Fine food, a heap of history and an afternoon in the Horse and Jockey

If you want to impress the Italian side of the family with a bit of Chorlton, the Horse & Jockey is a pretty good choice.

Over the years seven of the Italian family have sat in a pub which can date its license back to 1793 and is part of a building which was already into its second decade when Henry VIII walked up the aisle with Ann Boleyn.

And as you would expect there is a pile of history about the pub, the village green and the graveyard.

The stories range from some of the people who called it their local, along with its role as a venue for official inquests to the arrest of a young prize fighter in 1847.

All which Rosa and Johnny listened to with a mix of fascination and animated questions between courses.

And with all that came a fine selection of food offered up by Iain Cartwright and his team who took charge at the end of last year.

Now, we have been going to the Jockey to eat for more than a decade, and after a disappointing period when the food was iffy, today’s meals under Iain's new management were excellent.

At which point I could slip into the pub’s history and a detailed account of the menu.

But the history is in our new book Chorlton Pubs The Stories Behind the Doors The Horse &Jockey, and the menu is available on their website.

Leaving me just to point out that the picture of my cheese and onion pie was taken as I was half way through.  

After all anyone can show a photograph of a meal as it arrives at the table how much better to show it on its way to being finished with all that it says about the quality.

Location; The Horse & Jockey, Chorlton

Pictures from the collection of Andrew Simpson

* Chorlton Pubs The Stories Behind the Doors The Horse and Jockey, Andrew Simpson & Peter Topping, 2024, available from Iain at the pub and www.pubbooks.co.uk