Review: The Swan, Greengate Street, Stafford

She's popped up in the hotel bedrooms, given a few members of staff the heebie-jebbies and even been the subject of an investigation by Derek Acorah.

Personally, I think she's just sticking around for the food.

She's probably also a fan of the three-courses-for-£17.95 deal on a Sunday. I know I am. Who wouldn't stick around until the end of time at those prices?

The Swan, nestled in the heart of Stafford town centre, is the perfect spot for a lazy (boozy) Sunday lunch.

Whether tucked away in one of its stylish booths or sat at its huge bay window, light streaming in, all of my fellow diners had one thing in common – they looked completely and utterly contended.

Effervescent gin and tonics bubbled away on tables, snaps of tasty crackling could be heard around the room and there were many mmms and ahhhs as desserts were tucked into. You could feel the shared stresses and strains of the week melting away – and that was all down to a winning combination of good food, exceptional service and great value.

As we made our way through the heavy brick courtyard – The Swan dates back to the 1700s, fact fans, and was once referenced by Charles Dickens – we were greeted by Elliott, a more professional and polite member of staff you could not wish for. He sat us down, handed us the menus and, before we knew it, a G&T, Peroni and two hot bread rolls appeared before us.

Obviously, we had already decided we were going for the three-course offer so now it was time to choose the starter, which is easier said than done given the impressive selection.

There was homemade chicken and sweetcorn soup, potted mackerel with horseradish cream and crusty bread and roasted mushrooms stuffed with blue cheese. Your mouth's watering already isn't it? I can tell.

We plumped for the roasted Wye Valley asparagus with a fried duck egg and white truffle oil and the smocked haddock fishcake with tartar sauce and mixed salad.

The asparagus was fresh and full of the taste and colour of spring, the egg gloriously runny and there was nothing left on the plate when it made its way back into the kitchen.

I had the fishcakes, which, I have to say, were the best I'd ever had. Fresh, flavoursome and they woke up my tastebuds ready for the main event.

By this point, a bottle of San Elias merlot had also found its way on to our table. Funny that. The wine, £14.50, was warm, soft and velvety and our blissed-out Sunday vibe improved even more.

But now it was time for the mains. We selected the beef stroganoff in a brandy cream sauce with basmati rice and the roasted loin of Tamworth pork with sage and onion stuffing, cidergravy and seasonal veg.

But there were plenty of other temptations on there, including roast sirloin of Staffordshire beef, pan seared Lock Duart salmon, sesame crusted seabass and, for you veggies, potato gnocchi with sun-blushed tomato and artichoke and stir-fried Asian vegetables in sesame oil and plum sauce with marinated tofu and fried rice.

The stroganoff was a delight, the rice was light and fluffy and the sauce smooth and lip-smacking. However, I did have to add a bit of salt and pepper to really get it singing.

As for the pork, four generous pieces were piled high on the plate, smothered in the cider gravy. It was great quality and was complemented by the tasty stuffing perfectly. But, again, it needed a good dose of salt and pepper to give it some punch.

It came with roast potatoes, red cabbage, carrots and new potatoes and was up there with the best of them when it came to a fine Sunday lunch.

And the roast dinners were flying out of the kitchen on that particular Sunday. The couple next to us, relaxing with their Times and Mail on Sunday, were seen nodding in approval at their beef and a foursome of glamorous grannies and grandpas on another table took much delight in snapping off the pork crackling and tucking into mounds of vegetables. "Delicious," one of the fellas said. "You usually get what you pay for – this is a total bargain."

The seabass also caught our eye as we did a bit of table stalking, it looked mouth-wateringly plump and white and was a popular choice for many a diner.

Pudding-wise, it was a tough choice. There were seven choices in all – a refreshingly rare number considering most set menus are fairly limited.

The naughty-but-nice dishes included apple and pear crumble topped with vanilla ice cream, Pimms marinated strawberries and clotted cream, vanilla-scented creme brulee with shortbread biscuits and the obligatory cheese and biscuits.

After much consideration, we opted for the lemon meringue pie with mango coulis and Chantilly cream and Chantilly cream-filled profiterloes with warm white chocolate sauce.

However, I was having something of a craving for ice cream by this point so cheekily asked our mate Elliott if I could have that on my pie instead. Of course, the answer was 'yes' and a bright, zingy lemon meringue pie with a good dollop of refreshing ice cream swiftly arrived.

It was supremely satisfying and had all but disappeared by the time my other half had only just conquered her first profiterole. The mango coulis in particular was delightful and every last speck was scrapped from my plate.

As for the profiteroles, which come in a fabulously retro knickerbocker glory glass, the pastry was light and fluffy and the Chantilly cream soft and luxurious. However, the white chocolate sauce got the thumbs down on the simple fact that there wasn't enough of it. She wanted "lashings" she got "a trickle". Oh dear. Still, at least my pie was good.

By this point, we were happily full-to-bursting and decided to treat ourselves one last time with two steaming cups of coffee. We went for medium (I dread to think of the size of the large, I don't think you'd sleep for a week) and got a couple of little chocolate treats as added bonuses.

So, let's recap here. We've had three course of tasty, quality food each; a G&T and Peroni; bottle of plonk; two bathtub-sized cups of coffee and the damage for all that? Sixty-odd quid.

When you chuck in quality service and chic surroundings, that price just can't be sniffed at.

It was the perfect Sunday and set us up nicely for the week ahead. We'll definitely be back and seriously considered checking into one of the 31 bedrooms to snooze off our full stomachs.

Only the thought of a guest appearance by the White Lady scared us off, so it was a quick taxi ride back home for Soccer Sunday instead. What a disaster (!).

The Swan is in the same family as the Moat House in Acton Trussell, The Bear Grill in Stafford and The Dog and Doublet Inn in Sandon. All are venues to be proud of and all are worth a visit. Whatever The Lewis Partnership is doing, its doing it well.

And if you're too busy for a big ol' three-course meal at The Swan, then try a quick drink in one of its bars. Sinking into one of the sofas in either the cocktail or courtyard bar, drink in hand, is the perfect way to round off a weekday or start a weekend.

Oh, and don't forget Café Swan either, where breakfast can be picked up daily between 7.30am and midday and light bites and snacks from midday until 5pm.

The award-winning brasserie remains the jewel in the crown however and if you're going on a day other than a Sunday expect dishes including smoked salmon and lobster tagliatelli, venison wellington, confit of pork belly and more steaks than you can shake bearnaise sauce-covered stick at.

So, what are you waiting for? Get a reservation in now.

Say hi to Elliott when you're there. And the White Lady.

Keith Harrison