Since opening, The Baum has always been touted as one of the North West's finest traditional pubs, serving proper food, a great selection of beers and cask ales and with the friendly warm atmosphere you'd expect from the region. It's not hard to see then why The Baum in Rochdale, just North of Manchester, has been awarded the Camra's Good Beer Guide 'National Pub of the Year 2012' title.
Originally a hardware store; this amazing venue has been converted into an old fashioned style pub over two floors with the bonus of a beautiful beer garden. Run by Simon Crompton and his wife Heidi; the couple bought the pub back in 2005, with Simon managing the business since 1993. Heidi had just given birth to their first child, so the challenge of not only running a pub but a business was a tough one for the young family but one that has definitely paid off.
Famous for it's high pedigree of traditional pubs, The Baum is now the jewel in the North West's pub crown. Great beer, excellent food and welcoming atmospheres aren't hard to come by up North so it's no surprise that Britain's Best Pub of 2012 was awarded to an independently run business close to Manchester. There are a great number of traditional pubs in Manchester, something that locals pride themselves on. With top pubs such as The Horse and Jockey in Chorlton and The Lass O' Gowrie nearer the town centre, these drinking institutions don't just attract locals but visitors from all over the Midlands and the North - and we can't really blame them!
