Olde Cottage, Chester

This was a mid week visit, where the pub opens its doors at 4.30. When we arrived close to 4.30 the pub was already full. This was a mainly blokes drinking establishment on this visit, with Mrs A and the barmaid being the very small minority. There was a lit coal fire near the corner entrance, which was very welcoming on such a cold day. Beer wise, they had three ales on hand pull, which were Wychwood, Weetwood and a Woodfordes Wherry. I went for the Woodfordes which was in great shape and prices here were reasonable. All in all a decent pub this one, with a jovial and friendly atmosphere.

There were four ales on in here – Brakspear’s Bitter, Sharp’s Cornish Coaster, Robinson’s Up & Under, and Cheshire DBA (£1.70 a half). There was no sign of menus or food early Wednesday evening. It’s mainly carpeted and with traditional furnishings – banquettes, normal tables and small stools. This pub looks to have civilised standards, with a sign on the counter advising the dress code of “no tracksuits or sports attire”. It looks clean and well maintained. There are essentially two rooms – the room on the right as you enter seems to be the main drinking area with a group of locals clustered around the bar chatting and enjoying themselves. Their choice of this pub shows good judgement over the other candidates in Brook St. This room contains the dartboard. An archway from this bar leads into another room which has a bagatelle table (if that’s the correct term – I hadn’t seen one before visiting Chester), plus a trophy shelf at the back. There are pump clips displayed above the bar counter and on some of the beams, suggesting a changing real ale policy. They are in GBG 2015 so that seems very likely. Some of the tables were reserved for that night’s pub quiz, and on the heritage front some of the leaded light glazing looked original, or possibly from an inter-war fitting. This is a real traditional pub, in which I enjoyed my short stay. I would gladly visit this one again if I ever have the opportunity to vist Chester again.