Hand and Trumpet - Wrinehill

"When you have lost your inns, drown your empty selves, for you will have lost the last of England.” - Hilaire Belloc (1911)

Saving the Pub Pint by Pint

Pubs are closing left, right and centre in the UK. It's very sad and always puts me in mind of the words of Hilaire Belloc. I feel like my visits to a pub are akin to acts of charity sometimes — I contribute so that they can continue to do their good work. The right type of pub, of course. One such is the Hand and Trumpet in Wrinehill, near Betley, Cheshire. Passing through recently, we called in for a Sunday roast. The roast beef and Yorkshire pudding was terrific, with a dollop of horseradish sauce made by Darlington and Daughters, a local family company from Cheshire. There's a fine selection of ales in the pub too, although old Tweedy likes a drop of red wine with his beef.

Titanic is a local brewery of note. The pub had the nice, relaxed buzz of a place that blends efficiency and informality in its service. Worth a detour from the M6.

Female hand means bawdy diversions

I read a little about the history of the name and the symbols of hand and trumpet used on a pub sign. According to local historians, it's likely that there was a connection with the nearby coach route. A hand was often used in conjunction with a symbol that signified a local amenity. Here, the trumpet represents the one used by coachmen to signal their arrival or departure. If a female hand had been on the original pub sign, it would have meant that the pub offered other more bawdy diversions!