Dale House, Willenhall

This week's Insider starts with a bit of time travel. It's 1962, and a bold new era is dawning.

Cranes and scaffolding are appearing in every town and city.

Magazines and newspapers are filled with colourful images of bright new buildings, with pipe-smoking men in macs and trilbies pointing out in wonder at the new structures as smiling children look on in amazement.

And the bulldozers are lurking at the door of the Dale House, the wrecking balls poised, ready and waiting, to sweep away the old and take Willenhall into the exciting new world of postwar Britain..

All right, only metaphorically. In March 1962 it was reported that the Dale House, once a symbol of Willenhall's growing prosperity, faced the prospect of demolition.

Exciting new proposals were put forward to demolish the imposing residence, which dated back to 1750, along with the neighbouring cinema, and replace them with, er, a discount superstore.

Fortunately, the forces of reaction prevailed over those of progress, and this is one "exciting and innovative" scheme that never saw the light of day. The Dale House, for generations home to the wealthy Hincks malting dynasty, gained a new lease of life as a restaurant, and it is here where this week's Insider comes from.

More than 46 years have passed since the Dale House beat the bulldozers, and it is still an impressive sight. Its original doors, with their locks made by the town's famous industry, have all been preserved.

First impressions do let it down, though. The public entrance takes the form of rather shabby veranda at the back, its window frames painted in a particularly drab shade of brown normally reserved for the foyers of unmodernised tower blocks.

But if the entrance to the restaurant was a little bleak, the cheery Black Country welcome warmed up the inside of the building no end. A friendly lady soon made us feel at home, inviting us to peruse the menu in a small bar room packed with delightful period features.

Drinks were served from behind a wide archway above an attractive dark wood counter. Behind the bar were illuminated shelves lined with a plethora of bottles which nestled beneath three polished-wood archways, brass lamps illuminated the pictures on the walls, while a row of chairs were formally lined up against the walls.

Poached salmon, sirloin steak and a breast of chicken cooked in a cream and white wine sauce were among the options which could be cooked to order, with more choices available on the specials board. But the Dale House is best known for its carveries, so I decided that was the way to go.

My dining partner also opted for the carvery, but then qualified her choice by saying she did not want much meat, and the lady behind the bar kindly offered to have a special vegetarian gravy made. No, I don't understand either.

We were taken to our seats in an imposing oak panelled room, with what appeared to be a painting of the Queen at the far end, sandwiched between two recessed bookcases. Curiously, there was a pink curtain draped across the front of the fireplace - at least I assume it was a fireplace, but perhaps it was really a puppet theatre for the occasional Punch and Judy show.

The far end of the room was taken up by a large family group celebrating a double 18th birthday party - at one point a waitress delivered a large cake with 18 candles on, and dimmed the lights for a photograph - while closer to us, an elderly couple and a middle-aged group were tucking into their grub.

The atmosphere resembles one of those cheery seaside guest houses you went to as a child. Sky blue table cloths, small plastic vases with yellow fabric flowers, even the little metal tags with the table numbers on. No sea view, though.

In the middle of the room was the carvery, with wood-effect plastic panelling and button-back leather inserts which resembled the reception desk in Crossroads.

There was a choice of beef or turkey, although the only pork came in the form of sausages wrapped in bacon. I was a little apprehensive when asked how many potatoes I wanted from a rather small bowl, but the jovial chef told me I could have the lot if I wanted - so I did.

Actually, I was rather restrained, resisting the normal carvery temptation to eat everything in sight and make myself ill.

The carvery was as good as experienced anywhere, with tasty beef, crispy yorkshire puddings, attractively sliced carrots and golden roast potatoes. My companion went for the turkey - just a little bit, you understand - and seemed more than happy.

The comprehensive wine list included a half-bottle of champagne at a very reasonable £14, but my companion had two glasses of rose, served in the now-rare 125ml glasses, at a very reasonable £2.20 each, while I went for a pint of bitter at the same price.

For desserts we both went for the toffee ice cream sundae, which was pleasant enough and reasonable value at £3.95, but came in a plastic cone, fitted inside a glass, rather than being home-made.

The total bill came to £32.15, which really represented very good value for money.

It would be easy to mock the Dale House for its slightly twee table trinkets, its unappealing entrance, or the slightly kitsch carvery counter, but that would be a disservice to the lovely, friendly staff, the wonderfully preserved Georgian building, and enjoyable, reasonably priced food.

For the price of the lookalike carvery chains, The Dale House offers a much more personal dining experience.

What's more, The Insider loves a tale of triumph in the face of adversity, and we really should be grateful that it was saved from the bulldozers and the whims of big business nearly five decades ago.

Here's to the next 250 years.

MENU SAMPLE

Starters

Soup of the day £2.10; Potato boat - crisp potato skins topped with bacon and cheese £2.95; Chilled melon - a fan of melon served with fruit of the forest on a raspberry coulis £2.95; Prawn cocktail succulent cold water prawns served on a bed of lettuce with a Marie Rose sauce £4.10

Mains

Grilled sirloin steak served with grilled tomato £10.50; Chicken a la Crme - breast of chicken served in a light cream and white wine sauce £8.50; Poached salmon coated in a light cream sauce, topped with prawns £9.95; Half roast duckling served with an orange sauce £12.50; Deep fried whole tail scampi with a wedge of lemon and tartar sauce £7.95

Desserts

Selected ice creams £2.50; Cheese and biscuits £3.95

ADDRESS

The Dale House Bilston Road, Willenhall WV13 2AW

Tel: (01902) 602902

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