Lord Combermere Hotel, Crewe

Situated in the centre of Audlem, the Lord Combermere didn't look too promising as I arrived, with a group of locals drinking against a wall outside. However once inside, the welcome from the young barmaid was friendly. There were 4 cask ales to choose from - Sharp's Doom Bar, Beartown Kodiak, Weetwood Cheshire Cat & Welbeck Abbey Skylight. I opted for the Kodiak. There were also 2 unused handpulls. The pub has a bright interior. The bar is in front of you as you enter from the car park, with bulbs hanging from ropes above it. Complimentary Yorkshire Puddings were sat on the bar with gravy provided too. A southern couple wandered in having moored their narrow boat nearby and begun chatting to the young barmaid about her university studies and her future career, whilst the women set about demolishing the pile of Yorkshire Puddings. I did the gentlemanly thing and helped her out by trying one. The food had been left over from Sunday lunches earlier in the day. Either they'd been much quieter than expected, or they'd mis-calculated how many Yorkshire Puddings they needed! Menus on the tables seemed to feature pizzas at other times, whilst Friday was fish night. There is a nice mixture of seating inside where you can admire black and white pictures of old Audlem on the walls. Dogs are welcome. Pop music was playing in the background. Back outside, whilst most of the locals seemed content to watch the world go by next to their wall, there is also a garden area to the side of the pub. I didn't see anybody using that. There is a tight car park also.

Very friendly pub in the centre of Audlem , the interior is open plan with a dining area to the left in a recent extension , the main bar area is L shaped with a few clues to the age of the pub , its all very well maintained here. There is a small outside drinking patio , part covered . Service was very friendly by the young enthusiastic staff , usual keg taps and six handpulls , three permanent , TT Landlord , Doombar and GK IPA and three guests usually with one from Salopian , a decent Gold on my visit , and a couple from smaller local micros like Winkle and Mobberly . The food has a very good reputation and the pub is a keen supporter of local events and hosts a beer festival every August. A very good pub well worth a visit .