Bell & Bear, Rowley Regis

And its food is as good as the fabulous westward views from its rear terrace and beer garden.

It traces its history back to the time of the first Queen Elizabeth more than 400 years ago, but its food is fresher than that of most modern pubs and is home cooked, too.

After a fabulous meal at the place last year, I had been keen to return and sample the Bell & Bear's Sunday roasts - but the trip almost ended in disaster.

Pulling up on the pub's car park at 3.30pm, I noticed a sign saying that Sunday lunch had ceased being served half an hour ago, and was on the verge of going somewhere else to eat.

But I figured it was worth checking to see if the kitchen was still open, and discovered with joy that the sign was out of date. In fact, food is served seven days a week until 9pm

The pub does a Sunday roast special deal where you get a main course of your choice, a huge selection of vegetables as well as a choice of dessert for £7.50. And you can also order off the regular menu too, where options include hickory chicken, chicken and leek suet pie, faggots and mushy peas, along with a range of lighter bites.

It had been a long time since I ate roast lamb, and even longer since I had trifle, so those were my options after less than two seconds' thought.

Twenty minutes later a huge plate of food was brought to my table as I supped on a pint of real ale - something the Bell & Bear is famous for.

A mound of roast lamb was balanced with some perfectly cooked new potatoes, Brussels sprouts, mixed vegetables, broccoli, real mash, a mini Yorkshire pudding and I was also presented with my own boat of gravy.

I'm confident my food had been freshly prepared. And I was especially pleased that my mash was real.

The only faults that I could find with the meal would be that the roast potato was a bit well-baked and the perfectly-cooked roast meat was carved in chunks rather than slices.

Neither of those things detracted from a great meal. The trifle was perfect and served with fresh cream.

My bill, including a pint of Timothy Taylor's Landlord, was £9.93

ADDRESS:

The Bell & Bear, Gorsty Hill, Rowley Regis

Tel: 0121 5612196

By Jim Dunton