by ballyboes

A fun Christmas everywhere!!

What a great time over Christmas our teams have had. It is tiring work but there are plenty of smiles and fun around the place!! The Bulls Head in Mobberley held its annual Christmas Jumper competition and the judges moved around the pub secretly assessing the best. Pete had won it last year with his ‘snow man number’ so was a favourite again this year.

There were a number of good efforts but I am pleased to say Pete held on to his crown with an ‘elf jumper’ with matching hat!! Well done Pete! There must be someone out there who can out do Pete in 2014??!

The teams as you can see had a good go with our personal favourite being Tom at the Church Inn with his Christmas pudding version!! Thanks to all our teams for making the effort. At the Cholmondeley Arms the ‘Snow Ball’ Drink was re-incarnated by the team and you can see Miya sampling some for the camera behind the Cholmondeley Bar!!!

Thank you to all our customers who have added to the atmosphere at all our pubs. There have been Christmas Carol singers at Cholmondeley and Brass bands at The three Greyhounds Inn at Allostock and The Church Inn in Mobberley as we managed to squeeze them in our newly decorated Church Inn ‘boot room’.

On Christmas eve as the Carol service finished at St. Wilfs church opposite the Church Inn in Mobberley we were on hand to serve the masses (get it!!) with mulled wine on the terrace with warm chimineas  burning away. There were festive nibbles and roasted chestnuts and a lot of good cheer! A very happy Christmas to all!!

Thanks to all our teams for working so hard!!

TOM AT THE CHURCH INN WITH MARK
SECOND YEAR RUNNING!! PETE DOES IT AGAIN!!
OUR BRASS BAND MANAGED TO FIT IN THE CHURCH INN BOOT ROOM.
MULLED WINE AT THE CHURCH INN WITH SOPH IN THAT HAT!!
MORE FESTIVE SWEATERS AT THE THREE GREYHOUNDS WITH SHAUNAGH AND CHRIS!!
BABY CHAM IS BACK AT THE CHUM!!
ANYONE FOR A SNOW BALL!!
ADAM AT THE CHOLMONDELEY ARMS
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 by ballyboes

Humphrey relatives visit the Bulls Head!!

humphAs many of you will know the Humphrey brothers who founded UMBRO the sportswear manufacturer did so here at the Bulls Head in the mid-1920’s.

The two people pictured with Ben are Lisa and Charles Humphreys, who flew out from South Carolina on something of a pilgrimage. You have probably guessed already, but just in case you haven’t, Charles (pictured) is the grandson of Harold Charles Humphrey, and was one of the last members of the Humphrey family to have any involvement at Umbro.

Charles and his wife are now in real estate and Umbro, having been sold by Nike, is now in the hands of American investors.

Charles’ mother lives in Alderley Edge so he has been visiting her and he also visited Shrewsbury where he went to school. We are sure that the highlight of his visit was having his picture taken with Ben at The Bull’s Head, his family’s companies birthplace!!!!

Weird but true…Ben has a habit of meeting ancestors of famous people at the Bulls Head …..Robbie Burns the famous Scottish poet was the great, great uncle of our visitor last Burns night…and Ben had his picture taken with her too. Any guests to the Bulls Head with famous ancestors see Ben!!

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 by ballyboes

Spring is upon us so join the club and have fun this year!!!

3p Club and Goodfellas Club.

As a ‘petrol head’ and enthusiastic Porsche fan it suddenly occurred to Tim, when a wonderful pale blue Porsche ‘Speedster’ parked outside our Bulls Head pub, that he should form a ‘special club’ here at the Bulls Head in Mobberley. The club is known as the 3p Club and in its first year gained 18 members!!

3p stands for ‘Pub, Porsche and Pint’ Club and to be a member of this ‘elite’ and fun club all you have to do is…………

A) Own a Porsche or borrow or hire one regularly!!
B) Park your proud Porsche (as seen in the photos) outside the Bulls Head
C) Take a photo of your proud Porsche and email the photo to Tim at our email address info@thebullsheadpub.com with your name and the name of your Porsche (if you have one). It’s as simple as that!!

Your Porsche picture will then be proudly presented on the website and when Tim has 50 Porsche members he will be drawing a lucky winner for an excellent ‘Drive experience event’.

We will be organising special drinks evenings and food evenings throughout the year for Club Members. As well as the annual 3p Club Treasure Hunt every July, the Goodfellas in August with the ‘head to head’ grand car club final between the two clubs every September!!.

There is no joining fee for the 3p Club. We will from time to time ask for small donations for local charities at our club events.

Each member on joining will receive a 3p Mug and a free pint of Bulls Head Bitter (or glass of wine) served to them proudly in the pub!! Mugs will be presented when you visit to claim your pint or glass of wine or at the special events we arrange.

So come and enjoy the quirky Porsche Club now.

I know immediately this unique club alienates other car enthusiasts!!! So our landlord Ben is ‘President’ of our rival club (Ben has an old ‘Merc’) which is called ‘The Goodfellas Car Club’.

To join this club you mustn’t own a Porsche! You must be exceptionally proud of your vehicle/mode of transport and send a picture of it parked outside the Bulls Head (the same as the Porsche pictures). Ben will decide who is ‘worthy’ of joining The ‘Goodfellas’ Car Club and this club too will enjoy social events throughout the year.

The aim of both clubs over time will be to have fun, enjoy our great village pub, create friendly rivalry between the clubs and help raise money for charity.

So it’s over to you….our present and future customers… we look forward to your car photos. Each year Tim will be betting Ben £100 for a nominated charity that he will have more members than Ben in a year. Original landlord, Shane Bushell won ‘year one’ with 27 members to Tim’s 18…but Tim won in 2011 with 18 members gained (weirdly exactly the same as last year!!!) to Shane’s 16 members!!! Shane has now retired and handed the Goodfellas car club over to new landlord, Ben.

