Leather's Smithy in Cheshire East

We visited with a few families during Christmas period. The service was great, very accommodating as there were a lot of us. The food came quick and it was delicious. The only downside was old fashioned way of billing and took us a while to split the bill, other than that you cannot fault this great pub. We will be back!

Very good food in a picturesque pub overlooking the reservoir…. The staff are friendly as well…

We love this place, the location is brilliant to take a walk afterwards, it's just by Macc forest and close to Teg's Nose or there's a short rotary around the reservoir just across the road. Food is outstanding, they always have an interesting specials board and if you let them know in advance when you book they can accommodate your dog too in part of the restaurant. They really can't do enough for you. Great selection of drinks.

The food was lovely but the male (who appeared to be the landlord) was very rude and not pleasant at all! It makes such a difference having nice staff!

Although I no longer live in the area, I tend to visit the Leather’s Smithy every Christmas Eve with my family, to commemorate my late father’s birthday, as the pub and surrounding area were somewhere he was very fond of. This is generally a very important and meaningful day for us all. This year, however, we didn’t have a pleasant experience. My wife, who was the only visibly non-white person in the pub (but who is British, and speaks only English) went to the bar to order some drinks. The staff member/waitress serving her asked where she was sitting, and so she pointed to our table and stated that she was with us, describing the other members of the group. The response from the staff member was to ask “well, have you asked them?”, to which my wife responded that no, she hadn’t done, because we were all part of the same group. My (white) sister-in-law was next in the queue at the bar behind my wife, and when being served by the same staff member, after my wife had returned to the table, was immediately asked if ‘she’ (my wife) was actually with us. Needless to say this strange degree of suspicion, the apparent assumption that my wife couldn’t be part of the same party as the rest of us, and in particular the need to check with my sister-in-law that my wife wasn’t lying, (and presumably wasn’t some kind of threat, or at the very least imposing herself uninvited), was extremely upsetting. I can’t imagine this is a venue in which we are likely to feel welcome or comfortable again any time soon, which is a real shame given the memories it holds for me and my family.

Great beers, and food too. Also dog friendly.

Great place. Food was excellent.

Nice public house, situated at a good place, so that you can have a drink or meal before or after a walk or whatever your activities were.

Lovely country Pub in a picture postcard location had two very tasty freshly made sandwiches with salad and fries,served by friendly staff . Looking forward to going again . Cheryl and Phil .

Quality food and friendly service from all the staff. Definitely recommended. Sunday roasts are lovely. So good they sell out! Fantastic service and great atmosphere in a lovely setting in Macclesfield Forest.

Lovely location, after walking around the adjacent reservoir we had an excellent meal and fantastic welcome from John and family The bar was dog friendly. We will definitely return .

Brilliant food and a nice spot for after a hike!

Excellent food very friendly staff highly recommended 😁

Brilliant service. Lovely people. I let them know I was gluten intolerant and lactose intolerant and they made sure to handle my food first. Will definitely be coming back.

Fabulous place to stop following a walk in the nearby country park. Food was delicious and staff were very polite. It’s a quirky little place with minimal parking so I imagine it’d be busy during the summer.

A lunchtime walk in the local area could only be improved with a delicious pub lunch and a drink, and that is exactly what we had at this pleasant pub. The food was wholesome, appealing and tasty and obviously cooked on the premises, rather than bought in and reheated. The staff were efficient and friendly, and we would return in a heartbeat. It’s not cordon bleu, but it doesn’t pretend to be, its just good grub, done well.

Lovely roast dinner at the end of a long walk. Perfect. Perfect hosts too, couldn't do enough for us.

Absolutely fantastic food after a hard day riding very fast brilliant service and lovely people. Would highly recommend for a quick pint or sit down meal.

I’m an American who’s been living in the UK for about three years, and can’t say I’ve been a massive fan of the food. I often feel like the British treat vegetables like punishment. It’s rare to find a decent salad on a menu, and cooked vegetables are often over-boiled and under-seasoned. After a beautiful long walk, my English family and I landed at this pub for a late Sunday lunch. On their insistence I decided to order the beef roast dinner. It was absolutely delicious! The beef was thick and not overly chewy like I’ve often received in other pubs; and the vegetables were perfectly cooked and seasoned!! Roasted carrots and parsnips (not boiled), perfectly steamed greens (that were still green!!), delicious roast potatoes and Yorkshire pudding. Most of my table ordered desserts as well— all delicious. Service was attentive and quick too, despite a full and lovely pub. Five stars!!!

