June - Magnet
Magnet
51 Wellington Road North, Heaton Norris, Stockport SK4 1HJ
The Pub of the Month for June is the Magnet, on Wellington Road North in Stockport. John Sutcliffe nominated it for the award.
'A Multi Award Winning Freehouse' says the prominent sign on the front of the Magnet. That, if anything, is something of an understatement. This will be the pub's fourth Pub of the Month award, and on each of those occasions it's gone on to win the branch Pub of the Year award.
Its fame has spread further than that, though. In January, the National Geographic hailed the Magnet as one of the top 12 pubs in the UK, saying “it gets all the basic things bang-on with a no-frills focus on drinks, snacks and, crucially, the community”.
The pub was closed and semi-derelict when the Watts family took it on and triumphantly reopened it on 13 November 2009. Since then there has been constant and steady progress with enhanced sun-trap outside areas and an extremely well-appointed upstairs room.
There's a games room with a pool table, two dart boards and a fully loaded jukebox. A selection of board games and colouring books, for both adults and children, is available. Children are welcome until 8.30pm each night, and there are baby changing facilities. Dogs are also welcome and there are doggy bowls available for them to sample a tap water or two.
Food is mainly locally-made pork pies (served with English mustard), and a selection of crisps, nuts and pork scratchings. However, on every Thursday, Friday and Saturday, from 5.30 pm to 9pm, stone-baked pizzas are available from the Pizza Maker located in an on-site pizzeria at the rear of the pub!
The pub's charity is Kidneys For Life at MINT (Manchester Institute For Nephrology and Transplantation) and so far over £15,000 has been raised through donations and the sale of pumpclips.
But what about the beer? Well, there are up to 14 cask beers alongside seven changing kegs. Quality is exceptional, and the Magnet is a fixture in the national Good Beer Guide.
All of this is overseen by mother and son Lesley and Lee Watts, and of course their hard-working bar team. Join us on the evening of Thursday 27 June (from 8pm) when we present Lesley and Lee with their award.
The Magnet is just a short walk from Stockport town centre. Buses 192, 197 and 25 will drop you very close by.