The Bulls Head, Tarporley

We stopped on our way back to North Wales after a day visiting family in Birmingham. The pub looked welcoming as we drove by, so we decided to turn back and visit the pub and get something to eat. We entered into the dining room, which had a roaring fire, and we opted to sit quite close to it as it was a cold evening. The lady behind the bar served us our drinks and supplied us with a menu, and the prices were very reasonable. We ordered scampi and settled by the fire to wait for our meal. A local man came over to chat to us, asking if we had ordered a burger, as the pub sources local produce which included the meat and burgers. He was the butcher who supplied that meat. We hadn't, but he recommended them to us should we go there again. The locals were friendly and said hello, and the pub looked like it had benefited from a programme of refurbishment quite recently. The old beams were evident, but new wooden flooring in the dining area gave it a more contemporary feel. The food arrived and it was very nicely presented, with the scampi contained inside a mini decorative frying basket. The chips were skinny French 'frites' style, a healthy sized fresh salad with a creamy coleslaw completed the meal. We both enjoyed the food very much and agreed to make a mental note to stop there again next time we were passing. We both wished that we had a 'local' like The Bulls Head.

Situated in a small village on the A51 between Nantwich and Chester, it is hard to see where they get any customers from apart from passing traffic. A traditional old farmhouse style building, the pub has been extended but has very little character. The one stand out feature is a wonderful fireplace but this is rather ruined by having an ugly TV set placed in it. The walls are quite bare and there is too much flagstone floor on show. Friendly staff but the locals were a bit coarse. Only one hand pump and this didn't have the advertised brew! Good for a loo stop but not a night out.