Visited the pub for Sunday Lunch to celebrate my mother’s 80th birthday. What a great pub in a fantastic location. The Sunday lunch was exceptional and the staff could not have done more to make us feel welcome. Thank you so much, can’t wait to come back.

Lovely pub in a beautiful location and with great food. We had delicious Sunday roast dinners and tried almost every pudding on the menu. Everything was fab! I find that roast dinner vegetables are too often bland and overcooked— but not here! They were perfect. We had hummus flatbread and olives as starters and they were delicious too.

Didn’t spend anything as they were cash only and also didn’t have any drink on tap! Was also waiting 10mins to be even served while the staff (grumpy old man, balding wears glasses!) had a conversation!! Then to be met with an attitude and spoke to me like I was thick, sad really cause it’s cute pub but not friendly at all! Avoid this place!!

On a damp autumnal lunchtime we visited this lovely place for a pre wedding anniversary treat. Fabulous location overlooking the picturesque reservoir. Things got even better when we were greeted by a lovely warm coal fire. I had the steak, whilst my wife had the gammon. Both meals were amazing, and hand on heart i can honestly say my steak was as good as i have ever had. John as always makes time to talk to you. A thoroughly enjoyable dining experience. THANK YOU

Nice pub offering stopovers. Handy for local walks. Lovely setting overlooking the reservoir. Serves a few ales. Parking only for patrons whilst eating or drinking in the pub . This can’t be stressed enough! 🍻

Love this place, great atmosphere and the food is delicious…plenty of choice for veggie or vegan too! Also dog friendly 👍

We visited for some drinks after a good walk around Maccasfield forest and shutlingsoe. Great beer garden at the back and seating at the front of the pub. Beer good but didn't try the food. Will try it next time

Went in for a drink and some food on the 25th August. Service from a grumpy man in glasses was atrocious. He was rude and very dismissive when ordering drinks. When asked could we grab some food he just walked off. We sat ourselves to a table only to be told 5 minutes later to move to another smaller table of 4 when there were 5 of us in the party. We ordered food, and it took 40 minutes befoe asking where it was. After asking we were met with more rude comments and dismissive attitude. We just got up and left and upon leaving the bar staff said "byyeee" in a very sarcastic tone. Would NOT recommend.

Everyone in our group enjoyed their food. The Thai fishcakes ( vegetarian) were delicious and chicken schnitzel too. Went on a Bank Hol eve after our walk up Shutlingsloe which is a good scenic walk. No pics of food as I was ravenous after the walk:0

We are staying here for 3 nights in the camping pod they have, which is superb. Obviously we have had to buy food every night and sample the beer too! The service and grub and booze has been absolutely top notch. Will definitely be telling everyone about it, BUT will tell them we still need to come back so don't book every.night in the pod please

Picked two meals off the specials board, Pork Cutlet and Chicken, Ham and Leek Pie. Both excellent, as was the IPA from Tiny Rebel. Service was excellent.

Really lovely place to stop for lunch. The views were beautiful and the food was great ! The beef roast was a highlight one of the best roasts I've had in a while There was also lots of gluten free options which I really appreciated 😀 don't just look at the online menu there is also an extensive specials menu when you arrive

After a long walk in the Forest, we came in and was met with great hospitality. The cheeseburger was perfect, expensive, but understandable given its remote location. Definitely coming back some time.

A cottage pub in the perfect spot. Good food.

Just perfect, John looked after us well. Food was excellently prepared. Why not go and enjoy it yourself!! 11 more words needed! Enjoy the Timothy Taylor

We had an excellent Lunch with friends John the landlord was very welcoming and friendly Menu choices was great the pies are excellent Service was good It’s an excellent place to stop for walkers We will be teturning soon

Lovely pub, placed at the start/end of a walk.... a well deserved p in ntbin the beer garden hut the spot. Didn't have any food but the menu looked good and fair prices.

Nice atmosphere and well placed near wonderful walks. Good menu choice for vegetarians and vegans. Food is pretty good, a little too traditional regarding Sunday lunch (you only get the Yorkshire if you have beef), but portions are good and not bad prices.

The food here was first class Efficient service by friendly staff .Beautifully situated . We stayed overnight in our camper on the car park . This remains one of our favourite stopover spots .

