The Red Lion, Bradley

Our undercover meal reviewer,

, visits a pub which has been renovated to its former glory.

The 1970s brought us some wonderful things. Angel Delight, for example. And endless, hot summers. And that's not to mention The Sweeney, The Professionals, Reginald Perrin, The Mike Yarwood Show.

And what about the Ford Capri? And purple loon pants. Wedge-shaped trim phones. The Bay City Rollers, Brotherhood of Man . . . okay, I might be stretching things a bit, but you get my drift.

However, one thing, I think we can safely agree on, is that tasteful improvements to period buildings is not something that time will be remembered for.

The Red Lion at Bradley was one of many pubs which once suffered from such 'modernisation'. I never witnessed it first hand, but I have seen the pictures, and believe me, it wasn't pretty.

So it's wonderful to see that this beautiful old pub has, in recent years, been sympathetically renovated to its former glory in a manner, which brings out the building's wonderful period features, while at the same time offering a stylish, sophisticated ambience with all modern comforts.

From the outside, the pub couldn't be prettier. Next to the church in this tiny, tranquil, village, this 500-year-old wood-framed building is set behind a lovingly tended front garden, with its gently-sloping front lawn and cast-iron bench.

We paid a visit after receiving a glowing reference from Jayne Savage, who decided to give it a try following the recent takeover by brothers Richard and Tim Finney, who are in charge of the kitchen, and Emma Harvey and Natalia Osica, who look after the front of house.

There is a decent-sized car park to the rear, and while I have no doubt that the friendly staff would do all they could to accommodate wheelchair users, the challenges of Elizabethan architecture mean it would probably be wise to telephone in advance.

A small lobby at the back leads to the front bar room, which is like taking a step back in time, with its heavy timberwork. The mantelpiece was heaving with good luck cards wishing the new incumbents well with their venture. The bar leads to a small, softly-lit lounge, where a young family was relaxing, and then another doorway leads to the restaurant, which is furnished in a contemporary style. There is a seating area with a black sofa opposite an appealing wood-burning stove.

Unlike the hefty wood frame in the bar, the beams to the ceiling of the dining room are clearly a modern addition. At least they don't pretend to be anything else, though, being of a simple, clean design rather than the gnarled pastiche style. In other words, the new wood blends in with the old, without imitating it.

There is always something quite awe-inspiring about visiting a building of this age, which has been around for hundreds of years. It is impossible not to wonder what the scene would have been like in the 16th century; who would have been there, what they would have talked about.

Reader Jayne said the house wine was good value, but in an old pub like this, it somehow seemed more authentic to sample a pint of ale. There were three brews from Lancashire-based Thwaites brewery, and after taking a little advice, I plumped for Thwaites Original, a malty, amber-coloured session beer. The alternatives were Wainwright, a fruity, straw-coloured tipple, or Lancaster Bomber, a stronger ale whose fans include former England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff. And if the tabloid reports are anything to go by, he ought to know a bit about beer.

There was an interesting cross-section of the community present. In the one corner were two elderly couples, including a gentleman who seemed to be something of a wine connoisseur; a couple of young couples sat at separate tables in the middle of the room, while there was a group of three ladies and two men on the table next to us.

The menu is not huge, but a lot of thought has clearly gone into what is on offer, and the use of local ingredients. Those with more adventurous tastes might want to try the pigeon breast starter, while vegetarians will opt for the mushroom tagliatelle main course.

The specials board needs to be marketed more aggressively, though; it was only after I had ordered my 8oz rump steak that I heard another customer asking for the sausage and mustard mash, which I would probably have gone for had I known about it. "Cooking is an art. Art takes time!" warned the menu, so I was surprised when the food arrived in 20 minutes.

While £12.95 is not cheap for a rump steak - and there was no fillet or sirloin on the menu - it was considerably better than the usual rump, quite tender, in fact, and came with a rather nice, creamy peppercorn sauce which cost an extra £1.95. The hand-cut chips were superb, big, fat and gorgeously crispy. And while I was initially concerned that the quality had come at the expense of quantity, they proved to be surprisingly filling.

My companion went for the haddock and chips with mushy peas, and found it all to be of similarly high quality, and the white wine vinegar was a nice touch.

Produce doesn't come much more local than the ice cream I had for afters, made at the family-run Red Lion Farm, across the fields in Haughton. There was a choice of four flavours on offer, and I opted for a mixture of coffee, Tia Maria and toffee.

The total bill was £37.45 - about what you would expect to pay at a good quality restaurant chain, but offering far more character. I would add that the two young ladies who looked after us - I am assuming they were Emma and Natalia - couldn't do enough to help, and spoke with knowledge and authority when asked about the food and drink.

The Red Lion is a lovely, homely place, with warm and friendly service in a beautiful old building. The food is neither flash nor fancy, just wholesome, good fare, lovingly cooked with flair and care.

And the wood-burning stoves make it the perfect place to enjoy an after-meal drink before braving the outside world on these increasingly cold autumn nights.

Particularly as there is nothing on the telly any more.

ADDRESS

The Red Lion, Smithy Lane, Bradley, Stafford, ST18 2DZ

Phone: 01785 780297

MENU SAMPLE

STARTERS

Chicken liver pate, home-made brioche and red onion jam £4.25; Smoked salmon, local goat's cheese and caper roulade, shoots and lemon dressing £5.25; Staffordshire blue cheese souffle with walnut, apple and celery salad £4.25

MAIN COURSES

Free-range chicken breast wrapped in parma ham, choucroute cabbage and roasted winter vegetables £13.50; Gammon steak, fried egg, hand-cut chips, slow-roasted tomatoes, flat-field mushroom and dressed watercress £11.95; Pan fried sea bream, spicy couscous, char grilled mediterranean vegetables with lime leaf sauce £12.95

DESSERTS

Pear and damson frangipane with creme Anglaise £4.75; Trio of chocolate tart, chocolate mousse and chocolate ice cream £4.95