Redhill, Stafford

Located somewhat on the edge of Stafford near the A34, the Redhill has always been one of those places to try, when we got round to it, writes

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Thankfully, that time came to pass and we found it to be surprisingly larger than you would think inside, with tables spaciously set out and plenty of windows.

Settling down at our table, we noticed we had five minutes before the deadline of 6pm to order our meal and get our three starters for the special price of £1.50.

When the starters arrived however, one had been missed out - yes, you guessed it, mine. The staff were very apologetic and helpful and brought out my warm brie, plus a huge chunk of crusty bread and still charged us at the pre-6pm deadline price.

My son Danny, a discerning toddler, had garlic mushrooms and Helen, my wife, enjoyed some tasty looking fishcakes, both with plenty of salad.

The brie dish was a lovely surprise - not your usual miniscule blob in breadcrumbs. This was a supermarket-sized disc of warm cheese with ciabatta and redcurrant jelly - superb.

Danny's main course was a small portion of chicken nuggets and chips, but it still filled the plate.

I plumped for a pork shank - which turned out to be huge - served with a bed of rice for my main course. An unusual dish but it had a lovely sauce infused with Chinese five spice to go with it and made a refreshing change. Helen chose the Morrocan lamb which also looked gorgeous with its sweet chilli con carne taste to the sauce.

All in all it was a great experience, if a little more pricey than the usual pub meal for the three of us.

There was great attention paid to us as a family, with a play-book and crayons to keep the youngsters happy, not to mention the superb play area at the back of the pub.

Redhill (Brewer's Fayre), 1 Spitfire Close, Stafford

01785 785620