The tiny pub on a pretty cobbled lane named among best in England

The small but mighty Cheshire pub dates back to 1721, and there are roaring fires, all independent ales and homemade food to lure you in

A large mural hangs on the wall of The Castle pub in Macclesfield depicting its setting almost 200 years ago - on a cobbled lane with a church spire looming in the distance behind it.

Yet walking to this black-and-white timber gem of a pub in the present day you'll find the picturesque scene is near unchanged from yesteryear.

Found along the steep and winding cobbled streets of the Castle Quarter in the historic "silk town", The Castle has just been named the best pub in Cheshire. It certainly boasts one of the most chocolate box settings.

It features in a list published by The Telegraph last weekend, naming the best pub in all 48 counties of England and in it was described as "perhaps the cosiest pub" in the country. It sits alongside a host of other historic gems across the region in the list, including The Briton's Protection in Manchester and The Black Horse in Preston.

The Castle pub dates back to 1721 and has been a famed ale house for 300 years. It's also just a two minute walk from the town's mainline train station.

But it's far from stuck in the past as a business, with the pub now under the stewardship of Rebecca Prunty who has swiftly racked up the awards since taking on The Castle after a huge refurbishment by the building's owners unveiled in 2021.

It features a series of cosy rooms - The Tap Room and Parlour at the front and the fire-lit nook being the oldest and original 18th century buildings of the pub. An extension was added in the 19th century which is now the dining area at the rear.

Outside at the back there's a covered nook, while take the stairs up to find a sun trap terrace that is a popular spot in the summer time.

Pubs are in the blood for Rebecca, 37, and she has very strong opinions about how they should adapt to survive in the current world.

She says: "My family have been in pubs for hundreds of years, my father ran a pub in Bedford and my dad's dad had a pub in Ireland.

"Because I’ve grown up in this lifestyle, I’m really, truly proud to keep the pub tradition going. But I have so many arguments with my dad about why pubs are closing.

"I believe everyone needs to raise their expectations of the pub. People expect nothing from a pub, but for me, it's about raising the expectations and modernising the pub. Right down to the coffee - we use great coffee beans and I have to make sure every coffee is perfect.

"The community that gets built in the pub is really important but the stigma that can be attached to pubs is that "oh it’s a place for men and just for beer and nothing else".

"Pubs shouldn’t have to bend over backwards to make people comfortable. But we cater for all here - we have great soft drinks, great alcohol-free drinks and fresh homemade food. People should be proud of pubs."

Naturally though there's also an extensive array of beers, wines and spirits on offer here too. The cellar has no ties to a brewery, so they're able to serve up an ever-changing roster of local ales, and Rebecca says they only use small, independent local and regional breweries.

"We get through a lot of beer," laughs Rebecca, "As you might be able to see from the empty barrels outside."

"We are very lucky that we are a very busy place. In one week we have to three to four breweries delivering here and we're hoping to add two extra keg lines in future."

Rebecca is also proud that all food served at the pub is freshly cooked on the premises - right down to the bread. There are even now t-shirts proudly stating this fact that you can now buy.

Rebecca has also become known for her own-recipe pork pies, which you can buy by the slice at the bar every day, along with her vegan sausage rolls. You can also pre-order whole pork pies which saw Rebecca a very busy woman over the Christmas period.

The main food menu (served every day except Tuesday and Wednesday) is all small plates - and there's a good reason for that because the kitchen upstairs is tiny. Even the popular Sunday roast is served as meat, potato and Yorkshire pudding for £7 on a small plate - and then you can add on vegetables as separate dishes.

Rebecca explains: "Our kitchen is tiny, everything in this building is small. So we try not to overface ourselves with big plates.

"We don’t book tables, you don’t have to dress up, most of the time you don’t even need cutlery! We want to celebrate being a pub that you can bring your whole family."

Macclesfield's most famous musical son, Joy Division's Ian Curtis, is honoured in the room at the rear of the pub with a number of framed pictures and memorabilia. Bosses don't know if he actually ever visited the pub, but there's documentary evidence that some other music legends did.

For The Beatles famously popped in for a pint at the height of their fame. One punter has a photo of them enjoying their drinks in the Taproom at the front before they played a gig at the town's famous Club El Rio in 1963.

Upstairs there's also a flat that you can book on Airbnb too.

Getting the mention in the Telegraph best pubs list last week came as a surprise, but Rebecca says it was a huge honour.

She says: "It's been hard work and continues to be, with our bills ever increasing and customers being much more mindful of their spends, however we won't stop doing all we can to provide a cosy and welcoming place to all who visit us!

"I couldn't be prouder of my team or more grateful for the support we continue to receive from our customers, not to mention how grateful I am to all the amazing breweries, producers, makers and growers that we work with.

"I feel lucky every day to have had such an opportunity in such a beautiful building, in the best town around."

The Castle Pub, 29 Church St, Macclesfield SK11 6LB is open daily from 12noon.