A 'proper' pub, in every sense. Bank Top is a great local brewery in Bolton and popping in to the…read morepub you get to taste some of their home brews which is fantastic. They have a huge range of beers, ranging from their own cask ales, to some rather interesting craft bottles which different fruity flavours. The last time I visited was over Christmas so they had 2 different types of hot cider on. I opted for the Mulled Cider and it was absolutely spot on after getting in from the nippy Bolton weather. Don't expect fancy decor and modern interior, Bank Top is a traditional Bolton pub and I personally think that makes it better. It's not a fancy Gastro-Pub, it's an old school boozer with top quality local beer!

The Brewery Tap is Bank Top's first pub and what an outrageously good place it is too…read more As the flagship ale-house for the brewers, it won't surprise you to find that the beer is uniformly excellent. There's a great mix of Bank Top's own ales, such as the firm favourite 'Flat Cap', as well as newer additions such as 'Gold Digger' (which has a very amusing tale behind it which should only be told by the patrons and bar staff of the pub) as well as some great guest ales. It is out of town, but definitely worth a visit - a taxi from Bolton town centre should cost around £4. When a pair of fine ales cost less than that, it is well worth going along. Bank Top is Bolton's local brewer and was set up in the '90s in an old (and very handsome) tennis pavillion. Trivia fans will be pleased to know that the first pint ever poured at the brewery was by Bill Tarmey who of course played Rover's Return landlord, Jack Duckworth. The pub itself is very homely and will look better when it ages slightly (it is still a bit neat, but that's a very very small gripe). There's also a decent sized beer garden which is great on balmy days. It really is a fantastic pub and well worth the trip.

Following the recent Didsbury Beer Festival and chancing upon a very decent ale whilst I was there,…read moreI wanted to find out where I could lay my hands on more of that particular 'amber nectar'. I was chuffed to find out that Dunham Massey Brewing Company were only five miles from where I live, so on a crisp, sunny weekday morning (I was on annual leave, not AWOL from the office) I hopped into the car and into the wilds of Altrincham. There's a half-mile single track road to get to it, so be careful when driving. The brewery and shop are both in the same building with the former on the ground floor and the latter upstairs via the side entrance. Their shop is really well stocked and the guy who served me was very welcoming. I picked up a case of 12 bottles of their 'Cheshire IPA' for less than £26 and left a very happy customer. So when you have something like this practically on your doorstep, cut out the middleman and buy straight from the source!

Everyone likes Deer and beer, don't they? I know I do. That's why I love visiting Dunham Massey,…read morenear Altrincham. Aside from a beautiful Manor House (run by the National Trust, an entry fee applies) and sprawling grounds with free roaming deer, it's also home to one of the North West's most exciting microbreweries. Dunham Massey beers are a fixture at many beer festivals and can be found in a handful of local pubs and restaurants, including The Fat Loaf. However, your best bet is to come here and buy them direct from the brewery shop. Believe me, they're worth it! My favourites are the Milk Stout, Choc Cherry Mild, Treacle Treat and Winter Warmer, all of which are available for between £2 and £2.50 per bottle. To my knowledge, they don't offer brewery tours here yet. But as soon as they do, I'll be first in the queue!

This shop used to be just an off -license but now it is so much more! It is run by a lovely Indian…read morecouple and to call it a market is certainly correct! It sells everything from newspapers to teabags, sweets to ravioli and this is the type of shop- like in Little Britain- where you could go in and ask for the June 1986 copy of "The Angler's Rod" magazine and they would produce it for you! Gorse Hill Mini market sells the best range of spices in Stretford and for half the price of the larger supermarkets. I would have to say that the selection of wines and spirits is not very comprehensive, but there is an impressive line in Mr Freeze ice pops to cool you down in Summer time. Exceptionally friendly staff, very cheap prices and open late and on bank Holidays, this store is a life saver. The only difficulty is negotiating your way past the long chest freezer which has been inconveniently placed in the middle of this narrow shop. However, who minds a little lack of Feng Shui when you can pick up one of Gorse Hill Mini Market's fantastic bargains?

Not much to say except that it's a large convenient store with weekly offers. The energy saving…read morelights and high shelves make it quite a dark shopping experience. But like a proper corner shop, there's an array of "10p" crisps (not actually 10p anymore) including Space Invaders and Tangy Toms. The guy behind the counter is friendly and does a good job sorting out all their postal orders that get sent here for customers to collect. There's a parking lay by outside but the road is a bit bumpy so watch out for puddles when it rains!

The giant banner saying CAMRA winner winter 2015/2016 was a good sign outside this lovely…read moretraditional country pub. My boyfriend enjoyed a Timothy Taylor's while I had tomato juice into which I was allowed to dunk the Lea & Perrins myself - score! We both opted for the combo roast lunch which doesn't cheat you at £10.95 as it is a huge amount of food: ham, lamb, beef, roast potatoes, a variation on dauphinnoise potatoes, carrots and broccoli plus a giant Yorkshire pudding. They also brought extra gravy. Although I don't think I'll ever find a roast I enjoy as much as my family's, I really enjoyed this and thought it was great quality for a pub Sunday lunch. They had some nice (quiet!) background music playing and then switched to the Six Nations so are clearly making all the right choices! The view of the hill outside the back of the pub is beautiful and it's an easy drive from Stockport so I will definitely be coming back here. I see from the other pub reviews it has a beer garden which is awesome because Manchester has a total lack of those. Hooray for Hayfield!

