Mare & Colt, Summerfield

There are plenty of nooks and crannies at this Victorian hostelry which offers plenty of choice,

.

It must have been one of the oldest pub chains in the world. Back in the mid 19th century, the Cooper family owned no fewer than four pubs along a three-mile stretch of road, with the Mare & Colt being a sort of ancestral home.

Thomas Cooper, his wife Sarah, and his daughter Emma are thought to have kept the Mare & Colt for around half a century between them.

Emma's brother Edward also kept The Crown and the Talbot Commercial Inn, both in Hartlebury, while their sister Elizabeth also kept another pub called The Crown, this time in Hoobrook.

The Mare & Colt is steeped in North Worcestershire's pub history, and it is a shame it does not make more of this heritage. There are lots of old black-and-white pictures on the walls, depicting local scenes, but there is nothing at all about the Cooper family or the pub's fascinating past.

It is an unusual, but unassuming building, which looks to have seen many extensions and alterations over the centuries. A distinctive feature is a raised roof at the one end; both sections of the building are two storeys, but the one end is much taller than the rest.

Summerfield is a small village outside of Kidderminster, but creeping development now means that, to all intents and purposes, it is now effectively part of the town.

It is surrounded by some quite attractive gardens with tables and parasols, although, of course, there is no escape from the noise of the traffic rumbling along the busy Worcester Road.

At first glance, it looks quite small inside, but then you discover the labyrinth of different rooms which radiate off the main bar area. My favourite is probably a small alcove at the back of the pub, shielded from the rest of the lounge by a glass screen, but the larger room at the front is also an attractive place to be, with its stylishly upholstered red velour chairs. The deep satin red walls, and the rustic beams make for a gentle relaxing atmosphere, and it is a pleasant place to be if you're looking for somewhere to take things nice and easy.

And it was while I was reclining at our table that I discovered it had a curious adhesive quality. Every time I touched it, my hand, sleeve or serviette stuck to it like glue. Presumably an earlier diner had some sort of accident, and the table was promptly cleaned when the problem was pointed out to a member of staff, but the tackiness remained.

This was one sticky situation that was not going to be resolved in a hurry.

It was perhaps just under half full when we arrived, but it began to fill up as the evening wore on. Perhaps unsurprisingly, given the gentle ambience of the pub, it seems to be very popular with middle-aged couples. The table next to us was occupied by a large group of lively ladies spanning several generations, one of whom was a nursing student. How did I know that? I read it on the back of her sweatshirt.

When I asked the waiter who looked after us for some advice about the real ales, he came back with three different samples for me to try; excellent service, I thought. It is little touches like this that makes you want to come back. In the end I opted for an old favourite, Hobson's Best Bitter, which is brewed in Cleobury Mortimer. It is an aromatic, amber-coloured beer, initially quite sweet, but with a bitter, hoppy aftertaste. I think I slightly prefer Hobson's Town Crier, but it's a good pint all the same.

There is plenty of choice on the menu. For example, if pies are your thing, there is the classic steak and ale pie, made with Young's London Gold beer, or a Scottish venison and merlot pie, or a fish pie if you prefer. Or if you like a bit of variety, you can have three mini pies. Similarly, there is a choice of burgers – including wild boar – and different fish, but if you want a bit of variety, you can order a mixed platter. Vegetarians are also well catered for.

While the slow-cooked rib of British beef sounded interesting, in the end I plumped for the fillet steak in stilton and peppercorn sauce, while my companion went for the "Chicago chicken", essentially a chicken breast with bacon, a tomato and basil sauce, melted mozzarella cheese and sticky barbecue relish

The menu suggests "for a lighter option choice, swap your chips for a crisp salad". Hmm. About as much chance of me doing that as seeing Millwall in the Champions League.

The food took about half an hour to arrive, about what you would expect for a freshly cooked meal, and the steak was good. For a 7oz steak it was a surprisingly filling meal, and it was plump and tender enough to cut with a butter knife. The stilton and peppercorn sauce was thick and creamy, and had quite a spicy flavour, but it would have been nice to have seen a few more, well, peppercorns in it. There were ample servings of chips, but at £14.95 (plus £1.15 for the sauce) I do think they should be hand-cut. Nevertheless, they were nicely cooked, with a crispy golden coating. The chicken was also very good, with the sauce coming in for particular praise.

To finish, I went for the chocolate fudge cake, while my companion had the snappily named chocolate and raspberry brownie torte.

The latter was a tasty way to round off the meal, with the chocolate orange ganache providing a subtle bit of extra flavour.

The chocolate fudge cake was very good. All too often you find that these are made with large pieces of sponge, but little in the way of filling. There were no problems here, though, with lots of thick, rich buttery fudge. Superb.

About to tuck into my dessert, I took my jug of cream out of the pool of treacle, and put it down on the table - and it was then that my eyes opened to the reason for the sticky-table conundrum. Assuming that I was not the first person to do that during the course of the day, it is little surprise that it ended up resembling the board the Solvite man was suspended from.

The total bill came to £44.75, above average but still reasonable for an enjoyable meal served in attractive, relaxing surroundings.

ADDRESS

Mare & Colt, Worcester Road, Summerfield, near Kidderminster DY11 7RF

Tel: 01562 824116

Web: www.chefandbrewer.com/pub-food/mare-colt-kidderminster-summerfield/pid-S9274

MENU SAMPLE

STARTERS

Grilled flat mushrooms drizzled with stilton and peppercorn sauce, on toasted garlic bread £3.95; Goat's cheese bruschetta with caramelised, home-roasted sweet red onion £3.75; Chicken, pork and heather honey pâté with caramelised red onion chutney and toast £4.45

MAINS

Braised lamb shoulder with mash, green beans and red wine, root vegetable and pearl barley sauce £11.85; Sausage with sweet potato mash, dressed green beans, smoked chilli jam and sour cream £9.95; Goat's cheese and beetroot salad £7.95; Baked fillet of organic Shetland salmon, wrapped in crispy pancetta, with cheese mash, green beans and white wine & pesto sauce £12.25; Burger platter: cajun rump, wild boar, and bacon-and-cheese mini burgers, with chips and sticky barbecue relish £10.65

DESSERTS

Crumble of the day £4.45; Apple pie with custard £3.85