The Cotton Tree Bollington is 2025 Branch Cider Pub of the Year.

It is unusual for our branch to award a pub twice in a few years with the same award. However, the Cotton tree in Bollington has bucked the trend, as it was overwhelmingly agreed that Jayne and Christina’s cider offering is outstanding.

Entering the pub, there is a chalkboard opposite the bar, above the fireplace, listing the ciders available- a wide choice from the Westons’ range but also several changing guest ciders and perries all served from the box, plus a good selection of bottled ciders and perries too. On the day of our presentation, there was also a Glastonbury cider (the festival was that weekend}, plus some Long Mynd and Hecks, among others.

If you do come here to sample the range, flights can be made up to your choice. When you are ordering a round, do make sure you include all the ciders you want, as Jayne or Christina have to disappear to the rear of the pub, where a shed houses their cider range- visitors who are unaware of the set up tend to look bemused as they disappear for several minutes!. The cider is always well kept and served at a good temperature and was very much appreciated by the visitors and locals on the afternoon of our visit, enjoying their cider in the amazing Tardis like rear yard, crammed with flowers, herbs and fruit (including tomatoes, strawberries and raspberries). The pub has regularly won first prize in their category of the Bollington in Bloom competition.

Not only a previous winner in the Cider Pub of the Year (it reached second in the regional round), the Cotton Tree has also won a Pub of the Season award and a Community Pub award and is well worth a visit. For non cider drinkers, the 5 beer pumps always include Bass and an excellent Timothy Taylor’s Landlord.

Welcoming to visitors and a much loved local, choose a flight of ciders for £4 and take it out to the garden and enjoy a pint in the sun!

Easy to get to as well, with the 10 Macclesfield – Bollington Bus terminating across the road and the 391 Macclesfield – Stockport bus also passing.