Review: The Royal Forester, Bewdley

According to Restaurant magazine, the best restaurant in Britain is actually a pub, The Hand & Flowers in Marlow, Buckinghamshire.

According to editor William Drew, the pub, which is run by TV chef Tom Kerridge, typifies the rise of the 'Michelinns' – high-class pub restaurants employing top chefs that can match the food of a formal restaurant, but in a more relaxed atmosphere.

But while I don't doubt that Kerridge's Hand & Flowers really is the bee's knees, it's well over 100 miles away. A bit of a trek, for myself, and indeed for you if you are sufficiently impressed to follow in my footsteps.

But the good news is that you don't have to travel halfway across the country if you're hungry for a taste of the Michelinn experience.

The Royal Forester, at Callow Hill, on the edge of the Wyre Forest, has, for some years, been a fixture in the prestigious Michelin Eating Out in Pubs guide. According to the guide, it offers 'a relaxed atmosphere and a bright, contemporary bar with a grand piano', not to mention a 'regularly changing menu of simple, flavourful cooking.'

Simple, flavourful cooking? What's not to like?

The first thing you need to know about the Royal Forester is where it is. First and foremost, it is not the Callow Hill in the Shropshire Hills, a minor peak on the side of Caer Caradoc. No matter how flavourful the cooking, it's hard to imagine it doing much business on the side of a mountain.

More to the point, it is not Callow Hill, near Redditch, either, which is probably the first place many people will think of when they see the address as 'Callow Hill, Worcestershire'. This

Callow Hill is about three miles from the centre of Bewdley, and surrounded by acres and acres of woodland. The pub is on the corner of the delightfully named Bliss Gate Road.

The Royal Forester is certainly steeped in history. Dating back to 1411, it is said to be one of Worcestershire's oldest pubs, yet at the same time it still manages to create a warm and inviting atmosphere.

Perhaps the term 'pub' is a little misleading. There is certainly a very comfortable lounge area, with big leather sofas arranged around low, rustic coffee tables, small groups of people huddled around the bar having a natter over a pint. But really, at least on the night we visited, this room was more of a place for diners to relax before and after their meals. This pub is definitely more brasserie than boozer.

That said, it does offer two excellent real ales from Wye Valley Brewery – the light, honey-like Hereford Pale Ale, or the darker, fruitier Butty Bach – as well as a mammoth wine list comprising more than 80 options from around the world.

I decided to sample a glass of the superb HPA, and my only criticism is that it proved so moreish it took considerable restraint to make it last until the main course.

The restaurant area itself really is as pretty as a picture, combining the hefty old medieval beams and distressed brickwork with cheery warm colours and plush, comfortable seating. The restaurant is also divided into small areas, making for a cosy, intimate atmosphere, with even the paper napkins being printed with The Royal Forester logo.

But of course a place of this kind is only as good as its chef, and The Royal Forester's Mark Hammond has pretty impressive credentials, having previously worked at Chaddesley Corbett's prestigious Brockencote Hall. His work at The Royal Forester has not only earned it a place in the Michelin guide, but also a coveted AA rosette.

Locally-sourced game is something of a speciality, and Hammond is also reported to be something of an expert forager, who can often be seen picking the best the Wyre Forest, surrounding hedgerows and fields have to offer.

To begin with, we decided to start with the bread, olives and balsamic oil, and plumped to share a large portion between us.

And when they say large, they really do mean large. Almost a meal in itself, we were handed a giant platter containing a mixture of white, wholemeal and nut breads, which seemed tremendous value for £3.50. The balsamic oil was pleasantly rich, although we could have probably done with a bit more of it given the vast quantities of bread.

At the moment, the Forester is offering a choice of a festive set menu, which offers two courses for £24.99, or three for £29.99, or the regular a la carte menu which changes daily.

Neither of them are huge, but the a la carte menu usually offers a choice of three steaks, game and vegetarian options, and a freshly-caught fish dish, so most people should find something to whet their appetite.

We both decided to try one of the steaks, the girlfriend choosing a sirloin with blue Shropshire sauce, while I went for ribeye with green pepper.

They both came within good time, and unsurprisingly neither of us could wait to tuck into the dish which chef had prepared us.

"That's cheesy," was my first thought. Pleasant, but definitely cheesy. So I poured on a bit more sauce, and that made things cheesier still. Not much in the way of pepper flavour mind, but quite a strong creamy, cheese flavour.

"How's your sauce?" I asked the girlfriend, "Amazing," she replied. And she was even more amazed when she poured a bit more, and found a set smattering of peppercorns gliding out of the boat. You've probably by now guessed what happened, they had served us the wrong sauce.

It was a shame, really, because otherwise it was pretty much spot on. The ribeye was fabulous, strong on flavour and wonderfully juicy, without being too mushy like ribeyes can sometimes be.

The 10oz sirloin was equally good, offering near fillet-like tenderness, but with a little bit of extra flavour, while the thick, hand-cut chips were also a real work of beauty, their hearty, rustic style deliciously in keeping with the ambience of the place. Naughty but definitely nice.

And yes, the sauces were both very good too. Both were extremely light and creamy, and while I'm not normally a big fan of cheese sauce, few people would be able to argue that this was a top-notch effort, it's just unfortunate that I didn't realise they had got it wrong until I had smothered my steak.

Both meals were extremely filling, but we decided it would be rude to go home without at least trying a dessert.

There was not a separate a la carte dessert menu, but we were invited to choose one of the four options from the festive menu; for me this was not a problem, but the girlfriend struggled to find something she liked. In the end we agreed to share the warm Belgian waffle with toffee sauce and ice cream, which I thought was quite delicious – well I've always had a sweet tooth – although it proved to much for either of us to finish.

One thing that was slightly irritating was that, because we had been asked to choose our dessert from the festive set menu, there was no information about how much it would cost.

And given that the offer was two courses for £22.99, or three for £24.99, one might logically deduce that it would cost £2 – in actual fact it came to £5.50. While I don't think this is excessive, it would have been nice to have been told.

The total bill was £67.70, and you certainly get a lot of very good food for your money. All the staff were friendly and charming, and maybe had it not have been for the mistake with the sauce I would probably have given it the full five stars.

Make no bones about it, I enjoyed it, the food was superb and it was a beautiful place.

But I also went home a little frustrated that this small but significant error had to some extent undone the excellent work in the kitchen.

Mark Andrews