The Woodman Inn, Claverley

At last. September has come and a flick of the boiler switch on the boiler no longer elicits a jab in the ribs or "The Stare".

We can finally move on from the abysmal summer, pack away our barely-worn t shirts and vest tops and settle into the best season of all.

I love September. Out comes my favourite chunky knit (the other half hates that too, but 1980s fashion keeps coming back in doesn't it?), I start hankering after fine, warming red wine and cosy pubs are top of my agenda when it comes to eating out.

They don't come much cosier than The Woodman Inn in Claverley, so I was delighted to read last week that the owners had gone back on their decision to sell up.

Apparently, after five years they were thinking of moving on – going out on a high instead of possibly falling victim to the same fate as many other pubs battling against rising prices and falling customer numbers.

Impressive

But such is the love for brother and sister team Tim and Emma Hodgkinson from villagers that they have convinced them to stay. Rumours of a possible closure, or even someone else coming in at the helm, were met with such disdain that the pair have put alternative plans on hold and are staying to continue serving their loyal customers.

Now in a day and age where one pub a day is closing in our region because people cannot be bothered to go, I think you'll agree this is pretty impressive. Now they are looking to transform the menu and get a new chef in, and continue the reputation they've spent almost five years building up.

It had been a while since I'd been, so I went along once again to see what all the fuss was about.

It was a chilly Wednesday night, but the car park at the back of the pub was absolutely rammed. Squeezing the Clio in between two Range Rovers, I was glad we'd remembered to book because for a chilly Wednesday night, it was packed.

Walking in it was nice to see the place has not changed a great deal since my last visit. A row of children's and adults wellies lined up against a wooden wine cupboard give the place a real homely feel, and the warm welcome from the bar staff made us feel like regulars.

Noise reverberated around the room from more than a dozen full tables. The lights were dim, villagers were propping up the bar and staff were running around looking after everyone. It looked like how a pub ought to - warm, inviting, lively and fun.

We were seated on a table near the bar and round the corner from the main room, and given a basket of bread and butter.

A veritable feast of comfort food filled the menu, and a lot of it is locally produced. The potatoes are from 'Lee's farm next door' while the beef is reared on nearby fields. The eggs are from "happy chickens" on Rowley's farm.

The Cornish mussels (£5.75) came to our table in a large silver saucepan, smothered in a herb cream sauce. They were thick and juicy although I did find the sauce a bit on the rich side. My friend chose the onion bhajis. Three of them arrived on a rectangular slate, accompanied by a mint and cucumber dip and mango chutney (£5.50), and they were absolutely lovely.

We both chose the haddock for our main, the description just sounded too good to miss. Fillet of yellow smoked haddock topped with a poached egg (£13.95). It came with big fat hand-cut chips as well as a large dish of new potatoes and mixed vegetables including red cabbage, broccoli and peppers.

It was a colossal feast, and we struggled to conquer it. The fish was full of flavour – the egg perfectly poached. We'd perhaps been gluttons with the bread and our starters and apologised that we could finish what were superb meals.

We finished off our glasses of Sauvignon and Shiraz and paid the £50 bill, which included a tip.

As we left around 9.30pm, the place was still thriving. Thank goodness Tim and Emma have gone back on their decision to leave - this is one little gem that's going to keep on shining.

Contact:

The Woodman Inn, Claverley WV5 7DG

Telephone - 01746 710 553