The Loom & Shuttle, Kidderminster

A vegetarian carvery just one of the delights on offer at this back-in-business eaterie, finds our

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Kidderminster, 1958. Britain is riding on the crest of a wave of postwar optimism, and soaring demand for the trendy new wall-to-wall carpet meant the town was better placed than most to benefit from the new-found prosperity.

"Kidderminster was regarded as the woven carpet capital of the world," says historian Melvyn Thompson. "There was no question about that."

North Worcestershire had never had it so good.

It was to this backdrop that a bright new pub called The Birches opened 53 years ago. And just as the Kidderminster carpet industry went into a period of decline thanks to cheap imports and laminate flooring, it is no great secret that the pub trade has been having something of a rough ride over the past few years.

The smoking ban, rising taxes and cheap supermarket beer have doubtless all played their part. And last year, what was The Birches - renamed The Loom & Shuttle many years ago in honour of town's carpet industry - became another casualty of the Great British pub crisis. Now it is back with a bang, and that is something we should all be celebrating.

Practically next door to the world-famous Brintons carpet works, the Loom & Shuttle is situated off what must rank as one of the most pointless and needlessly complicated traffic islands I have ever seen. What exactly is wrong with a simple, old-fashioned T-junction?

It is of a style that is fairly typical of a 1950 suburban pub, quite a large building in extensive grounds and a large, level car park, and a wide ramp for those requiring wheelchair access. But I know what you're really thinking - you want to know about the carpet.

It is quite a thick pile, in very bright colours, a curious clash of browns, reds, golds, blues and greens, and I believe Brintons had been specially commissioned to make it. The room is partially wood panelled, with the upper walls being covered with thick olive green paper, which gives a smart but slightly sombre look.

The new owners might want to do something about the website, though, which I presume was left behind by the previous management. Apart from having the wrong telephone number and menu, it also gives the address as being in "Worchestershire", and claims to host regular "physic" evenings. Who takes those? Magnus Pyke?

Perhaps reflecting the fact that the pub trade is still going through a rough time.

It was nice to see a choice of real ales. I have tried, and enjoyed, Ringwood's Boondoggle in the past, and I am now also in a position to recommend the same brewery's Best Bitter, a fruity, easy drinking session beer, fairly light in colour.

It is predominantly a carvery, but there is a small choice of alternatives, such as ploughman's lunch, rump or sirloin steak, or steak and ale pie, as well as a daily vegetarian special. There is also a vegetarian carvery for those who do not like meat.

The service was friendly. Because I had been looking at the aforementioned website, I did not realise that the carvery shut at 8.30pm, but the chef agreed to stay open so I could get my dinner at the same time that my companion's fish and chips arrived.

"You're getting special personal service," joked a grey-haired man who was tucking into a meal with his wife. It turned out he was called Dave, and he appeared to be in charge of the pub, helped by a younger man called Paul.

The carvery offered a choice of beef, turkey and gammon. It's a shame there wasn't any pork, but I did enjoy the beef and the turkey. It was good to see that the vegetables were fresh, rather than the tinned variety, the carrots looking particularly wholesome. The roast potatoes also had a pleasant crispness, and whole thing represents excellent value at just £3.95.

The fish and chips were more expensive at £6.95, but still reasonable. The fish was good, crispy on the outside and white and fluffy on the inside, but the chips would probably have been better if they had been cooked for a little longer.

For afters we went for warm chocolate fudge cake and bread and butter pudding. They were certainly generous, and good value for £2.95, although the warm chocolate fudge cake could have been, well, warmer. Truth be told, we were both quite full before they arrived, and neither of us was able to finish.

When I placed the dessert order, Dave seemed to be having a few difficulties with the till, but off his own bat he made another coffee to replace the one which had gone cold during the delay, which I thought showed good manners.

Because I had wanted to keep a bar tab open for the evening, I had been asked to leave my credit card in the till, and Dave later explained this was because somebody had recently "done a runner" without paying. Aren't there some spiteful people about?

The total bill was £22.75, for two courses each, a pint of Ringwood, a half of Guinness and a coffee, and you can't really say fairer than that. It's not perfect, but the service is friendly, the beer good, and the food tasty and good value.

Let's hope it does well.

ADDRESS

The Loom & Shuttle, 149 Stourport Road, Kidderminster DY11 7PZ

Tel: 01562 820008

Web: www.loomandshuttle.co.uk

MENU SAMPLE

STARTERS

Soup of the day £1.95; Chicken wings £2.45; Breaded mushrooms £2.45

MAINS

Steak and ale pie £6.95; Ploughman's lunch £5.95; 10oz sirloin steak £7.95; 8oz horseshoe gammon £6.95; Meat-free carvery £3.65; Vegetarian daily special £4.95

DESSERTS

Old classic sponge £2.95; Home-made crumble of the day £2.95; Ice cream sundae £2.95