The pub where the staff are the only ones pleased when there's an M6 closure

For the Littleton Arms in Penkridge, any planned closures at Junction 13 of the M6 can prove valuable and lucrative as it means motorists passing through the town will see the distinctive white pub and hotel in clear view.

The building dates back to the 1790s, having been built as a coaching inn and surviving in various forms to the present day, where it is owned and operated by Davenports Brewery.

It has now become a prominent business in Penkridge, operating as a pub and hotel with a cosy and comfy interior, great food and a warm welcome, ideally located due to the A449 which passes through the town and being adjacent to Penkridge railway station.

On the pub's website, it is described as "the perfect blend of contemporary chic and old English charm", which is something general manager Abbie Fisher heartily agrees with.

She said: "It's got great food and it's such a beautiful venue as well, very old school and rustic and I've just loved it here since I started here four years ago.

"I used to come here a lot from my home in Cannock and loved it a lot, so I decided to spend a lot more time here, starting out as a waitress, then taking on a role full time."

Ms Fisher has become general manager after Davenports bought the pub in January 2023 and said that when she took on the role, her first steps were to not change too much at the pub, but gradually add a few new features.

She said: "I've kept a lot of it the way it was as you don't fix what isn't broken and it's been working well for a long time for us.

"Obviously, with Davenports being on board, we've made a lot of tweaks to step up the service and step up the experience of coming here to the Littleton Arms.

"We now do free live entertainment on Friday and Saturday nights, just to bring a little bit of something different and keep it nice and exciting for guests to keep coming to us."

Ms Fisher said that the passing trade was one of the big reasons for the success of the pub and said people being diverted because of the motorway could play into its favour.

She said: "We tend to get a lot of people off the train and I'm probably the only person that will ever say the M6 closing helps us as we definitely will get a few people who come off the motorway when it's bad and want to get something to eat.

"We also get a lot of new faces from far away, which is nice, but we also get a lot of regulars from the town as well, so there's always familiar faces here."

Being owned by Davenports, the drink selection reflects the ownership as it has Davenports Original and IPA on handpumps, as well as a selection of premium lagers and ciders, with the average price of a pint being around £5.

It also offers a vast and varied spirits selection, with an extensive gin collection and flavoured tonics, including rhubarb, cucumber and London essence, with the average price of a single with mixer around £4.50, as well as offers for £12 for two cocktails and £14 for two of the signature cocktails.

While the drinks are a stellar selection, the pub excels itself with its food offerings, with a specific Sunday lunch menu, a special grazing menu for tables to share, a daytime sandwich menu and homemade classics such as steak and ale pie, haddock and chips and beef wellington.

Ms Fisher said the chefs did an excellent job with the food, as well as the beef wellington being what seemed to draw the crowds.

She said: "Our chefs are fantastic at what they do and give it that nice touch as the food is all homemade and handmade, so they put a lot of work into it.

"We try and keep our menus seasonal and provide variety to keep the customers happy, while also listening to them for what they might want to see on the menu.

"The beef wellington is a firm favourite and one of our biggest sellers and it's come to the point where people are ringing to book a table and asking for us to save a beef wellington for them."

Ms Fisher said those little details were just a few reasons why the Littleton Arms was special.

She said: "It's got a bit of everything as the building is beautiful and has so much character and Davenports have put so much into the place, tweaking things to make it better.

"We've got a place which has a lot of character and my staff are fantastic and I'm really lucky to have a great team front of house and back of house.

"We're all really friendly and we love to see our regulars and welcome new faces in and see what they think."