Stafford Arms, Bagnall

At The Stafford Arms in the pretty Staffordshire Moorlands village of Bagnall, I found solid cooking and a friendly welcome. After a major renovation and extension, diners can choose from cosy traditional pub surroundings or a modern restaurant feel.

The Stafford Arms, on Bagnall village green, looks like the quintessential English country pub. Dating from the sixteenth century, this stone building seems exactly what you’d expect to find in such a spot. Next door, and dating from 1603, is the beautiful St. Chad’s house – former rectory to the adjacent church. But what you might not guess is that the stone walls of the pub enclose two rather different spaces.

That’s because, after an extensive renovation, diners at the Stafford Arms can eat in the traditional pub or in a contemporary style restaurant. Making our reservation online, we didn’t know where we’d be seated. But on arrival we were shown past the cosy traditional areas and straight through to the light and bright restaurant.

With a bank of mirrors on one wall (and not the sort likely to have Ind Coope or similar emblazoned on them), faux marble table tops and very fancy (yet comfy) chairs, this was no run-of- the-mill pub restaurant. Seated beneath sparkling chandeliers, with modern metal sculptures and abstract paintings on the walls, we perused The Stafford Arms menus.

MENUS AT THE STAFFORD ARMS

As with many pubs these days, the main menu appeared to be split between what you might call pub classics and dishes with a nod towards the modern British style of cooking.  At The Stafford Arms these were headed ‘The Stafford Favourites’ and ‘Chef’s Specials’. This seemed clear enough at first, given the obvious visual split between pub and restaurant.

As you’d hope, all the usual pub favourites were there: a range of beef, chicken and veggie burgers, steak and ale pie, fish and chips, pasta and salads. However, I was surprised to see steaks, gammon and the mixed grill on the ‘Chef’s Specials’ menu. I thought these would have sat more comfortably with the classics. But here they were alongside dishes such as Braised Shoulder of Moroccan lamb with turmeric infused fondant and Sweet Potato, Spinach, Cauliflower and Peanut Satay. Still, there was plenty of good, tempting stuff to choose from, along with a daily specials menu.

But first to the Starters.

STARTERS

The Stafford Arms had seven starters on the main a la carte menu, as well as nibbles like olives, various breads, hummus and nachos.

HAM HOCK FRITTERS

Despite everything sounding very good, it didn’t take me long to choose. That’s because seeing ham hock anywhere on a menu means I’m likely to zoom in straight to it. I love ham hock’s bold flavour and wish I saw more of it about. At The Stafford Arms it came in the guise of Ham Hock Fritters served with pea puree and topped with a poached hen’s egg (£6.50).

The three golden fritters were of a nicely ample size. The crunchy breadcrumb coating didn’t quite enclose all of the meat, but so what? The ham hock was soft, juicy and shredded beautifully at the touch of knife and fork. The pea puree had a good, earthy taste and was seasoned perfectly. I liked that the kitchen had left a few whole peas for texture. The only slight disappointment was the poached egg. When the appetizing-looking dish arrived, I thought the egg looked a little firm. Cutting into it, I was right. Ideally, you want the rich yolk to trickle over the crisp fritter and merge enticingly with the pea puree. Alas, only the centre of the yolk was a little runny. An extremely pleasurable dish nonetheless.

CORNISH MACKEREL ROLLS

My partner, ID (to whom thanks is due for the photography in this post), chose for his starter Cornish Mackerel Rolls with baby gem lettuce, beetroot & horseradish chutney and orange creme fraiche (£6.25). This was a dish presented in the contemporary style, on a long oblong platter. And, for the most part, very pretty it looked too. We hadn’t known what to expect from the description ‘rolls’ but were pleased to see these were crunchy tubes of filo-type pastry.

Inside the crisply fried rolls was simply cooked mackerel. But ID thought the star of the plate was the well-flavoured chutney, both tart and sweet and in nice quenelles. The splash of creme fraiche brought a lightly creamy contrast which I enjoyed. We couldn’t detect the advertised orange in the creme fraiche, although it wasn’t really missed. Unfortunately, the baby gem lettuce looked a little sad. Limp, and browning near its cut ends, the fresh element it could have provided was lost. This was a shame as it was an imaginative dish, otherwise enjoyable.

MAIN COURSES

PORK BELLY

After my ham starter, I continued the piggy theme for my main. And when I say piggy I mean in both senses of the word. That’s because, despite being faced with a very generous portion, I ate every single morsel. The detailed description was Locally Supplied Pork Belly with smoked bacon, choucroute cabbage, star anise baked carrot, spring onion mash and cider jus (£16.25).

Half resting on a big pile of mash was a thick piece of pork belly. Pointing skywards next to it was a carrot and a triangular shard of pork crackling. The mash was of a firm texture and, happily for me, not one of those puree-like mashes. That was just as well as I don’t think the latter would have withstood the Leaning Tower of Pork. The meat was well-flavoured and almost gelatinously soft. Having the crackling on the side, good and crunchy, meant it was easy to cut into the moist pigginess.

