The Lyttelton Arms, Hagley

Question: What do Madonna, Marks & Spencer and a historic pub near Stourbridge have in common?

The answer, of course, writes Laura Stuart-Cook, is that all three are masters of reinvention. Time-defying Madge went from bushy-eyebrowed teen to fully-fledged pop Queen, while M&S transformed itself from High Street-shame to super-stylish chain.

And The Lyttelton Arms, in Hagley, has seen almost as many guises.

In the late nineties it was one of those traditional ale-drinker pubs, complete with sticky carpet. Fast-forward to the early noughties and cream panelling, flowery curtains and a salad station were introduced as it became a Harvester.

Then the eighteenth century former home of Lord Lyttelton was given its most dramatic overhaul to date.

It was unveiled as a trendy gastropub, complete with champagne opening and a car park full of luxurious supercars.

The Lyttelton was hot property thanks to its chic menu - until a kitchen fire in 2006 burnt the roof to a crisp.

And so it was that we visited the rebuilt gastropub - minus the original beams - on a busy Sunday evening.

The large car park was crammed with flash cars and our fellows diners had clearly dressed to impress.

Designer handbags and Platinum cards were the order of the day as customers strove to fit in with the stylish surroundings. And there's no denying the Lyttleton looks good.

Divided into a number of dining rooms, each decorated in a nude palette but with a slightly different theme.

Other diners were couples and families, who either were - or at least thought they were - impeccably well-heeled. Sadly first impressions of our table weren't quite as good. There was some unidentified liquid splashed up the wall next to us and my partner was forced to use a napkin to rub some dried food off our chunky table. Still, it was busy so we forgave the slight hygiene lapse.

Beer drinkers are in for a treat here with Amstell, Peroni and Erdinger on tap, while bottles come from as far afield as Peru and Holland. There is a comprehensive wine, champagne and cocktail menu as well as posh bottled fruit juices.

A novel touch is the layout of the food menu which explains the components of each dish. Great for those feeling a little out of their culinary depth in a gastropub. Alongside salads, pastas, stonebaked pizzas and sharing dishes, there are a selection of grills. There is also a soup, scallop and fish dish of the day, as well as Sunday roasts.

We decided to share a Garlic Pizzette with sun-blushed tomatoes, rocket and parmesan at £5.95, to start. Frankly I wish we hadn't. Before it was served up we were given huge hunks of fresh, crusty bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar which were more than enough to satisfy any appetite.

The posh garlic bread was, in my opinion, a big let down. Dry, doughy, lukewarm and not tasting of garlic. Slightly deflated, our main meals arrived and thankfully made up for it.

We both had Spit Chicken, Roast Garlic, Lemon, Thyme, Aioli and Frites at £10.95. The chicken was piping hot, tender and well complemented by the lemon, thyme and garlic mayonnaise.

We also shared a Tomato, Rocket and Mozzarella salad.

Full as we were, the £5.45 chocolate fondant was too heavenly-sounding to resist. And it more than lived up to expectations.

Although cleanliness and the starter could have been better, the gorgeous surroundings, laid-back luxury and reasonable prices (£42.85 with four soft drinks) made for an enjoyable evening - perhaps I'm just a Material Girl?

ADDRESS

The Lyttelton Arms, Bromsgrove Road, Hagley, Stourbridge DY9 9LJ