Whittington Inn, Stourbridge

There can't be many pubs in the land which have a more fascinating history than this stunning 14th Century manor house near Stourbridge.

The Whittington Inn on the A449 road to Kidderminster must be one of the most impressive roadside hostelries in the land.

Set among the tranquil rolling hillsides of South Staffordshire, the yellow tinged timber framed house is looks like something out of history picture book.

It was built in 1310 by Sir William de Whittington a knight of arms and owner of the land around Kinver.

His grandson was the famous Dick Whittington who went off to London to be become the Lord Mayor for three times.

During the English civil war in the 1640s, King Charles II used a priest hiding hole in the manor following the Battle of Worcester.

In 1711 Queen Anne spent a night at the manor house and the solid oak front door holds one of only two her Royal seals in the country.

In 1788 Lord Stamford changed the manor house into an Inn. He brought the licence and the old sign-board from the original Whittington Inn a few hundred yards away.

He also removed the stained glass window carrying the arms of the Whittington family with the de Staffords and the Lowes.

But a copy hangs up in the room from which they were taken.

The food was certainly fit for a king on my recent visit - especially on one of the coldest night's of the year.

My friend and I chose some hearty starters to warm us up. I chose the tomato and basil soup which was served piping hot with bread and croutons priced £2.65.

My friend opted for the delicious looking Thai green mussels priced £4.25. The mussels were served in a spicy sauce with chives and from the lack of conversation I think they were very well appreciated.

For main course I chose the Inn's signature dish called the chicken wellington priced £8.95. The dish features chicken breast wrapped in bacon with a brie wedge melted over the top baked in puff pastry. It also had a rich butter sauce drizzled over the top and served with jacket potato, cauliflower, carrots and peas.

The chicken was tender and the sauce was very complimentary though it did no good for my diet.

My friend opted for the steak and ale pie priced £5.50. He said the meat was really good and he could taste the beer.

For dessert we opted for the delicious chocolate indulgence priced £3.50 which came with a mound of ice cream, cream, chocolate chips and chocolate sticks.

Diners can enjoy a range of hearty, wholesome foods at very good value prices. And with such a rich regal past the Inn is worth a look even if you aren't hungry.

The Inn offers a wide range of food from steaks to fish and during the week from 12pm to 6pm two courses cost £9.99.

Chef Steven Pope recently took over the kitchens and has designed a menu which offers good value and choice.

Steven said: "We try to provide a wide choice of meals to suit all tastes.

"We do get a lot of passing trade and like to think we have something for everyone.

"We have fresh fish, fresh meat and a range of vegetarian dishes. We like to experiment a little bit and the Thai green mussels is a typical example. It's hot and very tasty."

ADDRESS

Whittington, Kinver, Stourbridge

Tel: 01384 872110

By Sol Buckner