The carrot was how I like it. Not crunchy, but not mushy either. Any hint of star anise passed me by though and it was only re-reading the menu later that I remembered it should’ve been there. I thought the inclusion of choucroute (i.e. sauerkraut) cabbage was a sensible inclusion. The slightly fermented astringency, along with its nuggets of smoky bacon, brought another flavour dimension to the plate. I can see why the clump of watercress was added as a bit of green did balance the plate. But, like the little gem in the mackerel starter, it was perhaps not quite at its best. I thought the cider gravy (oh, ok cider jus) was a delight. Not too sweet, but full of meaty flavour, it had a bright glossiness. In short, a well made and satisfying main course.

PAN-FRIED CHICKEN BREAST

ID’s choice was likewise bountifully proportioned. Pan-fried chicken breast resting on mature Cheddar cheese mash, baby leeks, ham hock bon bon and a white wine and tarragon cream sauce (£14.95) sounded like ideal comfort food. And it was. Admittedly, the chicken needed a little extra seasoning and unexciting watercress made another appearance. But other than those quibbles, it was exactly what you’d hope for in a pub dish.

ID particuarly enjoyed the mashed potato which was rich and cheesy. When I reached across for a fork-full (like you do) there were lots of gooey strings of cheese. Nice. We were happy to see that juicy ham hock in a crunchy coat again, this time in a sphere. The slender leeks were tender with just enough bite and there was plenty of creamy, herby sauce to slather over everything. The only thing we thought missing was the chicken skin. A crispy shard of that would have elevated the dish a notch. But we’re talking ideal world here and, as with the previous plates, not a smidgen was left.

DESSERTS

As is usually the case with us, large main courses didn’t prevent us from squeezing in a pudding. The Stafford Arms had eight desserts to choose from, as well as the restrained cioccolatini (three handmade chocolate Italian truffles for £2.50) and the not-so-restrained cheeseboard (£7.50).

PARKIN CAKE

I knew that parkin is a type of sticky ginger cake, especially popular in Yorkshire on bonfire night, but I don’t think I’d ever eaten it before. So I decided to give it a whirl when I saw on the menu Home-made parkin cake with orange & Cointreau ice cream and a jug of fresh cream (£5.75). The cake was described as vegan and gluten-free which, to be honest, can mean a heavy cake in my experience. However, parkin is not meant to be light and airy, but dark and sticky so I went ahead. The fact that the accompanying ice cream sounded pretty good nudged me towards it too.

The cake was indeed quite dense, but enjoyably so and perfectly fine for a ginger cake. The moist stickiness you’d expect was there too. The zingy orange ice-cream, from Cheshire Farm, was a well-judged choice. Along with the drizzle of zesty sauce, it lightened the dessert and provided good complementary flavour to the ginger. I didn’t feel the need to add virtually any of the cream from the cute little jug, but I can see that some would want it.

RETRO BROWN DERBY DOUGHNUT

When ID ordered The Retro Brown Derby Doughnut towered with vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce & chopped nuts (£5.50), we didn’t really know what he’d be getting. I’ve since discovered that the Brown Derby Doughnut was, and still is, a dessert at British burger chain Wimpy (also responsible for the bizarre Bender in a Bun). Whether Wimpy made it as an homage to the Los Angeles diner chain ‘Brown Derby’ or named it simply because it looked like a brown derby hat (that’s a bowler hat to Brits), I don’t know.

Anyway, whatever its origins, this was a fun and tasty dessert. The generosity of portion we were now familiar with at The Stafford Arms meant that the two scoops of ice cream on top of the doughnut made it look more like a wonky top hat than a bowler hat. But who cares? The doughnut wasn’t an overly sweet one. However, with chocolate sauce poured all over and around it, that’s probably just as well.

GOOD VALUE & CHOICE, WELCOMING

Without drinks, our food bill came to £55.20. At less than £28 per person for three generous courses that were cooked well, I think that’s very fair. Our only quibbles were that there could be a little more attention to detail in some of the finer points, for example the freshness of the salad garnishes and more precise cooking of the poached egg.

We ate from the main a la carte menu which had plenty to offer. Fixed price two course meals are available at lunch and dinner Monday – Thursday, and 12.00 noon –  5.00 pm on Fridays and Saturdays. On Sundays, two courses are £16.95. Breakfast is served at weekends between 9.30 – 12.00 noon (last orders 11.30 am).

We found all the staff to be welcoming, friendly and efficient. Servers made sure we were happy with our food and that we had all the drinks we required. Both the pub and restaurant had a casual feel with a range of diners including couples, families and groups.

RECOMMENDED

A lot of thought has clearly gone into the renovation and modern extension to The Stafford Arms. It certainly seems to have received a largely positive response. We’d eaten early in the evening as we simply couldn’t get a later table. Obviously there’s plenty of people who also enjoy their well cooked, satisfying dishes in a buzzing, friendly atmosphere.

I felt a little confused by main courses being split into ‘Stafford Favourites’ and ‘Chef’s Specials’ as much of it appeared to be hearty pub food. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. But this divide, combined with two very distinct eating areas, seemed to be a little unnecessary.

As you’ve read, we thoroughly enjoyed what we ate. But I think we’d have been happier in the cosy pub area. I’d love to see some more modern British dishes on the menu too.

However, none of that stops me happily recommending The Stafford Arms to which, no doubt, I’ll be returning.

All images in this post are copyright Ian Dakin Photography and are not to be reproduced without permission.