A superbly friendly welcome with good quality and value for money food. We were the only motorhome in the tarmaced car park which has only the gentlest of slopes that was of no consequence. The landlord ensured we were registered on the ANPR system and after querying how many of us were there, I admitted that my bear (knitted) was travelling with us, joked about the bears in bars policy. He probably correctly concluded I'm bonkers!

A very nice place to visit after a day of walking. The menu was good and the food was very delicious. Don't walk in with muddy shoes though as the landlady won't like it, ha ha.

Not bad food is a little expensive but was of good quality

Parked here in my small car after a walk, ordered drinks and had a meal with my partner. Have since received a parking fine because I didn't obtain a permit, why are paying customers receiving parking tickets?

A lovely country pub in the beautiful Peak District. Very old building with great views, excellent food and very good beer all provided by friendly and welcoming staff. What more do you need?

Very tasty food with lots of nice walks around. We both got specials which were lovely!

Took our 7.5m motorhome. Made very welcome.

Absolutely amazing food and atmosphere! Staff are all incredibly kind and patient. John is very attentive, and strives to make his customers happy. Lovely landlord! Would definitely recommend for family trips out, or just with friends! Food is always incredible, I don’t remember a time it hasn’t been perfect. Extremely welcoming and cosy environment!

We’ve been coming to the Leather’s Smithy for years, and I haven’t left a review until now. This is long overdue! The food is amazing, unrivalled by the many other establishments I’ve visited. Always very quick, consistent, and piping hot! The atmosphere is superb, they’ve always got some great background tunes going, with the wood burner going in the winter. Location is great. Being right on the doorstep of Macclesfield Forest makes it a great choice for a meal and/or a drink after a good walk! John is always around checking in on everyone, making sure everything’s perfect with a joke and a smile. You really can’t get any better than the Leather’s Smithy. I’ve since moved away, so can’t visit as often anymore, but whenever I’m around I make sure to try and fit in at least a couple of visits! Hats off to John and the team. I’ll be back again soon to get some more fish and chips!

This is always one of my favourite pubs. Love the food, the fish and veggie food is great, and this time I had an amazing halloumi burger from the specials. The views and location are stunning and we’re always made welcome here. We’ll be back soon.

Having been here many times in the past I was left disappointed on this visit. The menu and specials are now very limited and the atmosphere very quiet. There were only 2 others in when we arrived and they were talking to the man behind the bar. After a couple of minutes of not even being acknowledged we asked for some menus. These were handed over and we were told he would come and take our order. 10 minutes later he was still talking and had not returned so I went to the bar to order. It really felt like we were invisible. When our food did arrive however it was very nice although there was quite a difference between the chip accompaniments I had and those of my friend. I appreciate they were only a garnish for the ciabatta but 8 chips is not much.

In addition to the menu, this excellent pub/ restaurant had four special main course on. Two of us had the Haddock Morney and two had the mushroom and spinach risotto. The food was beautifully cooked and quite delicious. We will return !

We love this place soo much for its location, food, beer and atmosphere that we had our very small wedding reception here. John (the owner) his wife and team made the space reserved very special for us. We go there extremely often as me love a good atmospheric pub and non of this silly crazy restaurant/bar feeling that most places give out now days. If you like the country side, good food, beer and to feel welcomed then this is the place for you! That said, off to the Smithys right now for a pint with my wife!

Superb swordfish dinner expertly cooked by Darren. Wonderful atmosphere, terrific landlord (John), who has a great taste in music. Loved every one of the 500+ tracks on his USB stick. The soup is to die for, delicious. Well done Darren, Oli(ver) and Zack, you are amazing. Very best wishes SPREADSHEET PETE 《SPREADERZ)

Lovely little pub to stop at after a walk around Macc Forest. Great staff and food

Really good Sunday roast beef dinner after a lovely walk. Nice garden with good views

Lovely pub followed by a great walk. Little pricy £5.40 for a shandy pint.

Fantastic gammon egg and chips in this cosy pub located in Macclesfield forest. Bitter shandy was welcome after a run over the hills nearby.

Nice traditional pub with outdoor seating. Food is decent.