When someone asks me to describe my happiest times over the past few years, many of them include…read morethis place! Now my mum and dad used to live down the road, but now they have moved it is more of a trip, but definitely worth it. Stella and Tom and their son Steve (this man has the deepest voice of anyone I've ever met) serve up a recipe for success if ever I've seen one. Have you ever longed for an old fashioned pub with great beer, traditional food, roaring fires, and a beer garden with a beautiful view....if so then this is the place that you have been looking for. Whether it's a great place to meet that special someone's parents, a warm place to rest your muddied boots after a long walk, somewhere to lounge in the sunshine whilst sipping a pint of Timothy Taylor's, or just a place to enjoy great British food; you MUST go here. Any criticism..... that it isn't nearer!

Really nice food for a pub; two notches above average. My salad was really interesting with…read morelettuces, cucumber, red onion, radishes, tomatoes and avocado. The chicken a tad dry but not bad. The wife's linguini with added chicken was not like house-made, but good. The daughter's salmon with shrimp and broccoli looks great and she's enjoying it. The house ales are quite traditional British beers; I think the bitter is quite nice. Plenty of nice, outdoor seating.

If I could then I may give this place 2.5 stars as it may just be worth that - I mean it's the…read moreepitome of average so 2.5 out of 5 may just fit it perfectly. Saying that, it's definitely not worth a 3 so here's what I thought: This Sunday it was the first 'out of homes' lunch meet with the parents we'd met on our ante-natal classes so all decided to go out for lunch to the Elizabethan - a JW Lees pub in the heart of Heaton Moor village. While nothing was particularly bad about this pub, there was nothing that would set the world alight about it either. The decor looks mass produced and generic, the beers list boring and lacking in inspiration (the barmaid wondered why it took me 3 goes up and down the bar to choose what beer to have - hmm, generic lager A, generic lager B or should I go for generic lager C???) I ended up going for the MPA - Manchester Pale Ale, which was Mehhhhh...I imagine they must have put at least one hop in it somewhere along the brewing process though (maybe) I had the fish and chips which was ok, my wife had the steak pie which was ok, everyone else had dishes with the same yellow/grey chips and frozen peas which were ok, most people had desserts which looked frozen but were ok, ok ,ok zzzzzz! (Sorry I feel asleep due to lack of stimulation thinking about it) The highlight of our trip to the Elizabethan was catching up with our friends and the room we were in was nice and relaxed and the staff were very friendly which was a bonus. I also enjoyed a game with them on the pub quiz machine at the end which was pretty neat for 50p a game. Sorry about my lacking in inspiration for this review but why spoil the theme for the day. If you are a fan of just OK then you'll be cool going to the Elizabethan - personally if I had to visit places like this regularly then I feel I'd have given up on life a bit and would struggle to look myself in the mirror each morning. Best tip - use Yelp to find alternative dining options in the local area.

Yet another great Manchester music venue! The Old Abbey Taphouse has a really atmospheric outdoor…read morespace, the only downside of which is gigs cannot go on very late. Staff were super nice, they had some good ales on tap and in bottles, and I enjoyed a vegetable pizza - lots of good options for vegetarians. Will keep an eye out for future events here because I'd like to come back. There's street parking if you don't mind not drinking.

Without doubt, the best tour I've been on. My wife and I have visited Manchester a few times but…read moremostly explored on our own so she decided to book a tour. John tailors the tour to your interests and is extremely knowledgeable about a wide variety of subjects. He took us all over the city proper, explaining the history in a way that tells a story. I've read many books on bands and football in the city and it was cool to see many of the places I'd only read about. The taxi is very roomy and comfortable and John is adept at traversing the traffic while pointing out the various sites. This tour allows you to get out of the cab at many opportunities which is refreshing to be able to get closer instead of just looking out a window. In closing, if you're visiting Manchester make a booking with John. He is passionate about his city and it bleeds through during the entirety of the tour. Five stars all the way.

A newish craft beer and wine bar on the main road through Altrincham; it opened at the end of 2015…read more The ground floor layout is pretty long and thin, with booth seating by the bar and normal tables further back. A good sized bar with friendly staff working behind it. On the upper floor there's more seating space and the toilets, but there wasn't a soul sat up there on a Saturday night. They've six hand pumps with ever changing ales and it was great to see that they had Fubar by Tiny Rebel Brewing and Neck Oil by Beavertown on draft. Paired with Cheshire Tap across the road and down a bit, it's made Alty that bit more of a decent real ale destination, especially given how close they are to the train station and Metrolink. It was good to pop in for a couple, but I probably wouldn't spend a whole evening here if I'm honest.

Came here last night for a beer with friends. Absolutely loved the place from the moment we got…read morethere. Comfy seating, hooks for coats (perfect to hang our soaking wet coats on!) and lovely and warm in the bad weather. Loved the decor too. Fab beer selection, numbers 1-8 rotate but really enjoyed the battlefield 1405, a golden ale. Tatton available on tap as well as Shindigger and some from Freedom. Friendly bar staff and they also have regular acoustic nights. Will definitely be back.