Ye Olde Leathern Bottle, Wednesbury

Turn left into a sharp corner, up a steep slope, then past a church over the brow of the hill. As we threaded our way between the parked cars through the narrow residential street, we could have been forgiven for thinking we had taken the wrong Vicarage Road, writes our dining reviewer "The Insider".

The Great British backstreet pub. In Victorian times there were thousands of them, probably three or four in every street, but the introduction of licensing laws - not to mention cheap off-licence beer and a recession or two - has all but wiped them out.

But tucked away in this unassuming corner of the Black Country is a pub which has stubbornly refused to die, a vestige of an earlier time when it was not uncommon for people to supplement their income by turning their front room into a bar.

You can't accuse Ye Olde Leathern Bottel of hiding its history beneath a bushel: If the name is a little too subtle, a huge sign outside informs visitors the pub was established in 1510.

From the roadside is not the type of place you expect to find in Wednesbury.

With its backwater location, black-and-white timber-framed construction, and quaint but slightly corny promotion of its past, it has more the feel of the place you chance across while pottering along the country lanes of Devon than the traditional Black Country pub.

Holidays of a different kind are the topic of conversation at the bar. Landlord Derek Cooksey - or "Dek" to the locals - is chatting to a regular customer perched on a bar stool in the narrow corridor about her flight the next morning. Dek, a slim man with a whispy moustache, stands attentively at the counter in a crisp white shirt, looking like the classic pub licensee out of the television adverts.

Legend has it that notorious highwayman Dick Turpin called in to water his horse as he made his way from London to York in the early 18th Century, and as if to reinforce the point, a silhouette of a man dangling from a rope is used illustrates a sign asking people not to "hang about" in the tiny bar area.

A display cabinet filled with old jars and bottles provides a focal point in the split level lounge at the rear, but most of the tables had gone, and we decided to settle in a small, cosy room at the front. A large cast iron fireplace dominates the dimly lit room, the gentle illumination and hammered-copper surfaced tables giving a leisurely, relaxed atmosphere.

A cheery group of middle-aged friends are on the table next to us, while the remaining space is occupied by a younger couple sat in the small, high front window.

Each table is laid with a menu printed on a cream plastic card, and while these are no doubt hardwearing, they do detract from the ambience slightly.

A display featuring photographs of old MG sports cars hung on the wall behind our table, with other adornments including a framed album of wild-flower tea cards and old black-and-white photographs which no doubt prove a good talking point when the local history society holds its meetings there.

It is a good place for beer lovers, with a choice of three guest ales as well as Banks's mild and the usual lager. The Fuller's London Pride was an excellent pint and had clearly been well-kept, but my half-pint of Tiger Ale had clearly gone sour - presumably a rare oversight given that the pub was displaying the Cask Marque certificate of excellence.

No complaints about the food, though, with a reasonable choice of good home-cooked meals at very good prices. At £6.45 the 8oz rump steak cost no more than the run-of-the-mill fare at the budget pub chains, and seafood lovers can hardly complain about the fish medley at £6.95.

But it was the giant steak-and-ale pies on the specials board which proved the showstoppers, drawing gasps from the people on the table next to us and prompting remarks that I would need a pick axe rather than the conventional cutlery to work my way through it. While most of the dome bulging out over the top of the dish turned out to be a light puff pastry, it nevertheless proved both appetising and filling, certainly one of the better pies I have experienced. And given that it came with excellent hand-cut chips, as well as generous helpings of carrots and peas, you certainly get value for your £5.95.

The barbecue chicken special was similarly well-received, coming in a pleasant, flavoursome sauce and accompanied by a tasty portion of bacon.

Unfortunately, we never got the chance to experience the £1.99 ice cream sundae, or the similarly inexpensive chocolate fudge cake.

By the time we had finished our main courses, the landlord informed us the kitchen was closed, and while it was well after 9 o'clock, I did think this was a little inflexible. Surely somebody could be kept on to ensure that everybody who has already ordered a main course can have a sweet?

It's a shame, because a dessert would have been the perfect way to round off a very enjoyable evening. The total bill for four people - two barbecue chickens and two steak pies - came to just £34.26, and that represents tremendous value when you consider it was for home-cooked food served with real ale in a comfortable, relaxing and, yes, in case you had forgotten, historic pub.

With it not being the easiest time to run a pub anywhere at the moment, these inns in low-profile locations really have to offer something a little special. And it does.

ADDRESS

Ye Olde Leathern Bottle

Vicarage Road

Wednesbury

WS109DW

Telephone: 0121 5050231

MENU SAMPLE

Starters

Soup of the day £2.65; Prawn cocktail served on a bed of salad £3.25; Potato skins filled with salsa and cheese or bacon and cheese £3.25

Mains

Cottage pie with chef's vegetables and chips £5.45; Lamb shank with mint gravy served with chef's vegetables and mash £9.45; Southern fried chicken and whole tail scampi £6.25; Fish medley - battered haddock fillet salmon fillet in a herb crumb with battered cod goujons; 8oz rump steak £6.45; 5oz rump steak with southern fried chicken; A selection of burgers

Sweets

Ice cream sundae £1.99; Chocolate fudge cake £2.65; Warm apple pie £2.65