Terrible service!!!! 4 of us stood at the bar for 20 minutes whilst the owner who was the only one serving had a chat with some regulars just besides us so I asked if we could be served his response was “I’ll be with you in a minute” then proceeded to go to the kitchen and have a chat with the chefs for another 5 minutes ignoring us whilst stood at the bar then was happy to serve us with cloudy moretti’s Do not recommend

Absolutely wonderful food. We had the beef roast dinner and it was such a pleasure to eat. All the elements were perfectly cooked and you could really taste the quality of the locally sourced produce. Haven't tasted veg that good since I had to give up my allotment. We were enjoying it so much it was a shame when we finished eating. A great informal, relaxed and friendly atmosphere. Staff were really friendly and approachable and a good selection of food and drinks were available. It was clean, comfortable and warm. Would stongly recommend food and drinks here whatever the occasion.

When your paying over £20 for a Sunday dinner you expect perfection but unfortunately it wasn't even worth £10 saying that the service was great and the beer fantastic 👍

Fantastic country pub, we live every visit. The landlord is super funny, and all the girls are eager to serve. The food is fantastic and all fresh home cooked. Three of us had tea tonight, and our dog Abbey was also very welcome. A quintessential English country pub......

Nice location for walking and a pint

Lovely country pub serving generous portions of food. Nice staff good beer and a fantastic location.

Good cup of tea and prompt service. Did not have food.

Stunning Sunday roast today, well worth the hour drive alone. Never mind the scenery, which was also stunning. We ordered 3 roast beef dinners which came with root vegetables, seasonal greens, spiced red cabbage and a huge yorkshire pud!!! The beef was melt in your mouth tender, the red cabbage was lovely, never had it before but was very tasty. We also ordered fish, chips and mushy peas. They were also really tasty but the peas stone cold which was a shame. Lovely little proper country pub. Only negative I would comment on was that the drinking glasses were dirty.

Great place to eat, thoroughly recommend!!

We went there during the week around lunch so it wasn’t too busy which was great. Cozy and warm inside and an area for dogs on the right as you go in. We shared a hot sandwich and soup which were both decent portion sizes 👌🏻

Stopped off near the end of a good walk through the nearby forest. A weekday so not too busy and got served quickly. Menu had a good selection of main meals plus some lighter bites, service was great and the food arrived quickly.

Lovely, homely and great pub grub.

Glad they did Sunday roast as the menu was disappointing. Service excellent and staff very polite and helpful.

Fantastic food and beer. Very homely pub. I would 100% recommend the smithy

This is a very basic pub. The food is poor and largely cooked from frozen. We booked in after reading the good reviews. But the service was bad, the food was burnt and the chips were the cheap frozen ones that taste of cardboard. Generally the food is really overpriced for what it is and definitely not worth it. Half the menu was unavailable and when we did order it took ages to come, even though we were one of only 3 tables in there. This pub might be nice for a drink at the end of a walk but I definitely wouldn't eat there.

We'd always intended to come in for lunch after a decent walk. Sadly, the weather meant we had to cut the walk short by an hour, but the plus side was we got to come in from the wet weather earlier for a nice drink and a bite to eat. When I say bite, I went for the burger stack. The chap serving us said it was new on and I was the first to order. It didn't disappoint, it was huge, had so many components (hash browns, 2 burgers, 2 layers of bacon, bbq sauce, cheese, and tomato and lettuce, to keep it healthy of course), with fries and salad. Didn't eat again that day. My wife had Chicken pie and chunky chips which she also enjoyed. Shame the log fire wasn't on but probably not worth it for the lunchtime period, but in the evening it would be even cosier. Seating a bit tired and uncomfy for my back, but a minor issue in the scheme of things

We stopped here after a long walk. The food overall was good, good portion size, albeit the burger left my friend disappointed. The starters were great and presented well (£7). The roast (£19) and gammon were tasty. My friends had desserts (£7.50) and left a little disappointed by them as felt shop bought and minimal custard given. Those delivering the food and clearing the tables were great and attentive, however we felt the bar staff were a little offish. When ordering food, we ordered the roast with Yorkshire as per the menu and got a huff ‘I will have to see if there is some spare’ reference to the Yorkshire. Yet it was a menu option. We also asked if they had a pineapple juice and just got a flat no, rather than no, but we have apple or j20 as an alternative. It is very conveniently placed but a little pricey. The area for ‘muddy boots’ is somewhat small, and there is a lot of footfall so be prepared to wait for a table.

Ok, very nice area, location great, food looked good, however, beer could be better looked after, but really nice pub all the same.

