First look at Grappenhall's Rams Head after £200,000 refurb

Ross McCrickerd, who has been in the hospitality industry for almost 20 years, said he had his eye on the Grappenhall pub for more than a year due to its ‘great village location’ and the community around it.

When he finally got the opportunity to take the Church Lane venue on, the 36-year-old decided to press ahead with his full refurbishment plans despite the risks to trade presented by the coronavirus restrictions.

He said: “When the second lockdown was looming we were ready to go with the project and so made the decision to complete the work during this period.

“The investment really was needed to also give the pub a new lease of life after having a rocky period for a number of years of changing hands/ownership.

Ross, who previously spent three years looking after 20 Greene King pubs around Cheshire and Greater Manchester, added: “It is a risk to invest now, however my vision is not to have lots and lots of pubs that just do OK but a number that really are the best in their areas.

“I know that The Rams Head can be awesome and couldn’t lose the opportunity.

“People are my biggest asset – the team needs to looked after and developed and they will in turn look after you and all of our customers.”

The refurbishment is described as contemporary while not losing the existing building’s late 19th century charm.

There are heated, illuminated garden pods so groups of up to six can meet under the current tier 2 rules. And near the bar, the original village well can again be seen through restored walkover glass.

Ross said: “This is a real asset the pub has. Elsewhere we have gone for a contemporary look and feel while still retaining certain features of this great building using some rich colours and furnishings to give that really comfortable and cosy feel.

“The rear garden area has also had a full makeover and we have installed some ‘garden pods’ for up to six people that are heated, illuminated and with USB sockets.

“Our menus are all new too and we will be using fresh products, with meat and veg locally sourced. We want to create the best quality pub food offer in the area.”