NEW managers at the 'perfect canalside pub' in Anderton 'jumped at the chance' to breath new life into the place.
Duncan Edwards and Will Willis took over the Stanley Arms just days before Christmas, but their plans for the pub, popular with boaters and visitor to the nearby Anderton Boat Lift, are already well underway.
Duncan grew up in Runcorn and has cherished memories of spending sunny weekend afternoons with his parents in the pub’s celebrated waterside beer garden as a child.
“I’ve always had a real soft spot for the place," the 56-year-old said.
"We heard the lease was coming available totally by accident, but we jumped at the chance.
“It’s the perfect canalside pub.
"Running it now feels a little bit like coming home.”
With nearly 30 years’ experience in the trade between them, locals and visitors can trust the Stanley is in good hand with Duncan and Will.
The pair also run another pub, the Pack Horse in Culcheth, described by several TripAdvisor reviewers as a ‘hidden gem’ due to its tucked-away location in a cul-de-sac at a quiet corner of the village.
“When you don’t get a lot of passing trade, you learn you've got to make sure everything is spot on,” said Duncan, who also runs a successful property maintenance business when not pulling pints.
“The same could be said of the Stanley I think.
“Although a lot of people already know we're here, when they have to travel a bit to get here, they expect everything to be a pretty decent standard.
"Our plan is not to let them down."
Though they’ve been in charge for just over two months, Will, who is running the kitchen at the moment, has already revamped the menu.
As well as high-quality classic like pies, gammon, fish and chips, burgers, and loaded fries, diners can expect one or two tasty surprises such as chicken Milanese, and black pudding bon bons serves with mustard and honey mayonnaise.
On the drinks front, the Stanley stocks a range of premium brand lagers, craft kegs, ciders, wines, and spirts, as well as three cask ales, including their very own Stanley Arms Bitter, brewed by the award-winning Laine’s Brewery in Brighton.
The pub also has live music on Friday nights now, and hopes to extend this in the near future.
There are also plans for a new outdoor bar in its enormous beer garden for summer, as well as talk of a narrowboat to let to day trippers from one of the pub's two dedicated moorings on the Trent & Mersey Canal.
Duncan added: “We’ve got loads of other ideas.
“The garden is so big and has so much potential for events and private functions.
“We’re thinking of getting a salad station and outdoor pizza oven to support these.
“We’re taking it one step at a time, but for a pub with fantastic bones pub like this one, the possibilities are endless.”
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