Country pub in Langley, Macclesfield Forest. Very good choice of food, including Christmas specials in December 2021 on the menu. Staff are always welcoming. Advisable to book a table.

Went for lunch, we had fish and chips and a scampi , then apple pie and custard and it was amazing, the fish was so crispy and inside flaked away perfectly the chips were lovely top fish and chips, best I've had in macclesfield. The service was really good and attentive and friendly and we will be returning again soon! Keep up the great work guys !

As with other review, Landlord very rude. Can't commit on food as we didn't stay.

Can't comment on the food, we left before ordering. Booked a table to be greeted by who I assume is the landlord of the pub, who was fairly rude to us and told us "he isn't sure we were booked in". As in we were lying about having a booking? Previously rudely telling other customers that restaurant is full and there are no tables. There were much nicer ways to tell this to people. Our booking turned out to be there, we were sat down, nobody came to take our order for a while, asked a waitress if we could order, waitress was confused and went to check something, by the time she returned we were leaving the pub elsewhere where we were nicely welcomed and had fab food. Wouldn't spend my monies.

Lovely little pub after a great walk!

I came here for the first time today and I had fish and chips for my lunch, it was delicious,will definitely come back 🍽️

Dog friendly area, good wine, friendly staff

Again excellent pub. Perfect environment fantastic staff. Big shout out to young Darren 💫 everytime we go here we're never disappointed. Good Guiness too. 🚀

Great pub never disappoints,all the food is fresh and home made ,always a pleasure

We had a cracking Christmas dinner pie with home made chips veg & succulent turkey gravy Smashing Nice warm fire & john was very helpful as always Christmas dinners now being served Well worth bobbing up

Love this little pub, great place to chill out after wandering the forest

Good beer. Handy stop off on a hike.

Great traditional pub, beautiful setting. Lovely food and friendly staff

It's OK.. I was disappointed as I was expecting more, no particular reason why I should expect more after all its just a pub that serves meals. We went at lunchtime and it was quiet, it seemed to lack a warming welcome although the only staff member on duty was pleasant and curtious It felt cold and the place was quite dark. A few lights wouldn't have gone amiss. We sat in the window on stools and was quickly given a menu and ordered drinks. As we chatted the place got busier with mainly walkers and the like which helped the atmosphere somewhat. We ordered sandwiches, chips and salad which arrived in good time. I had cheese and ham chiabatti and a beer. Without it being a problem it was fairly basic and seemed lack a caring touch to detail. We ate, we chatted and it was ok, there were no sauces offered with only salt pepper and vinegar on the table. When finished I needed the loo and struggled to find it and the uneven sloping floor was invisible to me caused me some difficulties. I almost fell... I got back to my table and had to leave. My friend paid the bill at about £15 each which I thought a bit steep for what was presented. It was filling as I left so it's clearly popular but my experience was slightly disappointing.

Friendly staff. But I felt it was a bit over priced for what we had. No kids menu. Was super busy on a Saturday afternoon. (Loads of walkers) At the point we left they could not even take more orders they were that busy! Lol

A very frothy pint with a Parma violet front end, which is unusual but ok

Been a few times on a Sunday. It seems their popularity may have caused them to become complacent. The Sunday roast last time was well worth the journey alone with a few plates including bubbling hot cauliflower cheese, red cabbage, thick cut pork etc. This time it came on one plate, Luke warm, below average cut of meat, with not as much effort put in. Disappointed.

Beautiful food , fantastic staff, clean and tidy also love the fact the owner always finds time to talk to his customers !

Great beer and hospitality for our midweek running club

Me and my family go to the Smithy a couple of times a month, and we absolutely love it there. John is a great friendly host and his staff are very professional and friendly also. The food is absolutely top notch, with plenty of choice and variety with a different specials board each week. Plus its location is the very beautiful and picturesque Macclesfield Forest with excellent walks and stunning scenery, so you can have a great walk followed by a pint and some great food.

If you're looking for Sunday lunch, look no further!!!!

Really lovely pub, home made freshly cooked food, lovely friendly service and will definitely be visiting again 😁🍺

Very nice. Lovely spot. Didn't have food so can't comment

Service was good, location is great, lager was fairly flat (Birra Moretti)

Marvelous food with a particularly good vegetarian selection on the specials board. Really nice welcome from John and the staff. Delicious pint (or two) of Black Sheep beer. Stayed the night in our campervan. Brilliant stopover - thanks all! Highly recommend!