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Recommendation added: 18/08/2006 00:21
By: dewberry (YSUK rating +825)dewberry has been thanked 6 times for this contribution
"A nice family pub in Staffordshire is the Darlaston Arms, a large pub restaurant complete with Wacky Warehouse to keep the kids happy.
The pub offers a constant Two-for-One promotion on main meals which makes eating out as a family that little bit cheaper. The meals are generally standard pub fare, with a few vegetarian dishes and more exotic balti dishes thrown in for good measure. The menu is actually pretty extensive, it's one of those places which features 'chips with everything' but as the chips are delicious I really can't moan about that! To be fair you can choose a jacket potato and salad instead of chips if you're feeling virtuous… but who's virtuous while eating in a pub…?
As a starter I shared a Combo for Two with my mum, which was absolutely huge when the waitress brought it over. Piles of breaded mushrooms, chicken wings, onion rings, chicken goujons, potato wedges and garlic bread – I'm sure there was more but I can't think of the couple of things I've missed out. This platter was served with pots of BBQ sauce and mayo; they even squeezed a large fresh green salad onto the plate! The Combo is delicious, beautifully cooked and almost a meal in itself. Lovely to pick at while having a couple of drinks.
The main courses were equally good. I had Scampi, Chips & Peas which was delicious. The breaded scampi was tender and succulent inside while being deliciously crispy on the outside, gorgeous when dipped in the small pot of tartare sauce which is served with this meal. The thickly cut chips were obviously freshly cooked and not at all greasy; it was refreshing to eat a pub meal where the chips don't leave a pool of oil on my plate! My mum had Lasagne which came in its own little serving dish, with chips and garlic bread. She commented on how tasty the lasagne was, and on sight I'd say it was meaty and rich with a generous amount of cheese sauce.
For dessert we both ate Caramel Apple Granny which was so delicious I could have eaten another three servings of it. Imagine a traditional apple crumble, but with little pieces of melting caramel mixed in with the crumble topping. I honestly felt like licking the bowl. The apples were fresh and beautifully cooked, spiced with what tasted like cinnamon and nutmeg and served in a delicious apple puree. The sweetness of the crumble was made all the more wonderful by the chunky pieces of caramel which had melted to an almost liquid consistency. The Granny was served with a sweet, rich custard which complimented it perfectly.
To wash your meal down there's a great choice of lagers and beers, both on draught and bottled. Choices include Carling Extra Cold, Stella, John Smiths, Murphys and Dry Blackthorn cider. All the branded spirits are available, as well as a good selection of wines to suit all budgets. Drinks are competitively priced, with a few spirits being on promotion, I think a free mixer when you buy a double.
The pub is nicely laid out with a good variety of seating arrangements. In the dining area tables range from seating any amount between two and eight people, and in the lounge section of the pub you can choose to sit on bar stools or smart leather sofas. The tables and chairs are well spaced which gives wheelchair users and families with pushchairs plenty of room to manoeuvre once you're inside the restaurant.
The only downside to the Darlaston Arms is the fact that the toilets and Wacky Warehouse are down a steep flight of stairs. My mum has asthma and found going to the loo in here such a struggle that she didn't dare have more than one drink. Again, having the children's play area down these stairs isn't ideal but to be fair there isn't really anywhere else this could go so it's down to the parents to ensure your little angel doesn't tumble down the stairs!
The Wacky is great. My children have visited literally plenty of Wacky Warehouses and were particularly impressed with this one because of the size of the play area. They had plenty of room to run around and there were also colouring sheets and complimentary boxes of crayons for when they were too hot and bothered to play any more. From a parent's point of view, I was impressed with how clean this Wacky was. It was fairly busy when we visited but the tables were clear of rubbish, the play area was also clean despite the fact that it was full of under 10's running around like mad things!
We spent around an hour and a half in the Darlaston Arms and this cost us around £40, which included food, drink and an hour's play in the Wacky for the kids. We took advantage of the Two-for-One offer, and as main meals cost between £7 and £12 this knocked a good amount off our bill.
The Darlaston Arms is pretty easy to find from both the Staffordshire and Birmingham directions. Simply get onto the main A34 road and follow it straight, through its many name changes, until you get Stone. From here Meaford is signposted and providing you're still on the A34 you can't miss the large while Darlaston Arms – mainly because it's located slap bang in the middle of a large dual carriageway roundabout! A bit hairy when you're leaving, believe me!
Darlaston Arms
Meaford
Stone
Staffordshire
ST15 0PX
Tel: 01785 813267"
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