Stags Leap offers good food to suit all of the family

It’s not so bad if you and your partner are heading out for the night for a nice meal in intimate surroundings or if you have been out for the day and just want to dip into a fast-food restaurant out of convenience.

But, sometimes, when you have a few members of your family – of a wide range of ages and with different tastes – meeting up, it can be like a military operation planning somewhere to suit all.

We recently tried the Stags Leap, Rugeley, partly out of convenience, as members of our family live in the town, and also because it seemed like the kind of place which everyone could enjoy.

Describing itself as having “a family-friendly feel” as well as a beer garden complete with a children’s play area, I’d read that the pub recently had a £100,000 makeover.

So, with the revamp complete, I thought it would be worth a visit to take a look at how the pub’s refit had transformed it.

One of the best things about the Stags Leap is that it is spacious. On entry, you can turn left, to more of a bar area, while to your right is the restaurant area, which is split into two sections.

There’s a television in one corner, so if you want to have a bite to eat and watch the latest sports action, there’s an opportunity to do so. And there are even ‘grab a prize’ machines which will leave you digging out some loose change when your children spot them!

We were seated at a large table, to fit five of us, more towards the back of the restaurant. The restaurant was busy, which is always a good sign, but what I particularly liked was that it didn’t feel like other visiting parties were on top of you. In some pubs, the way tables are positioned can make you feel quite claustrophobic, making it a little uncomfortable.

But the Stags Leap spaces things out. It’s also very smart, having been refurbished, the lighting is spot on and the decor feels homely but not old fashioned.

The day we visited was still a rather warm day, so although the array of Sunday lunches looked fantastic, we decided to try something different from the usual menu. There were, incidentally, plenty of starters to choose from, although we opted against one on this particular day. I was tempted by the cream cheese, Mozzarella and Croxton Cheddar bites in a rustic crumb.

These are described as being topped with a ‘spicy Cheeky Devil relish’, chopped chives and finished with rocket salad. There are plenty of other options, including the traditional prawn cocktail and soup of the day offerings while barbecue cauliflower wings also sounded interesting – florets of cauliflower coated in a rich smoky barbecue batter with a hint of spice, drizzled with vegan mayonnaise and topped with crispy onions. These are garnished with a lime wedge and finished with rocket.

However, plumping for the mains, my dining partner Amy decided she was in the mood for a curry and chose a tasty veggie one (it’s actually suitable for vegans as well, which is a bonus).

The curry in question was cauliflower and red pepper, with all the vegetables served up in an aromatic Indian-style curry sauce. It’s not too spicy and although it’s filling, it remains light, which is the perfect excuse to have a pudding later!

It’s served with pilau rice, naan bread and a poppadom with a side of mango chutney for that more authentic feel. The naan was great for mopping up the mouthwatering sauce, but the poppadom was a little bit soft and didn’t have as much ‘crunch’ as you’d hope.

I have tried the roast dinners from the Stags Leap before and thoroughly enjoyed them but, like Amy, I wasn’t really in the mood for roast beef and all the trimmings

As a result I opted for the Cowboy Burger – two prime beef burgers topped with crispy bacon, along with American-style cheese slices and shredded iceberg lettuce. This was served with fries and a burger relish. You shouldn’t expect a pub or restaurant to go wrong with a burger really. Of course, some will wow you more than others but they should really all be of a decent standard.

And, while this one didn’t leave me waxing lyrical, it had plenty of taste and was well cooked. I also liked that fact that, while there was plenty of it, it didn’t leave me with a bloated feeling which can sometimes be the case with burgers. The fries were also well seasoned and nice and fluffy. I was really happy with this offering.

The Stags Leap has recently overhauled some of its menu, so while some of their favourite puddings (the lemon muffin cheesecake in particular) are gone, there are plenty of new favourites to add to your list.

Each time a pudding is whisked past by one of the serving staff, you can see heads turning and meerkat-like glances towards them – and for good reason. My partner ambitiously went for the Rocky Road Sundae, which was one of the desserts that attracted envious looks from other diners. It’s not as big as it seems in the photographs on the menu, so it’s much more manageable, but it’s still an indulgent treat.

Chocolate and vanilla flavour ice creams are piled up in the sundae glass in layers with chunks of chocolate brownie. Mix in some marshmallows, chocolate sauce and squirty cream, and you’ve got a scrumptious pudding.

Of course, it has to be topped with a chocolate flake. As a chocolate fan, she really enjoyed this part of the meal. The brownie wasn’t too soggy and there was just the right balance between all of the layers so there was never one element dominating.

The menu asks you to ‘give in to sweet temptation’ and so, well, it would be rude not to, wouldn’t it?

So I chose a sherry trifle cheesecake and enjoyed the fact offered more than your typical cheesecake offering. Rather than a biscuit base, it had a soft, vanilla sponge base topped with raspberry sauce and custard flavour cheesecake.

It was finished with whipped cream, white chocolate flakes and freeze-dried raspberry pieces and was served with raspberry sauce, cold custard and a crumbled chocolate flake. This really did bring a wide range of delightful tastes and textures. It’ll be my go-to pudding on my next visit, which i will be making.

One slight criticism is the bar was a little understaffed that day, which meant it took longer to get drinks, but staff were friendly and handled it well, and these things do happen. The staff here are what make it a positive dining experience with really friendly faces. One server in particular had lots of quips to make the kids laugh, which goes a long way.