would, because of seasonality, be better this coming Autumn 2011.
Pie and Ale week will be still on National Pie week starting 7th March 2011 and should not be missed!!!
Please keep an eye on the ‘events’ page for updates as and when they happen.
We had an excellent time at the Bull’s Head the other week. Here’s a little review of everything as we experienced it. ‘A’ hadn’t been to Mobberley before (whereas I have) so everything I write is a rambling mixture of two brains output.
Exterior – first impression
A fantastic little spot with a healthy sense of ‘getting away’. Happy almost theme-park like atmosphere: two pukka-looking pubs sitting next to each other down an idyllic little lane.
Interior – first impression
Very welcoming although perhaps a little dark by contrast with daylight but far from detrimental. Modern yet rustic-feeling, fresh yet warm. Lots of points of interest. Bar was bustling and friendly. Plenty of character to the presentation of all the bottles and wares behind it. Hordes of customers. Makes you feel like you’ve picked a good place to eat and drink.
Staff – first impression
Well-presented. Was there a loose uniform going on? If there was, it was perfectly pitched. ‘A’ says the lads were attractive. Well, so were the waitresses, awwwww yeeaaahh!!
Menu
As with all menus, we think there has probably been a lot of mental effort involved in choosing what to offer. The Bulls Head does it better than most by providing contrasting dishes as part of a smaller number of offerings. I imagine it makes it easier for the Bulls Head to manage stock/processes, but I think punters are more likely to pick something they’ll consider to be the best choice, so when they’re eating they’re less likely to regret their choice and perhaps more likely to come away with a sense of wishing to return.
Settling in for food
Very animated, very warm demographic of customers. Our Tables and chairs were comfy. We specifically liked the candle light. Everything reinforces the sense one has picked a good spot for ‘din dins.’
The food itself
I had the lamb. I have to say it was as good as, if not better than any lamb I’ve had before, including the excellent dish at the Hanging Gate near Macclesfield that up to now I’d cite as the best. The meat was superbly cooked, and not over-seasoned like it often is, with a very pleasant jus (not sure how that’s spelled – this is probably the first time I’ve ever had cause to write it). Being of an appetite one would typically expect from – if you’ll pardon the term – a rampaging fat *******, I would have enjoyed a bit more veg, especially the mash, but I expect that for a normal person it’s actually very well pitched in terms of quantity. The chips were MEGA. ‘A’ had to stop me ordering a second portion.
Her main was the ‘warm’ version of the fish platter for two. She was very satisfied with its quality. I can’t resist crunchy deep-fried things, so I sampled it quite thoroughly in the end and thought it was great.
Dessert-wise we thoroughly enjoyed the brownies but we didn’t think they were the best. We like a chewy aspect to them, preferably with a crispy edge or some nuts. The ones we had were a little too smooth for our tastes. The ice cream, however, was heavenly. The strawberries were very good, too. I’d guess 19/20 of the strawberries I find on chocolate desserts are tasteless and not really much more than an afterthought. Yours were crisp and flavoursome. These little things shout “we care about every little aspect” louder than getting just the main details correct. Bravo.
The service
We go out a lot. Well, perhaps less so of late (thanks to the ineptitude of the oligarchy) but we consistently write places off as venues we’ll never revisit because of shitty service. So often we are faced with oblivious, uncaring teenagers or overly-tired, stressed-out landlords and even with the best intentions and understanding, it does put one off.
I am happy to report that the service at the Bull’s Head is MILES ahead of the rest. A very well done!!! I have not seen teenagers as motivated or sincere as your staff in an eatery/pub for a very, very, long time. This is by far the biggest factor for people like us, and you’ve nailed it.
The price
Considering the quality of everything we think it is fairly priced.
Final impressions
Thorough enjoyment, genuine satisfaction, we shall return.
Comparisons
Easily competes with all my favourite venues, including the more special places in the Lake District.
Recommendations
Open a venue in the Lake District!
Notes
Regrettably I could not hoover the bar for beer on this occasion (driving) but I have recently discovered a fondness for port and was very excited to find you focusing on it. Dog’s teeth that 1968 is good (though it seemed a little more like a sherry than a port even though I have no doubt it’s actually a port if you say it is). I had it after the brownie/toffee ice cream combo, and cannot wait to repeat the decadence.
Apologies for the stream of consciousness but I wanted to make sure I completed the review before its context died completely.
Excellent pub, well done =)
A&A
Having studied the sales statistics for the Month of December 2010, I am delighted to announce that our cask ales made up 80% of our draught beer sales with the rest…20% being the ‘fizzy stuff’ and Guinness!! You may remember back in the early days soon after we opened we reported a split of 55% Cask ale versus 45% Fizzy. Well things have moved on greatly, 80% is a huge number and really shows what our customers want.
I am delighted with this news as there is nothing typifies a pub more than fresh cask ale!! We would like to thank all our customers for supporting our ‘famous five’ pumps which celebrate and recognise local Cheshire Ales from some fantastic micro-breweries within a 30 mile radius of the pub. Bulls Head bitter remains the best seller with Mobberley Wobbly Ale a close second. Our winter ale 1812 Overture is being enjoyed by many of you too. Come and enjoy a pint or two and let us know which beers you like the most!!
As I write this update to everyone my head is somewhat sore!!!
Anyway a very Happy New Year to all our customers and our team!!!
A massive thanks to all our guests who joined in the New Year festivities at the pub last night and to our team who did a brilliant job!! A few are caught on camera here…. sorry they are a little blurred!!! A great night was had by all and as the bell tolled to bring in 2011 Shane, our Landlord, delivered a great firework display (thanks to John for supplying the fireworks…very kind!!) then as the fizz and whiskies flowed a small bowl of freshly made chicken curry was served on the house to the party attendees. It was great to see everyone enjoy themselves in their local village pub!!! As we are a relatively new pub (we have now been open 7 months) every day is a new day and we learn from our experiences. New Year’s Eve at the Bulls Head will become, over the years ahead, a great traditional celebration at ‘the pub’.
Here’s to 2011 !!
