Food review: The Nag's Head, Burntwood

These days eating out is a somewhat different experience to that of back in the day. Children rarely run amok as their heads are dipped over the screen of a smartphone or tablet.

Similarly, adult lives are changed. Diner one wants to quickly check their work emails even though they left the office just a few hours ago. Diner two wants to show off their latest eBay purchase, while diner three is keen to introduce their latest squeeze via Facebook.

It is quite comforting, then, that in an age of fibre-optic broadband, 4G networks and free wi-fi you can still find yourself in a semi-rural setting where upon removal of the mobile phone from the pocket you are greeted with the message 'no networks available'.

So that face sitting opposite you suddenly isn't just a dancing pattern of colours reflected from the glare of a screen. The olde-worlde concept of face-to-face interaction is slung in front of you like that embarrassing sibling that only seems to appear at family occasions. What was it you had to do again? Oh yes, here goes... "So, how was your day?"

Now this isn't an assault on everyone else from high upon this writer's soapbox – I am as guilty as the next person when it comes to getting lost in the internet.

And it was in fact this preference that proved the first pleasing aspect of a visit to the Nag's Head. Their website is modern, sleek and very user-friendly, even offering the option to painlessly reserve a table in less than two minutes using their online form.

It sounds the laziest thing in the world, but how many of us use the excuse, 'oh I am so busy right now I'll give them a call later', but the call is never made? Here, you simply click, click, click and there you go. Tomorrow, 7pm, two of us, lovely.

Inside the beautiful establishment many of the tables are accompanied by electric plugs for those who do wish to keep the whippersnappers entertained or are perhaps meeting for a coffee and discussing the past month's figures over the laptop.

It's that horrible time of year. The summer shorts are forced to the back of the wardrobe and the days seem to be turned off like a switch at 5.30pm. Then there's the cold. It starts to bite the face like a puppy whose teeth are now sharper than they think. But the way the car park and exterior of the pub are lit welcomes you in and you are immediately hit with the force and smell of burning log fires.

Once we had been seated by the friendly staff and the clear, well-presented menus had been handed to us, I was struck by the feeling that this was going to be a good night.

There was a nice selection of craft beers, ales and lagers to choose from while the wine list was longer than my arm (I am six foot three inches by the way). So with these selected it was time for food.

It was just as well we hadn't finished a marathon because the drinks were some time in getting to us. It was to be a recurring theme to the evening and the only blight on what was otherwise a wonderful night.

There appeared to be only two guys and a lady working the bar and seating area, and with a large birthday party in the cove next to us we were often pushed down the list, or so it felt.

But, saying that, considering it was quite a quiet evening, you really couldn't hear the laughing and joking party too much.

The way the restaurant is laid out, you can only ever see a few tables from where you are sat. Pillars are used well to cordon off areas from the rest and make it feel like you aren't sat with 100 other people while you try and eat. We were both impressed with the look and feel of the place.

And the food, too, was well worth the visit. We were told they had only been open eight weeks or so after having a refit and the new menu certainly struck a chord with us and the guests on the table next to us too.

Firstly, it is vast. There is plenty to choose from which means you will never be left in that situation where it is 'this or nothing else'. Seasonal food festivals offer different choices too – it was the middle of the game festival when we were there and some of the specials sounded hearty to say the least.

To start I had the chicken and chorizo skewers on a grain and quinoa salad of red rice and black barley with kale, cucumber ribbons, cherry tomatoes, pomegranate jewels, butternut squash, red onion and red pepper. It came with roast chicken mayonnaise, and was an absolute treat! The meat slid off the skewers easily and with the mayo on top was a perfect mixture of sweet and tangy. The side offering too was an explosion of textures and the coolness of the salad offset the warmth of the meat nicely without being too sharp a contrast.

The better half had the Asian-spiced duck croquettes in a rice flaked crumb served on a hoisin risotto mixed with spring onions, cucumber ribbons and red pepper. There was the obligatory drizzle of hoisin too. Again, she thought the main and accompaniment went well together and was a huge fan of the presentation and mixture of flavours.

They were both healthy in size too, meaning a smaller main was probably the best option.

Here I had the caramelised bacon belly in a flavoured syrup with two free-range fried eggs, chips and bacon flavoured mayonnaise dip. The meat was, simply, divine. Tender and full of flavour it sat well with the eggs and was given a crispy edge when eaten with the perfectly cooked chips. It was just enough, too, finishing at that point where you felt like you had devoured a good meal, but wishing it hadn't ended yet – a great feat to have achieved.

The girlfriend was equally impressed with her slow-cooked lamb shoulder that was served with mashed potato, buttered seasonal veg and a rich red wine sauce. It looked like the whole lamb was on her plate. She swooned over the 'gorgeous' meat that fell off the bone with the gentlest of nudges. She isn't always a huge fan of mashed potato but found this serving to be delicious and her only complaint was she couldn't finish it all.

But we had left room for desserts, and these rounded the evening off perfectly. I opted for one of the specials – a cherry bakewell flavoured roulade with dark cherry compote and custard. The roulade was lovely, the right amount of soft and firm to give it a mixed texture. My only complaint would be the stinginess with the custard. A tad more would have been good and not left the last mouthfuls a little dry.

As for my companion, she went all out with the salted caramel sundae made up of chocolate and clotted cream ice cream scoops with vanilla cheesecake and Belgian chocolate brownie chunks, topped with whipped double cream and drizzled with salted caramel sauce. This disappeared so quickly I could barely see how it looked. She noted it was 'perfect for chocolate and sweet lovers' and it smelt divine from my side of the table.

Again we were left with another long wait, which was a shame. After a 30-or-so-minute wait after we stopped eating we went to the bar to pay. Had we been parents who needed to rush back to pay the babysitter this could have been a real issue.

But it was the only blight on what was a lovely evening out in the warm, laid back and friendly atmosphere of the Nag's Head. Perfect for dates, family occasions or just splurging out to save on cooking, this place could become a real gem hidden away from the bright city lights with its large, scrumptious meals and gorgeous beers to help them slide down.

By Leigh Sanders