So come on…….. ‘Grab the Bull by the horns’…..and join the stampede to be in the club(s)!!!

Click here to view 3p Club

Click here to view Goodfellas Club

All the Best

Ben and Tim at the Bulls Head.

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 by ballyboes

My Perfect Sunday: Victoria Pendleton

By the time I get to the weekend my brutal training routine has totally exhausted me, so on Sundays I stay in bed for as long as I can possibly get away with, catching up on sleep.

After a breakfast of poached eggs on toast, I’d jump on my bike – this time for a leisurely ride. We live in Wilmslow, which means I can cycle around Cheshire’s pretty lanes or get to the countryside in five minutes. On a cold, crisp winter morning, when the sun’s out, there’s nothing nicer. For lunch I’d go to the Bull’s Head in Mobberley with my team-mate Ross Edgar and his girlfriend, Kelly. I don’t really have a social life, so going to the pub makes me feel, for a while, like I do! On Sundays, two brilliant old guys play chilled-out jazz. It’s very cosy.

After a big roast, I’d go home and pick up my two Dobermans, Stella and Mr Jonty, who has such an aristocratic air about him that we just had to make him a “Mr”. I love spending quality time walking them and teaching them tricks.

Back home I’d spend a few hours on one of my creative hobbies. I’ve painted a couple of canvasses recently and I love dressmaking. I have a cupboard full of fabric and lots of great intentions, but I never seem to finish anything as I never get enough time to myself!

The rest of the evening, I must admit, would be spent with my feet up. I try to recuperate as much as possible on a Sunday because on Monday the brutal routine starts again…

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 by ballyboes

‘Winter in to Spring’ Menu arrives!!!

The new menu has arrived!! Lloyd and the team have been working very hard on one or two new dishes for the ‘winter in to Spring’ menu.

One new winter warming starter is the ‘Little Seafood Crockpot of by-catch fish, prawns and mussels in a warm creamy dill and white wine sauce, served with a little glass of chilled Manzanilla Sherry’.

We have introduced an ‘On Toast’ section featuring our very popular Wild Mushrooms Pan Fried with white wine, cream and shallots but adding two other starters………..’Pan Fried Chicken Livers with a port wine sauce’ and ‘Homemade Baked Beans with grilled Delamere goats cheese’ (a posh cheesey beans on toast)

On the main courses ‘Lloyds Slow Cooked ‘Stew for Two’ (or for one) served with creamy mashed potatoes’ will be a winner and Lloyd is kicking off with his slow cooked game stew first!! For vegetarians we have introduced two main meals which I am sure none vegetarians will enjoy very much too one is ‘Herbed Portobello Mushrooms grilled and served with slow cooked pearl barley and caramelized artichokes’ and secondly ‘Delamere Goats Cheese Hash with a spiced apple sauce and winter salad’.

We are varying our sausages also by moving to ‘Seasonal Sausage from the Rhug Estate with mash, shallot gravy, and red cabbage’ this way we can offer you different flavours of sausage over the year. Finally a Pan Fried Cod served on Cannellini beans sautéed with butter and thyme, cherry tomatoes and chives’ is the fish dish replacing the Hake and it is truly delicious!!

The cheeseboard will now vary from time to time as Lloyd looks to Cheshire for most of the Cheeses on the board. He has added a ‘Homemade Lemon Tart served with cream’ to the puddings and a gorgeous chilled Rose Port has been added to the vast list of Ports on our list and is very much a new dessert wine alternative.

See you all on Thursday 2nd February when the menu is launched

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 by ballyboes

Robbie Burns would have been proud!!!

Och the noo!!

Haggis, a wee dram, our own flying Scotsman Nick, kilts and Laird Ted of Lochness and his monster Quiz!!! You couldn’t write it if you tried!! Twenty four Haggis meals were served as well as the normal menu with Lloyds wonderful whisky sauce being a real highlight. Nick (pictured with the haggis in a pan waiting to go out) donned the Black Watch Kilt and handed out the wee drams that were included with the Haggis meal. Then enter Lord….No…..Laird Ted of Lochness (pictured with winning quiz team captain Steve) to ask the Scottish questions!!! What a great night !!! Thanks to everyone who came out to enjoy it!!

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 by ballyboes

Thanks to our team for an extraordinary Year!!!

It was a celebration party for all the Bulls Head team on Monday night at the pub!! Thanks firstly to all our customers who put up with the fact the pub was closed for our team bash on Monday night but we needed to take time out to thank our team for all their efforts in 2011.

The Bulls Head and its team has had quite a year starting by being voted the ‘Best turnaround Pub’ in the Northwest and second in the UK in 2011, followed by our award from CAMRA for our dedication to local micro-breweries, followed by our inclusion in the ‘Good Beer Guide 2012’, followed by a Highly Commended Award as the Bulls Head finished second in
the ‘Best New Site’ in the UK Award at the MA250 Awards in London!!

The most important thing is that a pub that was about to close was rescued, 30 jobs have been created and the northwest has a great village pub which we hope will be around for many years to come.

The team have made this happen. From the day we opened to now the team have worked very hard to deliver the food quality from the kitchen to the service from the bar and the floor. Shane and Jen our landlords as well as deputy James and Assts. Shane and Soph along with our kitchen team led by Lloyd with Steve, Andy, Sam and James have made us very proud indeed.

The pictures say it all!!! Here’s to 2012!!! Thank you to everyone who has supported our pub in 2011.

Click on an image to view full size gallery.

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