The Rope & Anchor
GlobalRescued from the rural pub doldrums a few years back, Dunham Massey’s The Rope & Anchor, close to Bowdon, Hale and Altrincham, now offers a full food menu and Sunday roast, a range of JW Lees cask ales and lagers, a big beer garden with play area, and The Barn function space.
Lunch or dinner, the eating offer gets a regular refresh to match the season and there are “options to suit all occasions, whether it be a quick snack or a leisurely meal”. Smaller plates include goats cheese salad, whole baked Camembert with dippers, and button mushrooms in a creamy Stilton sauce; for less cheesey options, think chicken and brandy pâté with toasted sourdough and apple and cider chutney, garlic-baked shell-on king prawns, or chorizo and butter bean “plato pequeño” (where plato pequeño means small plate). Pub favourites take in a slice of The Rope & Anchor’s own legendary homemade three cheese and onion pie and classic fish and chips, the cod fried in a batter made from Lees’ own golden Manchester Pale Ale, brewed in Manchester entirely from all British malt. Other freshly prepared dishes include slow-braised lamb shank on a bed of spring onion champ and grilled pork loin marinated in garlic and herbs and served in a flatbread with houmous, tzatziki, pomegranate, and tomato and red onion salad. From the grill, you can order steaks – sirloin, ribeye, gammon and cauliflower – and, indeed, other meat-free choices include a plant-based burger, vegan “meatball” linguine and red pepper, mixed bean and aubergine chilli with rice and tortilla. Sundays see traditional roasts, such as perfectly pink roast beef, served with all the trimmings, bottomless gravy and unlimited giant Yorkshire puddings, sharing platters for two or daily specials such as pan-fried sea bass fillet with a light fresh garden salad.
Puds include baked cheesecake, chocolate brownie, cheese selection (of course) and the roast pineapple that features on the website – with boozy smoothie, maple syrup and ice cream, who blames them? Or you could just enjoy a pitstop pint as you pass by on one of the many nearby walking, cycling and indeed horseriding routes, such as the leafy Trans Pennine Trail.
Want to be the first to receive all the latest news, tips, articles, guides and updates from Confidential Guides? Sign up here.
You might also like…

Cocoa Cabana Ancoats
ManchesterThis chic chocolatiers-cum-cocktail parlour follows in the footsteps of award-winning entrepreneur Sarah Gallacher's West Didsbury ventures, encouraging more sitting and...

The Pasta Project
ManchesterOne of the things we love about Italian food is its ability to transform a few basic ingredients into something...

The Marble Arch
Manchester City CentreThe Marble Arch is a pub. George Orwell may have named his ideal (and imaginary) pub The Moon Under Water...

Three Little Words
Manchester City CentreThree Little Words is housed under the arches at the lesser-visited end of Watson Street, near Beetham Tower. Inside you’ll...

The Font Chorlton
ManchesterWhile the city centre Font Bar is often typecast as 'that student place with the really cheap cocktails', The Font...

Ate Days A Week
Manchester City CentreIf it's a pie you're after, and especially a pie with a punning name, then you've come to the right...