The Thorns, Quarry Bank

The Thorns Inn

Thorns Road,Quarry Bank DY5 2JY

Phone: 01384 423696

With its cream coloured paint, wooden fascia and a few hanging baskets Thorns Inn looks like any other pub - apart from the giant orange mural of Elvis Presley and Tina Turner the pubs' owners painted on the wall of the building next door.

It's certainly eye-catching from the road and sets the scene perfectly for a pub which is a homage to everything rock 'n' roll.

There's almost a feeling that the owners would like to be running a trendy bar or diner in Los Angeles in the height of the swingin' sixties.

Turning from the giant painting the pub itself is completely ordinary with the usual fruit machines, until you catch sight of a giant mechanical punch bag straight out of a travelling funfair.

You could almost imagine a group of leather-jacket clad motorbikers who have been brought forward in time from the 1950s hanging out there, hitting the punchbag to impress the girls before tucking into portions of food big enough to feed a small army.

And judging by the number of tables that were reserved at 7pm on a normal Monday night, that was what the chef was expecting.

It was only when we went through to the lounge that it hit us just how popular this place is.

The main dining area was heaving with people. Families, couples, lone pensioners and mates from work were all tucking into the most enormous portions of food I have ever encountered in this country.

Everyone was quite comfortably just getting on with the business of eating, so much so that the conversations dropped to almost a whisper.

And judging by the size of some of our fellow diners, the pub's staff certainly learned to cater for some big appetites.

The Thorns appears to have everything you could possibly want from a local pub if its blackboard adverts are anything to go by. Quiz nights, 80s discos, karaoke, live bands, comedians and even a Wednesday lunchtime sing-along.

A photograph of the late comedian Bernard Manning performing there still hangs affectionately in the corridor while portraits of Elvis, Elton John, Rod Stewart and Cher cement the pub's underlying rock 'n' roll theme.

Classic tunes from the 60s played in the background while everyone tucked in while the disco lights around the stage remained lit, ready it seemed for an impromptu outbreak of boogieing on down.

DŽcor wise the pub is an odd mix. The wall area is given over to American diner style curved booths while the rest of the room is kitted out with plain wooden tables and chairs which don't match each other.

Everyone coming back from the carvery had their plates loaded absurdly high while several little boys seemed to take two or three Yorkshire puddings that were each so large they could double up as a life raft. And there is plenty of choice too. We could have opted for the £4.99 carvery, which is £3.99 at lunchtime and £5.99 on Sundays, and that appeared to be the decision most of our fellow diners took.

Instead I decided to try one of many steaks on offer, a 10oz ribeye for £7.99 while my partner went for traditional faggots and peas at £4.99.

Coupled with a pint of Banks's and a J20, the pub had run out of Diet Pepsi, the price came to a very reasonable £16.88.

Unfortunately the pub does not accept any form of credit or debit card forcing me to resort to the extortionate cash machine in the bar, charging £1.99 per withdrawal.

As for the meals coming out of the kitchen the majority were greeted simply with "Oh my God" by the diners who had completely failed to prepare themselves for the onslaught of food.

I asked for my steak medium rare, and that's exactly how I got it - a treat in Britain, where we seem obsessed with cremating meat.

My plate was loaded to breaking point by chips, onion rings and a generous salad while my partner assured me her mash potatoes were deliciously buttery and the faggots suitably huge.

Desserts are £2.95 and we decided to force some down. We had a chocolate pudding and a sticky toffee pudding. They are all undeniably fattening but any diets would be thrown to the wind by the main course anyway.

There's no question that the Thorns is a superb local pub and any town or village would be lucky to have it. As a good quality, cheap treat for the family, perhaps after a day spent trawling the Merry Hill centre a mile up the road, it's absolutely perfect.

The carvery served seven days a week, 12-8pm Monday to Saturday and 12noon to 6pm Sunday

Breakfast is served 8.30am to 11am - as much as you can eat for £3.95, Monday to Saturday.

Starters

Soup of the day £1.95

Prawn cocktail £2.95

Fully loaded skins £2.95

Combi for two £6.95

Pitta on toast £1.99

Garlic bread £1.50

Cheesy garlic bread £1.99

Baguettes £2.95, with chips £3.50

Burgers

6oz burger £4.49

6oz cheese and bacon burger £5.49

12oz cheese burger £7.99

12oz and bacon burger £8.49

All served with chips and salad

Jackets

Tuna mayo £3.99

Cheese £3.99

Sausage and bean £3.99

Prawn marie rose £3.99

All served with side salad

Side orders

Cheesy chips £1.75

Onion rings £1.25

Garlic mushrooms £1.45

Garlic bread £1.50

Main courses

32oz rump belly buster £18.99

10 oz rump £6.99

8oz sirloin £6.99

Fish and chips £4.99

8oz gammon £5.99

Bangers and mash £3.99

Desserts, all £2.95

Chocolate sponge with chocolate

Lemon mousse with lemon fudge on a sweet biscuit base

Sticky toffee pudding

Old English apple pie

Layered bread and butter puddingÊ

Spotted dick

Treacle pudding

Ice cream sundaes £1.95