Sunday Roast - The Oakley Arms, Brewood

 
We held a family event on Sunday to celebrate my nephew's birthday and my sister had chosen this quaint country pub on the edge of Staffordshire. The staff at The Oakley Arms arranged or us to have a lovely private room for the ten of us, which while away from the main eating area, was close enough to get a regular supply of drinks from the bar when we needed them. I would have been happy eating with the majority of customers, as this pub is cosy, the tables a good distance apart and the ambience quiet enough to be able to chat without the disturbance of background music. 
 
The beautifully landscaped outside area was empty when the ten of us arrived so we were able to enjoy a pre-meal drink in the Sunday sunshine and admire the lakeside view from the pub's extensive patio area. The Oakley was once a private country club set in some few acres and was popular for wedding events and functions for is exclusive membership. It is certainly better served now as a more public place, but has retained the extensive wooded land that one can see from the well laid out gardens.  
 
An excellent menu provided a wide choice of dishes for our Sunday lunch, including beef, pork and lamb roast. Sadly there was no fish, other than the deep fried fish-shop battered kind, with chips and mushy peas. Between the ten of us we chose a range of starters, and all looked super such that nothing was left on plates. I had the Indian samosas, which were well supported with a chopped salad and a delicious Asian style cucumber based sauce. The pate looked good too, as did the large garlic prawns. All my fellow diners said they were well and truly satisfied with their first course.
 
On to the mains and I went for the pork loin roast, as did my partner. We both found it an excellent choice - tender slices of pork, only a rim of fat and again well supported by a range of carefully cooked vegetables and a sausage-based stuffing. The roasted potatoes were terrific - often a weakness in most roast dinners. Certainly one of the best pub roast lunches I have had in a long time. As for the rest of my family, all I can say is, clean plates went back to the kitchen, not a morsel was left! Lamb and beef dinners were acclaimed by my sister, brother in law, their grown up children and partners. With two professional and practicing chefs amongst our party, one a former BBC MasterChef finalist, this was praise indeed.
 

This is a delightful country pub in a lovely hidden setting just outside Brewood in South Staffordshire. Great food, attentive staff, reasonable prices and a wide choice of wines and beers, make it a place to try to find - not easy. Don't tell anyone else about it though or it will be packed out this summer!
 
 
The Oakley Arms, Kiddemore Green Road, Brewood, ST19 9BQ, England (Tel +44 1902 859800)

Comments

Popular Posts